The Bear Essentials: Folktales of Polar Bears and Their Cousins

White-Bear King Valemon
Theodor Kittelson, 1857-1914

February 27 is Polar Bear Day and folktales from Iceland to Norway, Russia and Germany, folktales, fairy tales, myths and legends stories of polar bears and their cousins abound.  I offer some stories, curriculum, information, crafts and more about these beautiful, majestic animals.

SOME POLAR BEAR FACTS

* At birth, polar bear cubs are 12 to 14 inches long and weigh around one pound.

* Polar bears, also known as Maritime Bears, are the largest land carnivores in the world.

* Polar bears are marine mammals, and spend much of their time on Arctic sea ice. 

* Polar bears are strong swimmers, and individual have been seen in open Arctic waters as far as 200 miles from land. Their front feet are large, flat and  oar-like, making them excellent swimmers.

* The World Conservation Union estimates that there are between 20,000-25,000 polar in the world.

The above information was found at: http://www.defenders.org/polar-bear/basic-facts .

STORIES

Audun and the Bear – Iceland

https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/audun-the-bear/   

The Bear – From The Grey Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

http://www.classicreader.com/book/2190/23/

Bearskin – Germany
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm101.html

The Bear and the Fox - Norway

https://norwegianfolktales.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-bear-and-fox.html 

The Bear Trainer and His Cat
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type1161.html

East of the Sun, West of the Moon - Norway

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/norway034.html

The Fisherman and the Bear – Maine, USA

http://www.americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/10/the_fisherman_and_the_bear.html

King of the Polar Bears by L. Frank Baum

https://americanliterature.com/author/l-frank-baum/short-story/the-king-of-the-polar-bears

King Valemon, the White Bear - Norway

https://thornews.com/2013/03/20/norwegian-fairy-tales-white-bear-king-valemon/

The Magic Bear – Native American/Inuit

http://learningtogive.org/materials/folktales/MagicBear.asp

Masha and the Bear – Russia
http://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/masha-bear-tale.html

The Story of the Three Bears - England

http://www.authorama.com/english-fairy-tales-20.html

The Willow Wren and the Bear - Germany

http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-11.html

The Woman and Her Bear – Inuit
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheWomanAndHerBear-Eskimo.html

The Woman Who Had A Bear As A Foster Son - Inuit

http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/eft10.htm

Why the Bear is Stumpy Tailed - Norway

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/10/the_fisherman_and_the_bear.html

BOOKS

The Children’s Book Review – Kids Winter Books: Snow Mitten, Polar Bears and Other Artic Animals

http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2010/01/kids-winter-books-snow-mittens-polar-bears-and-other-artic-animals.html

CURRICULUM                                                

10 Polar Bear Facts: PreK and K

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/pre-k-and-k-lesson-plans/58147-polar-bear-facts-lesson-plan/

Education World – Why Polar Bears Are White. Science and Art for grades K – 2.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/00-1/lesson0002.shtml

National Parks Service – Bear Essentials – Lesson plans using the folktale, Why the Bear Is Stumpy Tailed

https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/teachers/lessonplans/Bear-Essentials-4th-Grade-Post-visit%20activity%202.pdf

Polar Bear International – A variety of information on polar bears, including scientific studies habitats and more.
https://polarbearsinternational.org/

CRAFTS

DLTK-Kids - Polar Bear Crafts and Activities

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/polar-bears.htm

Theme Station – Polar bear art, activities, games, recipies and more.
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/theme-station12/polar-bears-january.shtml

Twiggle Magazine - Polar Bear Puppet
http://twigglemagazine.com/January-activities/polar-bear-craft.html

SOMETHING EXTRA

Bars and Hibernation: Fun for the Little Ones – Fingerplays, songs and more.

https://karenchace.blogspot.com/2015/11/bears-and-hibernation-fun-for-little.html

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Karen Chace 2015 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Following the Breadcrumbs XVIII: Stor e Telling May June 2005

Hans en Grietje
by  Richard Scholz, Amsterdam [1905].
Richard Scholz, 1905

I am traveling back in time and updating all of my Stor e Telling columns for Storytelling Magazine since 2002 I have checked all of the links, updated those that have new URL's and deleted others that have found their way to the Internet graveyard. Through the summer and beyond I will continue to update the columns and post them on my blog until all of the breadcrumbs lead to the end of 2006. At the end of the blog you will find links to the columns from 2002 - 2004 and 2007 - 2013.

I continue to write for Storytelling Magazine but will not be adding current columns until the following year. If you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network and support the arts!  Please feel free to comment on the blog and let me know if you find this useful. 

