When it gets chilly outside, it’s the perfect time to talk about animals that use hibernation as a way to survive the cold winter months. These hibernation activities are perfect for preschoolers who are curious how animals cope with winter weather.
Introducing Science Activity Stations
When children are learning about hibernation, they are learning about many different things. Of course, they are learning about science and nature when they talk about how animals adapt to their environment. They are also learning about seasons and animal behaviors. Preschoolers are learning about more than just science, however. New vocabulary words such as “hibernate” and “habitat” expand their language, while categorizing animals in different ways improves early math skills. Gross motor skills get a boost from building dens for different animals using construction materials like blocks, boxes, or sensory table fillers, and fine motor skills can be fine tuned while students trace animal names on laminated word cards. And of course, imagination is always present when students pretend to be different animals!
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Hibernation Preschool Science Center
$3.00Preschool scientists will learn all about HIBERNATION with these science centers! Everything is planned for you. Simply print off the preschool HIBERNATION resource and pair it with real-life materials for an amazing preschool or pre-k learning center.
Supplies Needed for a Hibernation Activities Science Center
Setting up a science center with hibernation activities is as simple as gathering a few items often tucked away in most preschool classrooms. It doesn’t have to be a large space for students to find it inviting. Here are two options for a hibernation station in the classroom.
Examining Hibernation
This station is about how different animals hibernate in different kinds of dens. Gather the following materials:
- Plastic toy animals (or pictures of animals)
- A bin of shredded green paper
- A container of fall leaves – real or artificial
- A bin with some small sticks and tree cookies
- A small box
- Pictures of animals that hibernate in their environments.
First, cut a small semi-circle from the box to create a cave entrance. Painting the box is optional, but it does add to the look. Hide the animals in the appropriate locations and students can find them, or place all of the animals on the table and have students match the aniumals to the right home.
Hibernation Activity #2 – Construction
This hibernation station uses many of the same elements as the first example, but changes how students are interacting with the materials. Instead of searching for animals hiding in their dens, this activity encourages students to use what they have learned to construct a safe place for the different animals to protect themselves from the weather and predators while they hibernate.
Providing Text Rich Materials
It is important to provide students with a text-rich environment in the early childhood classroom. Students are learning at an explosive rate, and manipulating the environment to support literacy is a fantastic way to take advantage of that. Hanging reference posters near the science area is an easy way to add to both the classroom decor and providing preschoolers with a visual vocabulary. Even though they might not be able to read the words in their entirety, they can recognize that “bear starts with B!” A vocabulary wall or word tracing works in the same way. Of course, providing picture books about hibernation is always a popular way to include even more examples of text for students to explore. Students can refer back to these materials while they play, both in groups and independently.
Hibernation Activities in Other Centers
Learning about hibernation doesn’t have to stay in the science center. Try some of these ideas for different centers around the room.
- Dramatic Play: Set up a cave in the dramatic play area. Simply drape a sheet over most of a table, leaving one side open for easy supervision. Encourage students to “forage” for foods (taken from the toy kitchen) and then pretend to curl up to hibernate in the cave.
- Block Center: Provide plastic animals and encourage students to use the block center materials to construct dens for the different animals. Other additions could be cotton balls, soft material scraps, sticks, leaves (real or artifical, although artificial would be less messy!), and fake fur.
- Sensory Table: Use artificial snow to turn the sensory table into a winter wonderland. Provide different hibernating animals in the table, as well as a variety of scoops, shovels, vase filling gems and other enticing additions. Encourage students to make dens for the animals.
- Writing Center: Create some write-and-wipe word cards by laminating some hibernation vocabulary words. Students trace the letters with dry erase markers to practice writing, or they can point to the letters and identify the letter names and sounds.
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