The following is excerpted from Stories and Activities section of Before Five in a Row for the story, Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. © 1997 by Jane Claire Lambert, all rights reserved.

Bible
We're Going On A Bear Hunt is the story of a family on a journey. They travel through a meadow's deep grass, cross a cold river, slog through oozy mud, stumble into a dark forest, brave a snowstorm and investigate a cave. This is reminiscent of other families who took journeys in the Bible. Briefly tell about the Hebrews leaving Egypt, crossing the Red Sea and journeying in the desert before reaching the land God had promised to them. Another story of family travel is the time Jesus went with his family to Jerusalem. Talk about the things they might have experienced on the way.

Drama
Act out the story We're Going On A Bear Hunt. There are many actions and expressions that would be fun to assume as you act out this story together.
At another time, you could name an action and let your child carefully turn the pages until he finds an example. Skipping, carrying or riding piggyback and holding a stick are pictured on the cover. Other actions include pulling or tugging, wading, huddling, throwing, pointing, hugging, tripping, climbing stairs and shutting the door.

Experiencing A Story
The family in We're Going On A Bear Hunt find themselves squelching through oozy mud. Find a place to make a mud puddle. Let your child wiggle his toes in it. While he does recite the famous line of poetry, "Nobody else but the rose bush knows how good mud feels between the toes!"

Art: Illustrations
Notice the illustrations on both inside book covers. (There are two sets of pictures: one set on the front inside cover and a second set on the back inside cover.) Can your child point out the cave in both of these pictures? What is the difference between these two pictures? (One is in the sunlight during the day and the other is in the moonlight at night.) Make it a point to view a certain scene outside your home in the daytime and again that night after dark. Remind your child how this is like the cave scenes in the story.
At another reading, enjoy some more of the illustrations. Pause over them and find more and more details in each illustration. Talk about the pictures. Find the flock of birds. You can say, "Look at the flock of birds. I didn't notice them before, did you? Where do you think they are going? Can you find the house behind the hill? Notice the footprints in the snow. In the picture where the dog meets the bear, which do you think looks more surprised?"

Comprehension
Here are some questions to chat about with your child after a reading of the story. In the picture with the words "splash splosh," the father and the children are carrying their shoes. Why would they do this? (So they don't get their shoes wet. Wet shoes usually hurt your feet when you walk. Sometimes they rub and cause blisters and in general they are unpleasant.) Why does the baby still have his shoes on? (His shoes are still on because he is being carried.) Why does the father carry the baby? (He carries him because the water would be too deep for the baby to walk through.)

Relationships: Family
The family in We're Going On A Bear Hunt consists of a father and his four children. This family also has a pet dog. Families come in many sizes and varieties. If your child is old enough to understand, talk about different families that you know and perhaps draw the members of each family. Do these families have any pets?

Music
For those musically inclined, there is music in this story in the rhythms and repetitions of the words and actions. If you or your child wishes, try making up a song that tells the story of the Bear Hunt. First, there could be a slow plodding melody (through the mud). Then a light, airy melody (through the grasses) followed by an excited, agitated melody during the race back to the house, etc. If you are a musician, you could compose an instrumental piece as explained in the previous sentence. Then let your child guess what is happening in each different part of your composition. You could dedicate the piece to him saying, "I composed some music for you!"