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Writer's pictureKeith

Weekly Activities - Teddy's Den



Book of the week

Is that you, Little Bear? Illustrated By Rod Hodgson.


Synopsis

Little Bear is very good at hiding and Mama Bear needs your help to find him! Join Mama Bear on her search through the forest in this gorgeous flap book.


Each spread features a sturdy flap that children can slide back and forth to reveal a surprise animal hidden underneath (and there's a quirky ladybird to spot on each page too!).


Weekly Activity

We explained to the children that teddy would like a den to hide in, just like the bear in our story who likes to hide. We started by finding out if the children understood the word ‘den’ and as some were unsure, we explained that it means an animal’s home or a hiding place.

We suggested that we could make a den for teddy. First, the children were asked to find 3 long sticks (about as long as their arm) which were all roughly the same length. If the children came back with different length sticks, we used either the loopers of secateurs to cut them to the same size.

We next demonstrated to the children how to make a simple overhand knot using rope or string, before tying the sticks together towards one end. We then positioned the sticks on the ground in a tripod shape. We suggest the children look for some natural resources (e.g. fallen leaves) to cover the den, leaving one side open as the entrance.

Afterwards, we encouraged the children to have a go at making their own den, either for teddy or for themselves. Some of the children wanted to make a den for themselves so we set about making a life size version that they could play and hide in!


Aims and Objectives

  • Explore various natural materials

  • Make comparisons between objects relating to length

  • Climb and squeeze themselves into different types of spaces

  • Establish their sense of self: helping develop children's sense of wellness and connection to the natural world

Home Activity

Encourage your child to use their imagination to tell or act out a detailed story based around their favourite teddy at home.

Either in a park or garden, ask them to find sticks of various lengths and thicknesses and then ask them some related, challenging questions such as:

  • Can you find a stick that is shorter?

  • Can you find a stick that is longer?

  • Can you put them in order from shortest to longest?

  • Can you find a stick that is the thickest?

  • Can you find a stick that is the thinnest?

  • Can you put them in order of thickness?




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