February is the perfect time to enjoy a Polar Bear Unit Study with your family. In fact, February 27 is National Polar Bear Day! Learn all about polar bears and study science, history, writing, literature, and more. I love animal-based units like this Polar Bear Theme because animals make learning more fun!
Engaging your family with theme-based learning is an awesome way to homeschool. In fact, it is my preferred method! Kids of all ages love learning about animals and finding ways to connect what they are learning with the theme for that week or month. This is the unit study method. What we offer in this post is a huge collection of polar bear activities related to a variety of subjects. Using this list, you can build your own Polar Bear Unit, by picking and choosing the activities that will best benefit your students.
Polar Bear Lesson Plans
If you want to organize your unit into lesson plans, the easiest way to do that is to organize subjects per day. For instance, writing on Monday and Wednesday, Science on Tuesday and Thursday. Whatever works for you. Then drop one of the following polar bear activities in for each slot on your schedule.
Getting Started Learning about Polar Bears
Please note: the following sites have not been carefully screened for evolutionary or climate change content. If you have a worldview that would be bothered by these topics, please screen any lessons or videos ahead of time.
Begin your study by watching a short video with some fun facts about polar bears.
Watch polar bears in action with this polar bear cam on the tundra for a window into the polar bear’s world. See moms, cubs, and big males.
Explore these lessons from Polar Bears International.
Books about Polar Bears
Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons. The picture books by this author are full of fascinating information presented in an engaging way with great illustrations. For younger students, you can read the first sentence on each page. For older students, you can have the student read all of the details and use the book as a springboard for writing assignments.
The Polar Bear by Norbert Rosing. A photographic feast of real-life bears with information about the animal.
Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne. Part of the Magic Treehouse Book Series, a fictional book that both delights and informs the reader.
The Ice Bear by Jackie Morris. The magical story of a mother polar bear and her two cubs, one of which is transformed into a human child by a trickster.
Ice Bear: The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon by Michael Engelhard. Historical non-fiction about the polar bears. Have older students draw correlations between world history and the history of the polar bear as an icon. A perfect history and writing assignment combination.
Polar Bear Writing
Polar Bear Writing Unit from Firstie Land. Free Download.
Polar Bear Science
Polar Bear Science. Advocacy for the bears but without exaggeration.
Polar Bear Blubber Science Experiment from Little Bins for Little Hands.
Polar Bear Gummy Bear Science Experiment from The Sprinkle Topped Teacher.
Investigating Camouflage. Why Are Polar Bears White? from Playing School.
Polar Bear Videos To Watch compiled by Primary Theme Park.
Free Printable Polar Bear Facts from Itsy Bitsy Fun.
Stem Activity with a Polar Bear Den from Carly and Adam.
Polar Bear Worksheets
Polar Bear Life Cycle Flip Book from Simple Living Creative Learning.
Unscramble the Polar Bear and Arctic Words from Miniature Masterminds.
Polar Bear Mazes from Planes and Balloons.
Logical Thinking with Polar Bears from Look Book Education.
Sorting Nouns and Verbs with Polar Bears Lesson from Three Dinosaurs.
Preschool Free Printables from Fun With Mama.
Make a Polar Bear lapbook.
Polar Bear Art Lesson Plans
How to Draw a Polar Bear from Woo Jr.
Polar Bear In the Snow Process Art from Play to Learn Preschool.
Arctic Landscape from The Crafty Classroom.
Polar Bear Crafts
Polar Bear Paper Plate Craft from A Dab of Glue Will Do
Toilet Paper Roll Polar Bear from Mas & Pas
Polar Bear Bookmark from Red Ted Art
Polar Bear Movement Activities
Arctic Animals Gross Motor Dice from 3 Dinosaurs.
Bear Brain Breaks from The O.T. Toolbox.
Polar Bear Sound Activity from Gorwing Book by Book.
What zoos in the United States have polar bears?
Make sure to plan a field trip if you can make a day trip to any one of these zoos to see Polar Bears in real life. This is the perfect way to end a polar bear unit! Remember that this information can change so check the website for your zoo of choice before making a trip.
- Brookfield Zoo
- St. Louis Zoo
- Pittsburgh Zoo
- Columbus Zoo
- Akron Zoo
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
- San Diego Zoo (this website has tons of information and a live polar cam!)
- North Carolina Zoo
- Seneca Park Zoo
- Alaska Zoo
- Reid Park Zoo
- San Fransisco Zoo
- Sea World San Diego
- Lincoln Park Zoo
- Indianapolis Zoo
- Louisville Zoo
- Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
- Kansas City Zoo
- Jenkinson’s Aquarium
- ABQ BioPark
- Buffalo Zoo
- Oregon Zoo
- Roger Williams Park Zoo
- Memphis Zoo
- Utah’s Hogle Zoo
- Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
- Henry Vilas Zoo
- Milwaukee County Zoo
You may also love our Learning About Squirrels Unit Study!
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