PK: Do You Hibernate?
By Beth Smith '87 - Faculty
Hibernate, migrate, adapt... Are these words a pre-K student knows and understands? They are if you are a Smith Smartie!
We have been studying the winter habits of animals and learned just what those words mean. Surrounded by quality literature - "Bear Snores On," by Karma Wilson; "Time to Sleep," by Denise Fleming; and others - we explored what animals do in the winter.
We learned that some birds migrate, but not all. One student told me: "That means to move South for the winter!" Bears and turtles hibernate, which translated to: "They get to sleep for a long, long time!" Beavers store food, "which is just like a squirrel!" said another Smith Smartie. "They have to store wood like squirrels store nuts for the winter!" And raccoons adapt: "You mean like us, Mrs. Smith, when we have to change our schedule and go to a different place?"
So it's clear to me that despite what you may think, 4- and 5-year-olds can learn these big words, understand their meaning, and put them to use in their own experiences. We simply have to introduce lessons with fun literature and stories, relate it to their experiences and, of course, create works of art that tell the whole story!
Ask a Smith Smartie if they hibernate for the winter, and I bet they will smile and tell you "No way!"
