Gan Aleph's Hibernation Station

Can you imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in the winter!?  

Well, Gan Aleph did just that! The children were bursting with excitement today as they brought in their favorite "sleeping" items from home 

(stuffed animals, pillows etc.).  

 We began our class hibernation by searching around the room for cups of food that were hidden. As each child found their food, they ate and ate and ate until they felt full.

 We then snuggled up with our favorite nighttime belongings and pretended that our body temperatures dropped and our heart rate slowed. As the classical music calmed our bodies, we "slept" and slept and slept...until spring came!

The children yawned, stretched and awakened when they heard it was spring time. 

This activity put the children in the place of a polar bear and helped them imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in winter. 

 Above all, it was just plain FUN!

What Do Animals Do in the Winter?

As a follow-up to our unit on how different animals adapt in the winter time, Mrs. Rose from Pat's Pals came with an assortment of animals to present a program to the children. They got to see and pet a hare whose fur changes to white in the winter, a parrot and a wallaby who migrate to warmer places, and a snake and hedgehog who hibernate. Mrs. Rose was very impressed with how much the children already knew, as well as with the children's good behavior! Kol hakavod to your children!!

I Wish I Were a Polar Bear! Gan Aleph's Hibernation Day!

Can you imagine what it wouldbelike to be a polar bear in the winter!? Well, Gan Aleph did just that! The children were bursting with excitement todayas they brought in their favorite "sleeping" items from home(stuffed animals, pillows etc.). We began our class hibernationby searching around the room for cups of food that were hidden. As each child found their food, they ate and ate and ate until they felt full. We then snuggled up with our favorite nighttime belongings and pretended that our body temperatures dropped and our heart rate slowed. As the classical music calmed our bodies, we "slept" and slept and slept...until spring came! The children yawned, stretched and awakened when they heard it was spring time. This activity put the children in the place of a polar bear and helped them imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in winter. Above all, it was just plain FUN!

Exploring Winter in Ganon Bet

Ganon Bet continued our topic of winter and hibernation by doing a science experiment. We used a tray of ice. First we felt the tray with just our bare hands and we realized how cold it must feel to the animals that don't migrate south. We then placed some Crisco(fat) into a plastic glove and again felt the ice. We then understood why animals that stay in the north during the winter eat so much before the winter to devel0p a layer of fat from extra food. Ask your child how the ice felt through the Crisco compared to feeling it with bare hands.

Hibernation Time for Hibernation

Ganon Bet has been learning about how animals prepare for winter! We found out that some animals hibernate, some forage for food and others migrate south where it's warm. We realized the animals that stay where it's cold need to add an extra layer of fat to stay warm! We experimented with a tray of ice. first we touched it with our bare hand, and then with a layer of Crisco in glove. Ask your child what happened! We'd love to hear what they tell you!!

Wake Up Bunnies!

In connection to our hibernation unit, Morah Roberta, our music teacher, sang a fun song about a bunny who was sleeping. The children loved dramatizing the song! Watch the video and see Gan Gimmel being bunnies!!

I Wish I Were A Polar Bear!

Can you imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in the winter!? Well, Gan Aleph did just that! The children were bursting with excitement on Thursday as they brought in their favorite "sleeping" items from home (stuffed animals, pillows etc.). We began our class hibernation by searching around the room for cups of food that were hidden. As each child found their food, they ate and ate and ate until they felt full. We then snuggled up with our favorite nighttime belongings and pretended that our body temperatures dropped and our heart rate slowed. We "slept" and slept and slept...until spring came! The children yawned, stretched and awakened when they heard it was spring time. This activity put the children in the place of a polar bear and helped them imagine what it would be like to be a polar bear in winter. Above all, it was just plain FUN!

Tampering with Temperature in Gan Aleph

If you ask a child in Gan Aleph what happens to an animal during hibernation season, they will tell you that its body temperature drops to below 30 degrees! After discussing the meaning of body temperature, we looked at different thermometers and tested them on our window (for outdoor temp), our bodies (for body temp) and food! The children put their knowledge of thermometers to test and conducted a science experiment using different liquids. They were each provided with a chart labeled "liquid" and "temperature". After predicting which liquid they thought would be the hottest/coldest, they took turns in small groups measuring the temperatures of cold water, apple juice, hot water, milk from the refrigerator and oil. They read the number displayed on the thermometer and wrote it on their chart. We determined which liquid had the highest temperature and was therefore the hottest and which one had the lowest temperature.