We're Going On a Bear Hunt: Sensory Storytime Book of the Month

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen book cover

Movement, sound, and repetition, oh my! We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, is a storyteller's dream. A family of five and their dog travel through long, wavy grass, a deep, cold river, a big, dark forest, a swirling, whirling snowstorm, and a narrow, gloomy cave in search of a bear. Along the way, the singsong refrain will delight listeners as much as the opportunities for swaying, stomping, tiptoeing, and more.

Use We're Going on a Bear Hunt in your next snow, bear, weather, or just because storytime! Below, you'll find more ways to enhance the reading experience with songs and sensory play activities. Work one or more of these elements into your next Sensory Storytime for more engagement and fun.

How to Make Your Read-Aloud Adaptive & Interactive

Flannel/Magnet Pieces

Create flannel or magnet board versions of each obstacle the family faces (grass, water, mud, trees, snow, dark cave) and place them on the board as they appear in the story to help children follow along. These make a great reminder at the end of the book when the characters (and your attendees!) run back through each one.

Movement

The text includes excellent sounds for each obstacle ("swishy swashy," etc.) and illustrations help guide corresponding movements (arms high and sway, etc.) children will enjoy performing. Movement examples include:

Swishy swashy - Arms up high over the grass and sway side to side

Splash splosh - Pretend to swim

Squelch squerch - Stomp and slowly pull weighted feet up

Stumble trip - Hands over eyes (it's a dark forest!) and pretend to fall side to side

Hoooo woooo - Sway arms high over head while making wind sounds

Tiptoe - Tiptoe through the dark cave!

Puppet Rhyme

Your attendees will be a bit worked up and excited after all that swaying, swimming, and running. Nothing centers the attention back on you like bringing out puppets. Use the following animal puppets if you have them, or adapt the song for whatever you've got. The original song "There's Something in the Garden" can be found on SurLaLune Storytime.

Hide the puppets in a bucket or bag and pull each out when appropriate. Children love the suspense! If kiddos clamor to touch the puppets, let them know that you'll be setting them out during playtime at the end of storytime and that the puppets need to rest (out of view) in their bucket until then.

There’s Something in the Snow

There’s something in the snow, now what can it be?

There’s something in the snow that I can’t really see

I hear its funny sound…WHOO WHOO WHOO

An owl is what I found!

WOOF WOOF WOOF...dog

GRR GRR GRR…bear

Prop Song

Snowball Toss Song

Use fake snowballs (balls of white paper or these Soft Snowball Fight Balls) with this snowball version of Hap Palmer's The Bean Bag Song:

Toss your snowball and catch

Turn around, turn around, stamp stamp stamp

Toss your snowball and catch

Turn around, turn around, stamp stamp stamp

Put it on your head and walk around the room

Walk around the room, walk around the room

Put it on your head and walk around the room

Walk around the room with me

Wave your snowball and stop

Turn around, turn around, stamp stamp stamp...

Sensory Play Activities

Ending Sensory Storytime with free play provides children and their caregivers an excellent opportunity to explore and socialize. Here are great play activities to enjoy with We're Going on a Bear Hunt:

We're Going on a Bear Hunt Sensory Bottles

Discovery Bottles from the blog Teacher Types

Fill plastic bottles with grass, mud, blue water, sticks, and cotton balls (or powdered sugar) to represent the different elements the characters experience in the story. Be sure to hot glue or duct tape the caps on each bottle! Visit the blog Teacher Types for more craft and activity ideas.

Fake Snowballs

If you have the budget, this 30-pack of Snowball Fight Balls from Amazon is $16 and worth every penny, as you can use them in various winter-themed programs. Children like to hold, toss, and catch them. You can set out a pile of them or challenge kids to throw them into a bucket.

Puppets

Set out the animal puppets used in the storytime (Owl, Dog, Bear) for kiddos to enjoy.

More Sensory Storytime Books

We're Going on a Bear Hunt pairs beautifully with these other storytime books. Supertruck is one of my favorites to round out a snow-themed storytime: