Animals in Winter, Deep Rest

Here is a Cave

Here is a cave
Inside is a bear
Now he comes out
To get some fresh air
He stays out all summer
In sunshine and heat
He hunts in the forest for berries to eat
When snow starts to fall,
He hurries inside
His warm little cave
And there he will hide
Snow covers the cave
Like a fluffy white rug
Inside the bear sleeps
All cozy and snug

Monday: Hibernation discussion
Tuesday: Animals that adapt to the winter by growing more fur to keep warm
Wednesday: Animal tracks in the snow. Hunting for tracks outside
Thursday: Some animals leave and go someplace warmer for the winter. Migration. How can we take care of the animals that stay?
Friday: Making winter homes out of clay

Planned activities for the next two weeks:
Bear Paw prints, animal tracks with paint, making bear tracks, making herbal lavender pillows, wildlife tracking, teddy bear pajama party on Friday, January 28th, Bury the Bear game, clay caves, and more!

This week's reflection: Deep Rest

"Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me"
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"Winter is a time of sleep, of hibernation.....a time when many living creatures withdraw from the outside world and go deep within to rest. How can we discover Deep Rest in our busy lives? The Rest that I speak of is not the kind of sleep we do in the evenings when our day is done. It is the deep peace that comes when we resist our urge to keep moving, to keep thinking, to keep going. When we take the time to slow down, to go inside and tend to ourselves, we become the caregiver of our own body and soul. This is not only a gift to us, but to everyone else in our lives."
-Little Acorn Learning