How Animals prepare for Winter

Hibernation, Migration, and Adaptation

Animals in Winter

When the weather gets cold, the animals start to prepare for winter!

In the fall, some animals start to change their behavior to get ready for the colder months.

Over the course of two weeks we discussed the following:

Some animals will eat and eat and get fat and plump so they will be ready 

to sleep through the winter (HIBERNATION).  These animals will go through changes

during their hibernation - their heart rates slow, their body temperatures lower, and they rest.

We named animals that hibernate such as:  bears, skunks, chipmunks, snakes, hedgehogs, etc

Other animals begin to move south to warmer areas where there is more food (MIGRATION). 

We learned Canadian Geese travel in groups, forming a "V" shape so that they stay together, travel safely, and take turns leading the group.  They will stop to eat and rest along their journey 

and will return to their summer homes after winter is over.  

We also learned some whales migrate from Alaska to Mexico.

And lastly, some animal's bodies and behaviors change - their fur thickens, the prepare winter beds and dens, and they store or bury food for their winter.  Some animals that adapt for winter

include: squirrels, deer, bunnies, fox, even my own cats!  We talked about

many ways they adapt and how it helps them survive.

In Centers, we had our very own bear cave, an arctic center with penguins and whales and polar bears, a STEM activity where the children had to try to balance cups into a shape of a tree or a square, and other winter related centers.

 

Suggested Reading:

(My favorite...)

And many others...Also, one we don't have but I'd love to find...