MINI MONDAY

Going on a bear hunt!

Mini bears can still let out mighty roars! Create your own bear mask and wear it with pride as you go out hunting for other bears in your community!

Materials

• Paper Plate
• Brown Paint
• Sponge
• Scissors
• Popsicle Stick
• Tape

Directions:

• Using scissors, cut out the centre of the plate
• Use the interior piece of the plate to create two ears (or cut a piece of paper to create the ears instead)
• Use tape to attach the ears to the top of the plate
• Use tape to attach the popsicle stick to the bottom of the plate
  • Depending on the age of your child, you may want to have the above steps already completed for them
• Pour some brown paint onto a separate plate
• Dip a sponge in the paint, and press it onto the cut-out plate and ears to paint them brown. Continue doing this until you completely cover the plate and the ears
• Allow your mask time to dry
• Once it’s dried, place a teddy bear in your window, grab your mask, and head outside as a family to see if there are any other bears you can spot in your neighbourhood! Whether you point the bears out to your little one, or they are able to point them out to you, engaging with their environment will help them develop an appreciation of the world around them!
• If window bears are lacking, create your own bear hunt by playing peek-a-boo or hide and go seek with your little one as you search for beautiful things in the great outdoors!

Keep the fun and learning going! Can you…

• Make the same sound as a bear?
• Walk like a bear?
• Count the number of bears you see on your hunt?

Essential Learning Experiences

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are developed when children learn to use their smaller muscles, like the ones in their hands, fingers, and wrists. Fine motor skills are used for everything from picking up a utensil to eat, buttoning clothing, and holding a pencil when learning to write.

This craft helps to support the development of fine motor skills by inviting children to grasp and press the sponge to paint their mask. Because this item is larger than a traditional paintbrush, it is easier for children at varying stages of motor skill development to hold and manipulate!

Developing an Appreciation of Beauty and a Connection to the Natural and Man-made World

There are lots of things in the world around us to enjoy! As children develop a connection to the natural and man-made world, they stimulate their sense of curiosity and can begin to identify things they find intriguing or beautiful. As they become more familiar with these things, they can begin to seek them out in their environment all on their own!

The bear hunt helps to support the development of this appreciation and connection by asking children to go outside and identify unique elements in their environment.

Stay tuned for more resources to help spark kids’ creative learning!

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