 

American Sign Language

Give a new twist to your stories. Explore this site and you can easily add some sign language to your tales! Thanks to Shelby Smith for passing this site along.
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm 

Traditions of O'ahu: Stories of an Ancient Island
Stories of the islands ancient history and ancestors. Also offers an extensive bibliography.
http://apdl.kcc.hawaii.edu/oahu/

Children’s Books Online: The Rosetta Project

A collection of antique children's books, mostly from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; indexed by age, interest and reading level.
http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/index.htm

Dimdima Kids
An online children’s magazine from India with tales of Hodja, Ramen, Birbel, Jakata, Zen and mythological stories. This is one story time you won’t want to end!
http://www.dimdima.com/khazana/storytime.asp

Kiddie Records

Downloadable recordings of stories and songs from the 40’s & 50’s. Listen to these classic from Capital Records and RCA and be transported back in time.
http://kiddierecords.com/

Loowit Campfire Songs

Summer is just around the corner. Get ready for those scouting camp gigs with songs that
will have them merrily singing long.
http://www.backyardgardener.com/loowit/janeellen.html

Lyrics Playground                                                                                                            
Just whistle a happy tune and spice up your storytelling with lyrics from around the world. Browse by composer, song title, lyrics, artists or composition.   http://lyricsplayground.com/

Magic Tales of Mexico

May 5 is Cinco de Mayo. Celebrate with nine stories from the colorful culture of Mexico!
http://www.g-world.org/magictales/

The Real Mother Goose

May 1 is Mother Goose Day! Here is the original 1916 edition, now available online.
http://trmg.designwest.com/

The Serene Dragon
This incredible site is sure to slay you!  Over 544 dragon tales listed by country and region, with origins, and articles; you will be breathing fire in no time at all.
http://www.theserenedragon.net/home.html

Teaching with Historic Places
Planning a historical storytelling program? The National Park Service site offers lesson plans categorized by location, theme and time period.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/descrip.htm

Additional Resources

2002 – 2004

All 16 blog bogs, with a brief synopsis for reach one in an easy to access post at the link below.
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/10/stor-e-telling-resources-2002-2004.html

2005

January February - Fables from Aesop and Robert Lewis Stevenson, spooky stories in time for Halloween, resources sponsored by the California Council for the Humanities, myths and legends from the British Isles and more.

http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/10/following-breadcrumbs-xvi-stor-e.html

2007-2012

All 31 blog posts, along with a brief synopsis for each one, in an easy to access post at the link below.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/stor-e-telling-columns-2007-to-2012.html 

2013

From 1001 Night to 2001 Story Resources – This link will lead to you one blog post with all of my columns from 2013.
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/06/from-1001-nights-to-2001-story.html 

Karen Chace 2014 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

Slide into Summer with Skits, Stories and Songs!

Her Name is Summer
by George Sheringhame, 1918

Get ready for all of those campfire storytelling performances this summer. Some sites chock full of songs, skits, finger plays, chants, jokes, riddles, tongue twister and stories to keep the scouts swinging and swaying.

Flying Pigs Campfire Songbook

This cyber songbook will have your campers and scouts swinging and swaying between stories.
http://www.orpheusweb.co.uk/flying.pigs/frames.html

Loowit Campfire Songs

Summer is just around the corner. Get ready for those scouting camp gigs with songs that
will have them merrily singing long.
http://ymcacamploowit.com/song/index.html


The Netwoods Virtual Campfire
This site will help you put together a roaring campfire program before you can say, “Pass the s’mores please.” Unfortunately, this site is no longer available but the resources can still be accessed at the Wayback Machine here: https://web.archive.org/web/20110430222746/http://netwoods.com/d-campfire.html )

USScouts – Over 20 campfire skits to add to the fun!
http://usscouts.org/skits.asp#campfire

Sing Along With Me – A collection of Traditional Guide, Scout and Campfire Songs. Note: This site is no longer working but you may still access the resources via the Wayback Machine here: https://web.archive.org/web/20080320065018/http://songs-with-music.freeservers.com/alphabetical.html
http://songs-with-music.freeservers.com/alphabetical.html

STORIES

Some sites to help your summer storytelling sizzle!

Summer Legends by Rudolph Baumbach, Translated by Helen B. Dole, c.1888. Twenty-two legends to celebrate the season including The Legend of the Daisy, The Clover Leaf, and more.
http://tinyurl.com/6jxsqhc

Creation of Summer and Winter 

http://tinyurl.com/67gnn2v 

How Glooskap Found the Summer

https://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/ne/al/al32.htm 

How the Summer Birds Came – Zuni Folktale – This story is in part of a collection of Zuni folktales. You may find it on page 65 of the text.

http://tinyurl.com/5rkaqkw

SOMETHING EXTRA

The National Parks Service – Links to the Past

Brush up on your park history, cultural resources, and programs for your summer venues. The website also offers information on grants and a helpful search engine. This site is no longer working but you may still access the resources via the Wayback Machine here: https://web.archive.org/web/20050108093121/http://www.cr.nps.gov/

Bees, Birds and Butterlfies - A blog post celebrating spring from April 2012. Lots of stories that will help you fly through summer!
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/04/birds-bees-and-butterflies.html


CRAFTS

Crayons, Crafts and Coloring Oh My!
A compilation of crafts categorized by holiday and occasions including summer.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/11/crayons-crafts-and-coloring-oh-my.html


Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or other social media please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.