Level: Grades 1-4
Subjects: Drama, Language Experience, Art, Math
Objectives: To understand why and how grizzlies hibernate
Overview
Bears hibernate because there are not suitable food supplies through the winter. Their digestive systems are not designed to handle rough and woody plants that other mammals consume through the winter months. So, they sleep living off of the sat stores that they have built up through the summer and fall. The hibernation period for grizzlies is from 5-7 months. The body temperature of the bear drops just a few degrees and the bears do not leave their dens to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. Their bodies recycle waste elements in a way that could someday be used by humans in space travel.
Bears prepare their dens just before it is time to hibernate, some line them with boughs and or grasses and some simply dig out their cave. A den is generally high (about 7,000 feet) on the north side of a mountain. It is dug in a spot where it will not cave in, and where the melting snow of springtime will not flood it. The hole must be big enough for the bear. A female who has cubs may build another chamber for her young. Dens are about 15 feet deep and the opening is generally very small with a tight tunnel that slants upward into the sleeping chamber. This helps keep the den dry and difficult for trespassers to enter. It also allows the snow to build up across the opening to keep the den warmer throughout the winter. The bear's breath creates little breathing holes in the snow.
Baby bears are born during the period of hibernation. New born babies are toothless, blind, and very tiny. They lay cradled helplessly, in their mother's arms, nursing while she sleeps, and growing, so that by spring they weigh about five pounds. The baby bears bond with their mother during this time of quiet intimacy. It is their mother who will teach them everything necessary to survive once they are outside in the world.
Hibernation ends in late March or April and the bears emerge into the sunlight and snow. For a few days they stay near the denning sight and then begin their downward trek to find spring foods.
Procedure
Drama: Have the students prepare a 'den' using cardboard boxes. What would they need if they were a bear? What would they need as humans? What would they want as humans? Explore the differences between bears and human needs and between human needs and wants.
Language Arts: Have the class write a story told from the perspective of a new-born baby grizzly. Incorporate the elements of hibernation that are covered in the overview material.
Math: Measure the area necessary for a den. Weigh a bean bag simulating a baby bear. Record. Weigh a bag simulating a baby bear in the spring time (about 5 lb.). Compare the weights. Find other objects in the room that weigh about the same as each 'baby bear'.
Art: Draw a picture of a mother bear and her cubs. Sculpt a den from clay.
Source
Val Parsons & Val Samson, Lilian Peterson Elementary School, Kalispell, Montana