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Welcome to the series
THE 12 DAYS OF WINTER UNIT STUDIES
For a thorough explanation of UNIT STUDIES {what they are and what they include} check out the page: THE 12 DAYS OF WINTER UNIT STUDIES. You’ll also find a schedule of when each new UNIT STUDY will go live!
Each UNIT STUDY includes suggestions of books to READ, ideas to WRITE, crafts to CREATE, more to EXPLORE, snacks to ENJOY and other ways to LEARN about a specific topic!
Day Three: POLAR BEARS
POLAR BEARS are often associated with winter because of their beautiful white coats and the fact that they seem to live in a perpetual winter-wonderland way up north. But, did you know that they actually have black fur and their coats are not really white? Use this POLAR BEAR UNIT STUDY to teach your kiddos all about the largest land carnivore on earth!
READ: If you use any of my other UNIT STUDIES, you’ll know that I am a total fan of Jan Brett. There’s just something about her Nordic-inspired artwork that I adore and the way she shares hints from one page to the next is so clever! And there is usually enough factual information mixed in that it opens up several teaching avenues.
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett is no exception. It is modeled after the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears but it adds a POLAR BEAR twist. It also incorporates sled dogs and igloos so is a great segue for THE ARCTIC UNIT STUDY {that will be released tomorrow.} It’s a sweet piece of literature and if you utilize the FREE mini BOOK COMPANION PACK, your child can work on comprehension and sequencing skills too.
CREATE: There are so many cute POLAR BEAR crafts! So, stock up on white paint and blue/black/white cardstock {or construction paper} and check out these cute ideas!
I’m not sure if painting with plastic forks is new or if I just somehow missed the trend until now, but I keep finding these super cute ideas that use paint and forks! And, this FORK-PAINTED POLAR BEAR is one of them! All it takes is a fork, some white paint, colored paper {blue, black, white, grey} and googly eyes {optional}. With its simplicity and basic supply list, it’s my kind of craft!
As cute as the Fork-Painted Polar Bear is, I think this NEWSPAPER POLAR BEAR is even cuter! Plus, the fact that it highlights the fact that POLAR BEARS do not have pure white bodies by using black and white newspaper print just makes it extra! All you need is newspaper, blue/white/black paper, googly eyes {optional}, hole punch, scissors and glue. Now, I gotta confess….I HATE HATE HATE newspaper print on my hands, clothes, table…anywhere but I think this craft would be worth the inky mess!
Another craft that shows off the realistic fact that POLAR BEARS have black skin is this COTTON BALL POLAR BEAR! This guy is not only realistic and cute, he’s fuzzy too! For this, you’ll need blue/black/white paper, white paint, cotton balls, glue and googly eyes.
I also love this 3D POLAR BEAR! The video instructions at that link make it look super simple but it’s unique because the POLAR BEAR face actually pops out of the page! It’s cute but also stylish enough to hang up as decor! And, all it takes is some blue/white paper, white paint, a cotton swab, a glue stick and scissors.
EXPLORE: Here is a cool four-minute video of POLAR BEARS hunting seals. It does a great job of showing their immense size and incredible patience. And, don’t worry…..it doesn’t show any cute and chubby seals dying.
And, here is a trailer for a 40-minute documentary about a POLAR BEAR mama and her two cubs, To the Arctic. It is rated G but does cover “real life” amongst the animals in the changing climate of the earth. So, it’s not all warm and fuzzy {or cold and fuzzy, ha ha!}
For a funny future-length movie about POLAR BEARS, you might want to consider Norm of the North. It’s rated PG so please bear that in mind when deciding whether it’s appropriate for your kids. You can watch the trailer at that link to get a pretty good idea of the content.
ENJOY: This super simple and crazy cute Blueberry and Banana Polar Bear Yogurt Snack would be a great way to start the day AND your POLAR BEAR UNIT STUDY. All you need is vanilla yogurt, a banana and a few blueberries. That’s it! Seriously, go look at how cute it is!
And for a fun afternoon snack, check out this uberly adorable Edible Polar Bear Marshmallow Snack {from Darcy and Brian}. It just takes two sizes of marshmallows, a few toothpicks and a teeny bit of blue food coloring. They look super quick and easy to make…and yummy too!
LEARN: There are a few great options for non-fiction books about POLAR BEARS but I chose Polar Bears Are Awesome by Jacylyn Jaycox because it’s an easy read, was available at my library and only cost a wee bit on Amazon {if you’re lazy like me and prefer to shop Prime instead of heading downtown!} And, of course, there are three helpful pages in the FREE mini BOOK COMPANION PACK {Non-Fiction}. The three pages include multiple-choice, true/false and short answer questions to check for comprehension.
You can also use the POLAR BEAR pages in the WINTER-THEMED INFORMATIONAL TEXT and WRITING PROMPTS PACK. Just be sure to use discount code 12DAYSofWINTERWOLFe so you can snag it for FREE! 
WRITE: The FREE WINTER-THEMED WRITING ACTIVITIES PACK includes two POLAR BEAR options. One is this simple labeling activity.
And the other is this more involved activity where the child is asked to draw a picture of what the POLAR BEAR is waiting to eat and then write about it too. It can be realistic {seal} or silly {hamburger}!
READ MORE: There are several more POLAR BEAR books, both fiction and non-fiction, that are worthy of checking out!
Check out the entire series,
12 Days of Winter Unit Studies!
READ~WRITE~CREATE~EXPLORE~ENJOY~LEARN!
I hope you found some helpful stuff in this POLAR BEARS UNIT STUDY PACK!
Be sure to check out the other UNIT STUDIES as they go live. You can find the full schedule, along with the rest of the Homeschooling Fun Through the Holidays Series, HERE!
Next up: THE ARCTIC
Much appreciation goes out to my good friend, Jamie Spear! She helped me find these fun books, crafts, snacks and more! Without her, these UNIT STUDIES would have nothing but “read this, print that, and write something!” You can find her on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest.
