Learning Center Ideas Use these activities to continue children’s independent learning about stories and story characters.
Craft Center The Knot Problem
Art Center Sculpture Storytelling
Point out a common problem we all need to solve at some point—untying knots. Have different types of materials in the center—shoelaces, plastic cording, fabric strips, etc. Tie loose knots in each type of material. Invite children to work together to untie each knot. As they work to untie the knots, encourage children to tell creative stories about how the knots happened in the first place and why it’s important that we untie them.
Provide sculpting dough. Invite children to sculpt a main character and tell a story in which the character solves a problem thanks to a special feature like big hands, long hair, or strong legs. Encourage children to exaggerate the special feature in their sculptures. Use any recipe, or try this one: Make a mixture of one part flour and two
parts water. Mix until you get a thick consistency, and continue mixing to get out the bumps. To prevent mold, add 2–3 tablespoons of salt.
Math Center The Story of the Five Bears
Classroom Library Extend the theme by adding related books and media to your classroom library. • Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley • I Lost My Bear by Jules Feiffer (Weston Woods Book with Audio) • A Kiss For Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik (Weston Woods Book with Audio) • The Mitten/El mitón (English or Spanish) by Jan Brett
Provide five counting bears or stuffed animals and a box or other structure for a “bear cave.” Encourage children to tell as many different stories as they can with those five bears entering and leaving the cave. In each story, challenge them to tell how many bears are inside the cave, how many are outside the cave, and how many there are in all.
• Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (Bilingual Weston Woods Video)
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