Kindergartners will look at the current weather and think about the next season of the year. They will also complete worksheets called ‘Animals’, learn the names of forest animals’ homes and practice highlighting the first sounds in words.

Educational aids:

a ‘Hello’ song, a ‘Seasons’ song, ‘Animals’ worksheets, crayons, the instrumental version of a ‘Wheels On The Bus’ song, the ‘The Animals in The Forest’ lyrics, riddles about animals, photos of animals, cards with names of animals, a ‘Grizzly Bear’ song, photos of animals’ homes, animals emblems, a tambourine, a drum.

Description of activities:

1. ‘Hello!’ – greeting children – children and the teacher sit in a circle. The teacher plays a song and shows the right movements. The group tries to imitate him/her.

Hello!

Hello, hello, hello, how are you? (wave to each other)
Hello, hello, hello, how are you? (wave to each other)

I’m good. (show one thumb)
I’m great! (show two thumbs)
I’m wonderful! (raise thumbs up)
I’m good. (show one thumb)
I’m great! (show two thumbs)
I’m wonderful! (raise thumbs up)

Hello, hello, hello, how are you? (wave to each other)
Hello, hello, hello, how are you? (wave to each other)

I’m tired. (wipe your forehead with a hand)
I’m hungry. (massage your belly)
I’m not so good. (wave your index finger)
I’m tired. (wipe your forehead with a hand)
I’m hungry. (massage your belly)
I’m not so good. (wave your index finger)

2. ‘A calendar’ – chatting – the teacher and children sit in a circle and the teacher asks chosen children:

• How’s the weather today?
• What season is it now? (autumn/fall)
• What will be the next season of the year? (winter)
• How do we know about it? (the temperature gets lower, leaves are falling, days are shorter, there’re less sunny days)
• Will people prepare for the winter? (yes)
• How? (they will buy new clothes and put them on, make preserves)

3. ‘Seasons’ – a movement activity – children move freely in the kindergarten room to the rhythm of a ‘Seasons’ song. When they hear the words: ‘What do you do in summer/fall/autumn/winter/spring?’ they stop and show activities according to the lyrics of the song.

4. ‘Animals’ – completing worksheets – the teacher shows children a worksheet and explains how they should do the task (children should color places by number with the right colors – choose the worksheet with animals living in your area/country). Next, the teacher invites children to sit by the tables and gives them worksheets. When children complete the worksheets the teacher walks between the tables and helps children if they need it. After children finish completing worksheets they sit in a circle, show their works and name the animals shown on worksheets. Next, the teacher informs the children that they will talk about animals preparing for winter.

5. ‘The Animals in The Forest’ – a movement activity – the teacher plays the instrumental version of a ‘Wheels On The Bus’ song, sings the ‘The Animals in The Forest’ lyrics (choose stanzas with animals living in your area/country) and shows movements according to the lyrics. The children imitate the movements shown by the teacher and try to sing the song.

The Animals in The Forest

Tune: Wheels On The Bus
Adapted by Shaunna Evans

The squirrels in the forest go
nibble, nibble, nibble,
nibble, nibble, nibble,
nibble, nibble, nibble.
The squirrels in the forest go
nibble, nibble, nibble
all day long.

The bears in the forest go
growl, growl, growl,
growl, growl, growl,
growl, growl, growl.
The bears in the forest go
growl, growl, growl
all day long.

The foxes in the forest go
slink, slink, slink,
slink, slink, slink,
slink, slink, slink.
The foxes in the forest go
slink, slink, slink
all day long.

The owls in the forest go
hoot, hoot, hoot,
hoot, hoot, hoot,
hoot, hoot, hoot.
The owls in the forest go
hoot, hoot, hoot
all day long.

The rabbits in the forest go
hop, hop, hop,
hop, hop, hop,
hop, hop, hop.
The rabbits in the forest go
hop, hop, hop
all day long.

The skunks in the forest go
spray, spray, spray,
spray, spray, spray,
spray, spray, spray.
The skunks in the forest go
spray, spray, spray
all day long.

The woodpeckers in the forest go
peck, peck, peck,
peck, peck, peck,
peck, peck, peck.
The woodpeckers in the forest go
peck, peck, peck
all day long.

The deer in the forest go
leap, leap, leap,
leap, leap, leap,
leap, leap, leap.
The deer in the forest go
leap, leap, leap
all day long.

