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Advantages -
1)Children can feel while the book is being read

2)Can tweak the book into simpler version if required

3)Children can create the book themselves

Disadvantages -
1)To make the book more ‘real’, more materials may be needed to incorporate more textures.

2) The book seems a little too small if it is meant to be read to the entire class.

Adaptations -
Can make the book bigger and use utilized more different textures to make the different scene more realistic. Also, can incorporate the literacy aspect by putting in words or getting children to match the word to the scene (e.g. ‘grass’ to the scene of tall wavy grass)

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Before I parted with my iPhone (I hardly feel it now!) I downloaded the 45th Anniversary Playschool Album from iTunes... hubby transferred it for me onto my iPo

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Advantages -
1)Mess free

2)Open ended materials allow for creative play (e.g. can do sequencing, matching etc)

3)Rather easy to make

Disadvantages -
1)Cannot really feel as it is in a ziplock bag.

2)Materials cannot be kept and using food product
Adaptations -
Try to use materials that are more textured so children will be able to feel even through the ziplock bag. Also, we can add in words on the ziplock bag to incorporate the literacy aspect

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For the past several weeks, Little Sis has been requesting "Going on a Bear Hunt" as one of her bedtime stories.

Since it's been pretty chilly outside, I put together some non-messy sensory bags to bring the story to life.
Sensory play doesn't always have to be messy!

{post may contain affiliate links to Amazon}.

Going on a Bear Hunt Sensory Activity

To prep for the activity, I gathered:

ziplock baggies

tape (I would highly recommend duct tape!)

different materials to go along with the book

For the long wavy grass, I picked some of the ornamental grass from our garden.

For the deep, cold river we colored some water blue.

For mud, we dug up dirt from the garden and added water to it.

For the snowstorm, we added some powdered sugar.

And for the forest, we picked up some broken twigs from the yard (and when I say "we," I mean I sent my son to gather them- Ha!)

Initially, I hung up the bags on the window, so baby brother could explore, too! He loved touching the bags.

Just make sure you double bag the mud and water ! Don't ask how I know ; )

I printed off an image of a bear from online and stuck him in a paper bag cave.

Are you ready to go on a bear hunt?!

More Before Five in a Row go-along activities for other books:

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no-mess going on a bear hunt sensory bags

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No-Mess Going on a Bear Hunt Sensory Bags

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For the past several weeks, Little Sis has been requesting "Going on a Bear Hunt " as one of her bedtime stories. Since it's been pretty chilly outside, I put together some non-messy sensory bags to bring the story to life. Sensory play doesn't always have to be messy!

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Advantages -
1)Similar to our resource kit, just a miniature version

2)Using of concrete and natural materials (e.g. rocks)

Disadvantages -
1)Too much words à could make it simpler by just using one word

2)Materials cannot be kept

3)More suited towards individual play rather than for a group
Adaptations -
This kit is a very good inspiration for our own resource kit but we have to tweak some of the materials to make the kit lasting. Can consider using natural materials and including in a bear to make it more related to the story.

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We're going on a Bear Hunt, it's going to be a messy one...

So I mentioned before, how I'm always finding inspiration in our favourite bedtime stories. I love the idea of deepening a child's understanding of a story, using their playtime experiences to explore the concepts in what at first looks like a simple text. Ultimately we know children (and adults) learn better when their senses are engaged, which is why we point out pictures and put on funny voices when we're reading to them.

I decided to turn one of Vinnie's favourite books 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' by Michael Rosen into a sensory play session. The book is full of descriptive language...

...'long wavy grass' - I'm pretty sure my friends think I'm nuts when I ask if I can come round to borrow their paper shredder, then fill up a carrier bag with the shreddings!

...'a deep cold river' - I coloured some water blue, but as the container I used is brown (a recycled vegetable tray) I couldn't get a decent photo at all!

