Explain that hibernation is a resting state in which some animals spend the winter and then wake up when the weather is warmer. Show the children pictures of animals that hibernate, such as bears, bats, frogs, hedgehogs, chipmunks, snails and lizards.
Select colorful colorfully illustrated picture books that present animals that hibernate. Make sure the books are developmentally appropriate, have bouncy rhymes and use simple language. Examples of books for preschoolers that explain hibernation are "Hibernation Station" by Michelle Meadows and Kurt Cyrus and "What is Hibernation?" by John Crossingham and Bobbie Kalman.
Help preschoolers make a hibernating bear out of craft materials. Provide each preschooler with a Styrofoam cup. Show preschoolers how to tear a semicircle out of the Styrofoam cup and encourage them to decorate the cup with felt-tipped markers so that the cup looks like a cave. Give the preschoolers glue and a brown pompom and let them glue the pompom inside on the back edge of the cup to create the hibernating bear.
Share songs with preschoolers that enhance their learning of the concept of hibernation. Sing songs that repeat the names of animals that hibernate; preschoolers learn best through repetition. Play the songs on a compact disk player and encourage preschoolers to sing along. Create your own songs about hibernation by singing the names animals that hibernate to the tune of "Frere Jacques" or "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain."
Implement a dramatic play activity in which preschoolers hibernate for the day. Ask children to come to class in their pajamas and bring their teddy bears. Make a den out of blankets and pillows. Talk about why you are hibernating and determine how long you will hibernate. Serve snacks that are shaped like bears such as bear-shaped sandwiches, flavored gelatin, cookies and animal crackers.