Making a polar bear face from circles of paper teaches toddlers about these arctic animals and about the circle shape as well. Give your toddler two big white circles, two medium-sized white circles, plus two big googly eyes, a piece of black yarn and a glue stick. Teach him how to overlap the two big circles to make a polar bear muzzle and the smaller white circles for polar bear ears. Let him glue on the eyes and make a mouth with the yarn.
Let your toddler make a fun polar bear snack as a learning opportunity and a nutritious activity. Top a rice cake with a layer of cottage cheese, make eyes with black olive slices and use a chocolate cookie for a mouth. Cut two rounds of banana for the polar bear ears and the snack is ready to eat. While your toddler eats her snack, talk to her about what polar bears eat and how different their diets are from humans'.
A good way to talk to toddlers about polar bears is to read Bill Martin, Jr.'s book, "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear?" This book teaches toddlers about what a polar bear hears in the arctic. After reading the book, encourage your toddler to pay attention to the sounds around him. Record some of these sounds and have your toddler listen to and try to identify them. This will help him learn about the world around him, just as the polar bear learns about his world in the book.
Turn the snow outside into an indoor polar bear habitat. Put some snow in a water table or a large, plastic storage bin. Mound the snow into a mountain and dig caves in it for the polar bears to live in. Pour ice water around the mountain. Freeze water in paper cups and float these small icebergs in the water. If you don't have access to snow, freeze water in a bowl and make a big iceberg. Check toy stores or online stores for plastic arctic animals, including polar bears, for your toddler to play with in their frozen habitat.