...'thick oozy mud' - I thought about this one for a long time, my first thought was playdough, but I used that in the next tray and I wanted to give Vin a completely new texture to explore. I played around with flour and paste and coffee grinds, but in the end I mixed up a batch of chocolate Angel Delight (similar to chocolate pudding in the US)

'a big dark forest' of twigs and leaves sunk into some brown playdough

'a narrow gloomy cave' - I had wild ideas of making a cave that Vin would actually have to reach into, but I couldn't pull it off as well as I'd envisaged. Instead we had a tray full of rocks and...

...'one shiny wet nose, two big furry ears, two big goggly eyes... it's a bear!'

here's his best 'uh-uh' face!

As I was setting up I kind of expected the contents of the trays probably wouldn't all stay where they were supposed to. What I was not expecting was the dumping of all of the trays into the water...

Interestingly the 'snow' absorbed all of the water and turned blue. Vin then tried looking for the water under the snow, which led to some science-y type conversations. We also got to talk about how the paper disintegrated and the sticks started getting mushy, but nothing happened to the rocks.

So we got to re-tell a bit of the story, before curiosity took over, but I love how this playtime went a completely different route and we got to talk about concepts I'd never have mentioned otherwise!

*ps since I wrote the original Fake Snow post a couple of people have mentioned the stuffing from nappies/diapers might be toxic. I did some research and couldn't find any conclusive argument either way. I spoke with a friend who is a biomedical research scientist, who said that old disposable nappies would have had toxic chemicals in, but that the eco-friendly compostible nappies I use would definitely not be toxic, unless the filling was consumed in large doses (he also mentioned that both oranges or bread can be toxic if consumed in large doses!) If you're still not keen you could crush up some icecubes in a blender or defrost your freezer like we did here.

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We're Going on a Bear Hunt Messy Play Style...

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We're going on a Bear Hunt, it's going to be a messy one... So I mentioned before, how I'm always finding inspiration in our favourite bedtime stories. I love the idea of deepening a child's understanding of a story, using their playtime experiences to explore the concepts in what at first looks like a simple text.

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Advantages -
1)Tangible and it can be utilized for our group project
Disadvantages -
1)Spoils easily as it is made out of paper
Adaptations -
Instead of a hand puppet, can make it into a hat so children can pretend to be a bear while walking through the different 'obstacles'.

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I love making beautiful things with kids. But I'll be honest with ya. Often times making beautiful things takes time to plan and prep... and I just don't have the energy. Often times I'll find myself at 11pm at night thinking, "Now shoot. What craft are we going to do tomorrow?" That's when I resort to fast and easy no-prep activities for the kiddos. And that's how these 3 "Going on a Bear Hunt" themed activities came about. Chuck and I love reading the book, so I came up with 3 really easy crafts to go along with the bear hunt theme.

3 Super Easy Bear Hunt Crafts

(This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!)

If you find yourself semi-scrambling for an easy craft idea too, then perhaps this activity is for you! (And here's an added bonus, if you don't want to do your own drawings, you can always just printout my doodles. I've included pdfs of those too down below. )

Ready to go on a bear hunt with us? Ok. Let's start crafting!

Materials Needed

1. Make a Paper Bag Bear Puppet!

We made these puppets at our toddler time library group. The kids colored in the different parts and the moms helped to cut out the pieces. Then, the kids glued everything onto a paper bag to make a cute puppet. Bam. Easy to prep, easy to do, easy to clean up. (To get a pdf of my drawings, find the link in the materials list above.)

Can you guess which one is Chuck's?

2. Make a Paper Plate Bear Mask

Heh heh heh. This mask was 100% kid painted. (Chuck was so proud of his work. And see that black bit at the bottom? Yeah. It's his mouth. I know. I found it a bit scary and funny myself.) I also gave him some cereal box ears and nose to paint and then glue on. Rawr!

3. Map out the locations in the story!

Even though we've read the story countless times, I actually found this map to be really helpful in visualizing what was happening. We just printed out the image (see link for my drawings above in the Materials list), colored it in, and then moved the pieces to the different locations as I read the story.

And that's it. 3 easy and fast bear crafts.

