The Awakening

Since children love patterns and clues, young readers will enjoy discovering each new animal as winter ends and spring wakes each one from hibernation. Science topics include hibernation and other adaptations for cold winter months, animal tracks, the foods that each animal eats, and the day to night progression of the sun moving across the sky. As each animal looks for food, another animal is ready to wake. But watch carefully as one animal may become the food. 

Teacher Resources

Science Connection

When animals hibernate over the winter, they go into a very deep sleep. Hibernating animals usually go to a den, a cave, a burrow, a hollow log, or some other for shelter that will give them protection from the weather and predators. During hibernation, the animal's body temperature drops, and its rate of breathing slows down. Hibernating animals are very difficult to wake.

Animals eat large amounts of food before hibernating, adding body fat that will nourish them during the winter. A special type of fat called “brown fat” forms patches near the animal's brain, heart and lungs. Its main purpose is to provide extra body heat for the hibernating animal.  Sometimes, hibernating animals will wake for a short time during the winter to eat. When most hibernating animals wake in the spring, they are very hungry.

Hibernation helps animals survive in times when the food is scarce. The animal’s heart and breathing rates slow down, and the body temperature drops. Hibernation is usually associated with mammals, but other animals go into a dormant state during cold months. Certain species of fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles are known to go dormant in winter months.

1. Why do animals need to hibernate?

2. What do animals do to prepare for hibernation?

3. Name some animals that hibernate or go dormant in the winter.

4. Which of these animals do not hibernate?

bear           squirrel      cow            fox

Draw the animal track next to the name of the animal.

                     Raccoon                                                         Grey Squirrel                                             Black Bear                                   

                       Snake                                                          Skunk                                    Grey Fox                                    

Match the animal to its home for hibernation.

                      Fish                                     A.    Cave

                      Grey Squirrel                         B.    Tree Hollow

                     Grey Fox                                     C.    Pond

                     Black Bear                                  D.    Burrow

                     Snake                                           E.    None - Remain active                                                                                                             

                        Skunk                                         F.    Burrow underground  

Answer Key for Questions

1.        Animals hibernate in the winter because food is hard to find. They do not need as much food when their bodies slow down into the state of hibernation or something similar.

2.       Animals eat large amounts of food to prepare for hibernation.

3.       Fish, Grey Squirrel, Grey Fox, Black Bear, Snake, Skunk, Raccoon, Woodchuck, Bat

4.       Cow

Answer Key for Animal Homes

C Fish

B   Grey Squirrel                                                                 

E   Grey Fox

A    Black Bear

F     Snake

D     Skunk

Resources for more information:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring/Hibernate.shtml

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/hibernation.html