This activity is both a game and a song. Teach the children the song, "Grizzly Bear," which has the lyrics, "Grizzly bear, a grizzly bear is sleeping in a cave. Please be very quiet, very very quiet; If you wake him, if you shake him, he gets very mad!" If you've never heard the melody, you can make up your own or just say it rhythmically as a chant. Have the children fold their hands and lay their heads on their hands as if they were sleeping on the first part of the song. When the song says to be quiet, have the students place a finger to their lips. Instruct them to pretend to jostle the bear when the song talks about waking and shaking him. At the end of the song, have the children hold up "bear claws" and growl loudly. Once everyone has learned the motions, choose a child to be the "bear" and a two students to be the "wakers." Have the bear lie down and pretend to sleep as the wakers creep up. At the end of the song have the bear spring up toward the wakers and chase them briefly. Let the students take turns being the bear and the waker. You can use this game to teach about hibernation, as well as musical concepts such as changing dynamics (use a soft voice on the first part of the song and a loud voice at the end).
This game is a great addition to the book, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Once you've read the book, hide some sort of bears around the classroom or playground. You could hide teddy bears, small plastic bears or even bear cut-outs. Let the kids burn some extra energy as they try to find all the bears that you've hidden. After the game, you could discuss hunting and conservation topics, such as why some animals are hunted and why some are protected.
This game helps students to practice their listening skills. Have the students sit in a circle and choose someone to be the "bear" who sits in the middle of the circle. Use a small, simple instrument such as a shaker or bell to represent the bear's honey. If you don't have an instrument, you can make a shaker with a plastic Easter egg and some dry rice or beans that you place inside the egg. Place the "honey" behind the "bear," and have the bear close his eyes as the students chant, "Who stole the honey? Who stole the honey? Wasn't me, wasn't me; Who stole the honey? Who stole the honey? Look and see, look and see!" While the children chant, choose someone to quietly take the honey and place it behind her back as she sits back in the circle. When the chant is over, the person who has the honey quietly plays the instrument. The bear must wait until the person stops playing the instrument. Then the bear must guess who has the honey (instrument). If the bear guesses correctly, he gets to go again. If he does not guess correctly, the person who stole the honey gets to be the bear.