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3 Easy Bear Hunt Activities (with printables)

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I love making beautiful things with kids. But I'll be honest with ya. Often times making beautiful things takes time to plan and prep... and I just don't have the energy. Often times I'll find myself at 11pm at night thinking, "Now shoot. What craft are we going to do tomorrow?"

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Advantages -
1) This craft is very hands-on so children can join in and make it themselves
2)The binoculars added a more interesting dimension to the activity
Disadvantages -
1)Could have incorporated more different materials to make the different scene (e.g. use crepe paper for the long wavy grass)
Adaptations -
1) Make it into a group activity so children can come together to make it
2)Provide children with raw/recycle materials and encourage children to make use of these materials  to recreate the similar scene in the book

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Here's a fun binocular and map craft inspired by the popular children's book, We're Going on a Bear Hunt! This kids' activity is a great way to bring the story to life for kids of all ages. The post also includes a free printable sequencing sheet for kids.
(This post contains affiliate links.)
The Preschool Book Club is back this week with creative activities for kids inspired by the story, We're Going on a Bear Hunt! Every other week we'll all be sharing some fun activities for kids all based the book of the week.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt is one of my favorite books to read to children. It's impossible for kids to resist participating in the repetitive text, and the book lends itself to all kinds of imaginative play. We created our own maps and binoculars so we could bring the story to life right at home!

Making the Binoculars

Start by decorating two empty cardboard tubes (we used toilet paper rolls). (I found a mini roll of duct tape (similar to this one) at our local craft store and used it to decorate the two tubes.)

To create a space between the two tubes, cut a small piece of cardboard from an empty cardboard tube you aren't using. Fold the sides of the small piece of cardboard down.

Glue or tape each folded side to each cardboard tube to form your binoculars.

Punch one hole into either side of your binoculars. (This is my favorite single hole punch. It easily punched a hole through the cardboard!) Tie a long piece of yarn through the holes, and you're done!

Making the Map

This map activity is a great way to create art while retelling the events from the story. We made our map using art and craft supplies we already had at home. I'll describe to you how we made each section, but you can easily modify the map based on supplies you have readily available to you.

What We Used for Our Maps

How We Made Our Maps

1. You'll be making six little pictures on your map. Older children can probably visualize where to put the pictures, but I found it was easier for my 3 year old to already have the paper divided into six sections. To make the six sections, I folded the paper in half horizontally and then folded each side in to create thirds. When you unfold it you have 6 spaces.

2. In the first space we created the "long, wavy grass". To create my grass, I cut out a small rectangle from green construction paper. I then cut lots of tiny slits to create the grass and glued it onto my paper. (My 3 year old found it easier to glue green crinkle paper for grass rather than cut his own from construction paper.)

3. Next we made the "deep, cold river". I had a sheet of shiny, blue scrapbooking paper that was perfect. We cut our rivers out of the paper and glued them onto our maps.

4. The "thick, oozy mud" was the kids' favorite part of the map! We dipped our fingers into some brown tempera paint and used our fingers to paint mud onto our maps. We then sprinkled some sand onto the wet paint to really make it look muddy!

5. Up next was the "big, dark forest". We used mini popsicle sticks and green construction paper to make our forests. (I pre-cut the treetops for Theo.)

6. To make the "swirling, whirling snowstorm" we pulled apart cotton balls and glued them down as snow. We also drew snowflakes with liquid glue and sprinkled some snow-like glitter onto the glue. (Younger children will find it easier to make snowflake dots with the glue rather than draw snowflakes.)

7. The last section of the map is the "narrow, gloomy cave". We cut out our caves from brown construction paper and cut a door into the caves that can open and close. We cut out the bears from our free printable (which you can find at the end of the post) and glued them inside of our caves.

8. For the finishing touch, we used a black Sharpie to create a path on our maps.

Here you can see my three year old's map. He used crinkled paper for the grass and made glue dots rather than flakes for the snow.

Bringing the Story to Life

Prior to making our maps and binoculars, we had read We're Going on a Bear Hunt over and over during the previous few weeks. (There's even a song on this Greg & Steve CD where you can act out the story as it's being recited. My kindergarteners used to LOVE this!)

