Hibernation is in the air this week in The Children’s House…we will be talking about some of the animals that winter here and how they survive through the colder months, some by gathering food supplies and sleeping as much as possible; in particular we will be looking at the mouse, squirrel, frog, ladybird, bat and hedgehog – the last 2 being the only Irish mammals that truly hibernate, meaning they drop their temperature and heart rate and go into a type of coma for a few months to conserve energy! The children will be doing some mindful colouring of these animals and making their own mobiles, and at the end of the week we will make a bed for the model hibernation animals to sleep in our classrooms over the winter!

As well as this, we will be planting bulbs this week, which will also be over-wintering in the school! These bulbs should come up in the spring time, with a little love and attention from the children in the meantime, and we will be discussing what they might need to keep them alive and healthy e.g. air, light, water – then giving the children the responsibility to look after their bulbs themselves.

Hibernation Poem

Autumn is cold, there is frost in the sky                        (hug self & shiver)
The squirrel gathers nuts & the swallows fly                (mime gathering & then flying)
The spiky little hedgehog keeps himself warm            (curl up into a ball)
The bat is in her cave, sleeping through the storm      (pretend to sleep)