Tag: hibernating

story · topic

Hibernation Station

Lori at My Day in Pre-KLeave a comment

I thought we would end our week on hibernation with a fun fiction story. Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows tells the story of many forest creatures getting on a hibernation train.

In the story, you learn about more animals that hibernate: bats, snakes, chipmunks, groundhogs, skunks and more. There is so much more to learn about animals that hibernate. I hope you pick your favorite hibernating animal and learn a bit more.

Let’s draw a picture of the hibernation station train. Where would you put all the animals? Would it be made of logs or something else? Get creative

STEAM · story · topic

Do Bees Buzz in the Winter?

Lori at My Day in Pre-KLeave a comment

Many animals who migrate or hibernate depend on insects for food… so what happens to insects in the winter? Well we know that butterflies migrate, so do dragonflies. What about everything else? Well the best answer to this is… it depends on the insect. Check out this information from the Smithsonian. You will see that some survive as larva, pupa, eggs and even some as adults hibernating. The key they have is by being able to create their own anti-freeze.

Let’s watch some videos

Scientific America What Do Honeybees Do in the Winter?

ScienceOnline Honeybees in Winter an Amazing Sound

So what do bees do? They huddle together and move their wings to stay warm. So while they are not hibernating in the sense of lowering their body functions, they still are not doing anything but staying warm. They put all their energy in keeping the queen warm. It’s almost like the other bees are trying to be a blanket around the queen. A queen bee quilt?

So… today make your own queen bee quilt. Will you use squares, rectangles, triangles or even hexagons, just like the bee hive? Will you draw it or make it out of cut paper? Will you have one pattern or a collection of patterns? It is up to you… it is your quilt

story · topic · writing

Frogs Hibernating

Lori at My Day in Pre-KLeave a comment

When you think about animals that hibernate, I bet frogs do not come to mind. But, did you ever wonder what happens to frogs during the winter? Think about it. They live near water, they are cold blooded, the eat insects, but they can’t migrate somewhere warm… that’s a long distance to hop!

Let’s listen to a few fiction stories about frogs dealing with winter.

Frog in Winter by Max Velthuijs

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London

Do you think that frogs really just get dressed in warmer clothes and try to stay warm in the winter? Do they snuggle down in their beds under layers of blankets? Nope…

Frogs hibernate, but when frogs hibernate it is very different from bears and other mammals that hibernate. Frogs don’t have fur. They can’t regulate their body temperature. So… frogs actually freeze. Yes, you read that right. Frogs ice over, but stay alive!

Watch this NatGeo video and learn about how frogs survive the winter.

What do you think other pond animals do for the winter? Do they migrate? Do they hibernate? Do they adapt in some other way? Draw a picture of what you think the pond looks like in the winter.

STEAM · story · topic

Bears Hibernate for the Winter

Lori at My Day in Pre-KLeave a comment

When people talk about hibernation typically the first animal to come to mind is the bear. Bears actually do not truly hibernate, but do slow down their heart and lungs. When animals truly hibernate, they cannot be woken up, but bears brains stay alert enough to be aware of their surroundings. Bears go into a state called torpor.

Torpor involves physiological changes related especially to body temperature, metabolism, and water balance. Hibernation is when an organism spends the winter in a state of dormancy

science direct.com

Why do bears hibernate by Mystery Doug

Hibernation Video by Keeley Johnson

Baby Bear’s Not Hibernating by Lynn Plourde — read by Lynn Plourde

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (as told by Between the Lions)

Talk about what bears can, need and are for hibernation/torpor and then write and draw about it.

STEAM · topic

Hibernating Animals

Lori at My Day in Pre-KLeave a comment

I hope you enjoyed learning about migration. This week we will work on hibernation. Today we will learn about the concept of hibernation.

Snuggle Down Deep by Diane Ohanesian

Why Do Animals Hibernate by David Martin

Getting Ready for Hibernation from SciShow Kids

So why do animals hibernate? Here are some facts Hibernation fact from Scholastic and 10 Fascinating Facts about Hibernation from National Geographic Kids.

Most animals hibernate because of a lack of food. They are unable to store enough food to have enough food to eat through the winter. Most hibernating animals are warm blooded (bears, groundhogs, chipmunks and other), but there are also some cold blooded animals who hibernate (frogs, snails and snakes)

Hibernation allows an animals body to slow down, this is not sleep. The animals whole body slows down, including their lungs, heart and other essential organs. They use the energy they stored to use keep their organs functioning at a slower rate than normal. Some hibernating animals sleep through the winter, others wake from time to time to “use the bathroom” and eat some food they have stored.

Ask your child… Would you want to hibernate for the winter? Now draw and write about your answer. I really do like winter, it’s cold, but it is pretty!