6. ‘Sleepy Animals’ – an educational activity – children sit in a circle with the teacher who places photos of animals who fall asleep for the winter on the carpet. Next, the teacher reads riddles and children provide answers and point to the right photos and captions. At the end, the teacher asks children what these animals have in common (they fall asleep in the winter).

This is a unique type of mammal
As its webbed wings mean that it can fly.
They can find their way using echoes
For flying in both caves and the sky (a bat)

I am a type of mammal
Whose height and strength are very great.
I have big paws and thick fur
And in dark caves I hibernate. (a bear)

Instead of a fur coat, only needles.
Wolves are not afraid of him either.
A prickly ball, legs are not visible,
Call him of course… (a hedgehog)

His black and white head
doing well in the forest.
He likes berries and acorns.
During the winter season,
he goes to his lair. (a badger)

7. ‘Grizzly Bear’ – a movement activity – the teacher chooses one child to be ‘a bear’ who sits/lays in the middle of the carpet. Children march around him/her in a circle singing a ‘Grizzly Bear’ song. At the end of the song the ‘bear’ tries to catch one of the children who will become a new ‘bear’.

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly bear, grizzly bear sleeping in your cave.
Grizzly bear, oh grizzly bear sleeping in your cave.
Please be very quiet, please be very quiet
If you shake him/her
If you wake him/her
He/she gets very mad! (the bear wakes up and growls)

The game should be repeated 4-5 times. The teacher informs children that they will play this game in the afternoon/tomorrow etc. so that each child can become a bear.

8. ‘Animals’ homes’ – an educational activity – children sit in a circle with the teacher who places photos of animals and their homes on the carpet. The teacher asks chosen children to match animals and their homes and name/describe the homes. If children don’t know the names, the teacher names them. At the end, the teacher asks children why some animals sleep during the winter and sums up that:

Some animals have developed the ability called winter numbness – a state in which their physiological processes slow down which allows them to survive harsh winter conditions:

• a bear – before hibernating, this animal accumulates adipose tissue. He sleeps in caverns and undergrowths called dens or lairs. But he wakes up from time to time.
• a hedgehog – he also gains weight before sleep. He buries himself in piles of leaves. Sometimes he wakes up, when there is a temperature above 10 degrees Celsius in winter.
• a bat – he eats insects, but they also sleep in winter so bats have to do the same. They lower their body temperature and don’t need large reserves, but sometimes they wake up to drink or change their place. They sleep in caves, cellars and other dark places.
• a badger – it falls asleep in its burrow, stores fats in its body, but wakes up occasionally when it’s warmer and looks for a snack.
• a squirrel – this animal sleeps only in the greatest frost and is usually active in the winter. In the autumn/fall, she puts food in her hollows or buries food in the ground, but sometimes she forgets where she put it.

9. ‘Find your home’ – a movement activity – the teacher gives children emblems with animals and places photos of animals’ homes in different places in the kindergarten room. Children move freely to the rhythm played by the teacher on a tambourine. When the teacher stops playing children have to stand next to the photo which shows the home of their animal. The teacher checks whether children do the task in a correct way. Next, children come back to the middle of the carpet and swap their emblems. They can’t swap with the person who has the same emblem. The activity is repeated 5 times.

10. ‘The first sound is…’ – an educational activity – the teacher puts photos of animals’ homes on the carpet again and asks children to name them, divide them into syllables and isolate the first and the last sounds of them. Children can also count sounds in the words.

11. ‘Familiar animals’ – a movement activity – children move freely in the kindergarten room to the rhythm played by the teacher on a drum. When the teacher stops playing they freeze and the teacher says: ‘Let’s say the name of the forest animal’ and touches one of the children who has to say the name of one forest animal and isolate the first sound of this name.

Attachments:

An ‘Animals’ worksheet

Pictures for the ‘Sleepy animals’, ‘Animals’ homes’, ‘Find your home’, ‘The first sound is…’ activities

Captions for the ‘Sleepy animals’ activity

Emblems for the ‘Find your home’ activity

Pages:

1. https://supersimple.com/song/hello/ – a ‘Hello!’ song
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEGcSyPGIWY&ab – a ‘Seasons’ song for the ‘Seasons’ activity (Autumn Version)
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1aZIn1tYBg&ab – a ‘Seasons’ song for the ‘Seasons’ activity (Fall Version)
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdrgHGo70Nw&ab – the instrumental version of a ‘Wheels On The Bus’ song for the ‘The Animals in The Forest’ activity
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wae59enQoro&ab – a ‘Grizzly Bear’ song for the ‘Grizzly Bear’ activity