After becoming familiar with the story and having acted it out with our Greg & Steve CD, we took our maps and binoculars outside and went on our own bear hunts in the backyard!

Theo designated different parts of our yard to be places from the story (a corner of the yard with trees was our forest, our sandy area was the mud, etc.). Once we got to the end of the map and discovered the bear, we'd reverse our path and run all the way back home! (Kids always seem to love how the journey to the bear is done at a slow pace and then the trip back is super fast!)

When we were done going on our bear hunts, we put our maps and binoculars (along with the book) in a basket right by our backyard to be enjoyed again and again!

Free Sequencing Printable

I created this free printable to be used with retelling the story. In each square your child can draw all the places the characters went along their journey to the bear cave!
We're Going on a Bear Hunt Sequencing Page *Clipart from Scrappin Doodles

More We're Going on a Bear Hunt Activities

Be sure to check out all the creative We're Going on a Bear Hunt activities created by the other members of The Preschool Book Club Series!

Bear Puppet Snack from Sugar Aunts

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Sensory Tray from Mama Papa Bubba

Paper Bag Bear Puppets from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Sensory Collages from Homegrown Friends

Love using children's books to encourage a love of learning and creating? Be sure to check out our book, Exploring Books Through Play!

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We're Going on a Bear Hunt Map & Binoculars (with FREE Printable) - Buggy and Buddy

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Here's a fun binocular and map craft inspired by the popular children's book, We're Going on a Bear Hunt! This kids' activity is a great way to bring the story to life for kids of all ages. The post also includes a free printable sequencing sheet for kids.

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Advantages -
1) The different variety of textures allows children to feel and makes it more fun.
2) Materials are easily available and suitable for children
Disadvantages -
1)Some materials are a little hard to keep and store
Adaptations -
Using concrete figurines of the family members instead of  paper. Also, this can be adapted to our kit as we are doing something similar. Instead of using homemade playdough for the mud, we can use brown playdoh so that it can be kept for a longer time.

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March is National Reading month and to celebrate I created a We're Going on a Bear Hunt Tuff Tray. It's currently my Little Tots favourite book so I knew it would be worth the extra effort it took to set up.
(this post contains affiliate links)
I created this We're Going on a Bear Hunt small world play in our trusty tuff spot which we use for so many activities.

To re-create each area of the book I used the following:

Grass - I used some fake grass samples we use in all our small word play.

Water - Blue tissue paper with blue gems, you could also use a small tub of water dyed blue or blue water beads

Mud - Brown playdough using our no-cook playdough recipe and adding brown paint. Or why not just use the real thing?

Forest - I didn't have any toy trees that would be suitable for this so we collected twigs instead (stumble trip!)

Snow - white tissue paper with cotton wool balls on top.

Bear cave - a tissue box painted brown.

I added a print out of the characters from the book using these Bear Hunt Stick Puppets from Twinkl along with some picture cards also from Twinkl and this bear was a perfect size.

I added some clay at the bottom of the cut outs to help them stand up and laminated them to make sure they lasted.

The mud playdough was a huge hit and used for making lots of bear prints, it started to dry out towards the end as this has been out nearly all day but they didn't seem to mind.

We've been reading this book so much recently that Georgia could pretty much repeat it word for words whilst playing with it and even Jack was repeating his favourite words.

It was amazing watching these two become so engaged with this tuff tray and it really brought the story to life for them.

The different textures made this a fun sensory play activity as well and Jack enjoyed running his hands along the different surfaces.

By keeping actual mud and water out of this one it means we can bring it indoors to play with once it started to rain this afternoon.

Don't forget to check out our Bear Paw Cookies which would be a perfect addition to any We're Going on a Bear Hunt activities.

We're linking up with Learning and Exploring Through Plays National Reading Month blog hop so don't forget to check out it for lots of fun book related arts, crafts and activities from some amazing bloggers.

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March is National Reading month and to celebrate I created a We're Going on a Bear Hunt Tuff Tray. It's currently my Little Tots favourite book so I knew it would be worth the extra effort it took to set up. (this post contains affili...