Sanity Savers: Binoculars for a Bear Hunt

sponsored by: m&t bank

Written by Amelia Schrader
Senior Manager of Learning and Education  

Materials:

2 toilet paper or craft tubes
Construction paper cut to size of tube
Markers
Tape or Glue
String or pipe cleaners (optional)

Sanity Savers: Binoculars for a Bear Hunt

Length:

Craft Time: 10 minutes
Play Time: Unlimited!  

Academic Subject(s):

Fine motor skills, literacy 

Have you been on a Bear Hunt yet?! Bear hunts are uniting the community as children and their families search windows near and far for bears waiting to be found. Today we are going to make some binoculars in order to help us find bears! You can use these binoculars for so much more than bear hunts including bird watching, scavenger hunts and anything else you can use your imagination to find!  

Directions: 

Step 1: Start by coloring your two pieces of construction paper. They should be pre-measured to wrap around the tube.  
Step 2: Carefully (and tightly) wrap each paper around the tubes individually. Use tape or glue to secure the ends together. If you are using tape, I also recommend taping directly to the tube so the paper does not slide.  

Step 3(Optional): If you do not want your binoculars on a string to wear around your neck you can stop here! If you do want a string follow the next set of steps. I used pipe cleaners but you can also use string or yarn – whatever you have available! I used 4 pipe cleaners, one wrapped around the center of each craft tube. Then attach the two remaining pipe cleaners together and to each end of the ones wrapped around the tube. You may need more or less depending on the size of your child’s head.

Step 4: Now you are ready for your Bear Hunt! With your grown-up, take your binoculars outside and search for bears! How many can you find!
Share a picture on the Explore & More Facebook page with your bear hunt photos!  Sadly, we didn’t find any bears on our bear hunt! But we did find an owl, a butterfly and several dogs.
What types of things can  you find on a bear hunt other than bears? 

Vocabulary Words

Binoculars: an object with one lens for each eye (bi – meaning two) used to see objects that are far away
Bear Hunt Game: Community members all over the country are participating in a bear hunt! People are placing stuffed animal bears in their windows and children are going on bear hunts to find them! You can start your bear hunt by reading the story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury.  

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!

Field trips are back! Please be aware that it will be busier than usual.