We’re Going On A Bear Hunt is a hugely loved book by Michael Rosen. It’s a staple of any nursery collection and Kids around the world love to chant and mime and recite it. When my own children were small it was a daily favourite and so it holds a special place in their childhood memories too.
A large part of it’s appeal is of course the comforting, catchy, repetitive refrain that gets even the very young ones joining in. But as they grow, it’s a wonderful source of inspiration for all sorts of crafts and imaginative play too.
Of course, there are lots of ways to enjoy this book – why not take a peak at this excellent collection of Bear Hunt activities from Pre-K Pages but it’s just so much fun shared as a call & response reading. Here, the narrator reads the story in bold and the listeners parrot it line by line, as shown in brackets.
We’re Going On A Bear Hunt
We’re going on a bear hunt, (we’re going on a bear hunt,)
We’re going to catch a big one! (we’re going to catch a big one!). What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!) We’re not scared! (we’re not scared!)
Uh-uh! grass! Long wavy grass. (Uh-uh! grass! Long wavy grass.)
We can’t go over it, (we can’t go over it,)
We can’t go under it, (we can’t go under it,)
Oh no! We’ve got to go through it! (Oh no! We’ve got to go through it,)
Swishy swashy, swishy swashy, swishy swashy! (Swishy swashy, swishy swashy, swishy swashy!)
We’re going on a bear hunt, (we’re going on a bear hunt) We’re going to catch a big one! (we’re going to catch a big one!). What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!) We’re not scared! (we’re not scared!)
Uh-uh! A river! A deep, cold river! (Uh-uh! A river! A deep, cold river!)
We can’t go over it, (we can’t go over it,)
We can’t go under it, (we can’t go under it,)
We’ve got to go through it! (We’ve got to go through it!)
Splash, splosh, splash, splosh. (Splash, splosh, splash, splosh)
We’re going on a bear hunt, (We’re going on a bear hunt) We’re going to catch a big one! (we’re going to catch a big one!). What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!) We’re not scared! (we’re not scared!)
Uh uh! Mud! (Uh uh! Mud!)
Thick oozy mud! (Thick oozy mud!)
We can’t go over it, (We can’t go over it)
We can’t go under it, (We can’t go under it) Oh no! We’ve got to go through it! (Oh no! We’ve got to go through it,)
Squelch squerch, Squelch squerch, (Squelch squerch, Squelch squerch)
We’re going on a bear hunt, (We’re going on a bear hunt,) We’re going to catch a big one! (we’re going to catch a big one!). What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!) We’re not scared! (we’re not scared!)
Uh uh! A forest! (Uh uh! A forest!) A big, dark forest! (A big, dark forest! ) We can’t go over it, (we can’t go over it,)
We can’t go under it, (we can’t go under it,)
Oh no! We’ve got to go through it! (We’ve got to go through it!) Stumble trip, stumble trip, stumble trip! (Stumble trip, stumble trip, stumble trip!)
We’re going on a bear hunt, (We’re going on a bear hunt) We’re going to catch a big one! (we’re going to catch a big one!). What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!) We’re not scared! (we’re not scared!)
Uh- uh! A snowstorm! (Uh- uh! A snowstorm!) A swirling whirling snowstorm. (A swirling whirling snowstorm). We can’t go over it, (we can’t go over it,)
We can’t go under it, (we can’t go under it,)
Oh no! We’ve got to go through it! (Oh no! We’ve got to go through it,). Hoooo Woooo, Hoooo Woooo, Hoooo Woooo, (Hoooo Woooo, Hoooo Woooo, Hoooo Woooo,)
We’re going on a bear hunt, (We’re going on a bear hunt,) We’re going to catch a big one! (we’re going to catch a big one!). What a beautiful day! (What a beautiful day!) We’re not scared! (we’re not scared!)
Uh-uh! A cave! (Uh-uh! A cave! ) A narrow gloomy cave. (A narrow gloomy cave.) We can’t go over it, (we can’t go over it,)
We can’t go under it, (we can’t go under it,) Oh no! We’ve got to go through it! (Oh no! We’ve got to go through it,).
Tiptoe, Tiptoe, Tiptoe! (Tiptoe, Tiptoe, Tiptoe!)
WHAT’S THAT? (WHAT’S THAT?)
One shiny wet nose, (One shiny wet nose,) Two big furry ears! (Two big furry ears!) Two big goggly eyes! (Two big goggly eyes!). IT’S A BEAR!!!!
Quick! Back through the cave! Tiptoe! Tiptoe! Tiptoe! (back through the cave Tiptoe! Tiptoe!Tiptoe!)
Back through the snowstorm! Hoooo Woooo! (back through the snowstorm! Hoooo Woooo!) Back through the forest! Stumble trip! Stumble trip ( through the forest! Stumble trip! Stumble trip!) Back through the mud! Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch! (through the mud! Squelch squerch!) Back through the river! Splash splosh! Splash splosh! (back through the river! Splash splosh! ). Back through the grass! Swishy swashy! swishy swashy! (back through the grass! Swishy swashy!)
Get to our front door.Open the door. Up the stairs. (Get to our front door. Open the door. Up the stairs.) Oh no! we forgot to shut the door.Back downstairs.(Oh no! forgot to shut the door. Back downstairs.). Shut the door. Back upstairs. Into the bedroom. (Shut the door. Back upstairs. Into the bedroom.). Into bed. (Into bed.) Under the covers. (under the covers.) WE’RE NOT GOING ON A BEAR HUNT AGAIN. (WE’RE NOT GOING ON A BEAR HUNT AGAIN.)
More Bear Hunt Activities…
I’ve always found that this book has such a broad appeal. It can be invaluable just for chanting to a grizzly baby – it’s soporific qualities are guaranteed to work their magic!
But another brilliant way is to get imaginative with adding your own sound effects. Allocate a different sound effect to each child and then after a bit of practice, read the story and get the kids to add in the effects at the right moment.
Suggestions for sound effects:
Swishy Swashy – broom brushing on concrete
Spishy Sploshy – shake a large plastic bottle half filled with water
Squelch Squerch – make a gloop from flour and water paste and put it in a large empty biscuit tin or paint tin . Seal with duct tape first and then splosh it from side to side.
Stumble Trip – experiment with wooden sticks or spoons on railings or banisters or the legs of a chair (not a precious one of course!) and if possible collect some real sticks from the woods.
Whoo-Woo Whoo-Woo – Blow over the neck of a empty glass bottle, even more effective if you have a couple of different sizes and all blow over them together at random for a wild windy gale!
If you’re looking for some more activities with a Bear theme, check out our Bears Lesson Plan!
Do you have any other favourite bear hunt activities?
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