Last week at the library Eli picked out the board book edition of We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen.
The girls have heard the song before at the library, but we of course sang it again. I also thought it would be fun for them to go on their own bear hunt. The logistics of it, however, made it not exactly possible. So I made a bear hunt for their "hangers" (what the girls call their fingers).
{Side note on hangers: I have no idea why they call their fingers hangers; they call my fingers fingers. Nadia started it when she was much smaller, and anytime they play with their hands they are hangers. They have also called Eli's fingers hangers, but mine are always fingers.}
I should have taken pictures of all the boxes before the girls got a hold of them, but for some reason I didn't think of that. here are the descriptions though.
So going by the book we first needed long, wavy grass. Well regular grass from the yard was long compared to fingers, so that went in box number 1.
Next we needed a cold river, so ice water went into box number 2.
The third thing we needed was oozy mud. I went with oobleck and added some cocoa powder to make it brown. This was box number 3.
Next we needed a forest. Bria always seems to keep a pile of sticks around, so I just took some of those and tossed them in box number 4.
For the snowstorm, I made Fluffy Stuff from Play Create Explore. It wasn't cold, but it was fluffy like snow.
The beginning of our fluffy stuff. I used 1 box of cornstarch and 1/2 can shaving cream.
Lastly I needed a cave with a bear. Easy enough, I threw one old blanket over the clothesline and set a stuffed bear inside.
Before going outside I let them watch Michael Rosen's version; which they found hilarious.
Once we were outside, we sang the song again. Bria got very dramatic with the "Oh, no. We've got to go through it!"
We can't go over it.
Oh no! We've got to go through it!
Then they went to each box singing between each box and making the sound effects while they played in the boxes.
Box 1: Grass
Box 2: River (Ice Water)
Eli had to try some ice.
Box 3: Mud (Oobleck)
Eli got stuck at the "mud" box. He just couldn't seem to stop playing with it!
Box 4: Forest (Sticks)
Box 5: Snow (Fluffy Stuff)
Finally the girls found the bear. They ran their "hangers" all the way back through the boxes into their playhouse!
Then they did it again and again. Meanwhile Eli found the fluffy stuff and was adding it to the oobleck.
He wasn't leaving the oobleck behind!
Mixing it with fluffy stuff.
This made a really thick substance, so we turned on the hose and added so water.
Ultimately everyone ended up filthy and wet from the hose with most of the boxes combined into one. That was the end of our bear hunt!
