We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Inspiring Storytelling on the move

25 Years ago an iconic children’s book was published by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. It’s a classic in our house and I think (I’m not sure) but that we have 3 different copies of the book between our house and my parents house.

With J and T it was one of the first books that they both learnt to retell to us and has inspired many hunts around the garden. Now they are older it’s inspiring more than just bear hunts in the garden – using the rhythm and the rhyme from the story as well as the general basis they are all for creating their own stories.

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of We’re going on a bear hunt we took the story outside into the woods and on holiday with us and found new and fun ways to retell the story as we went hunting for not just bears but…….

We’re going on a bug hunt… uh oh a rock

We’re going on a bug hunt – we’re going to get a crawley one, what a beautiful day, we’re not scared….

UH OH A ROCK, can’t lift it, can’t move it, got to turn it over

rock, roll, Rock, Roll, ROCK, ROLL!!!

One of J’s favourite variations on the theme is his bug hunting story around the garden, it includes rocks, sheds, bushes and flower pots with his own sounds that those objects would make.

We’re going on a dinosaur hunt… uh oh a tree trunk

We’re going on a dinosaur hunt – we’re going to get a big one, what a beautiful day, we’re not scared…

UH OH A TREE TRUNK, we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we got to go through it

stomp, stomp, stomp…. uh oh LOOK UP

We took the book in the car with us on a recent trip to a Dinosaur Adventure Park and read it over and over again on the hour and a half trip – as we were walking around the dinosaur trail, J and T made up the story as they went along – my favourite bit the tree trunks that turned out to be legs of a Brontosaur.

We’re going on a dragon hunt…. uh oh a castle

We’re going on a dragon hunt – we’re going to find a real one, what a beautiful day, we’re not scared…

UH OH A CASTLE, we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we go to go in it

Even a trip to a castle the story got turned around – well what else are you meant to look for in castles but dragons and they are definitely something not to be scared of right!

We’re going on a bear hunt….

But no trip to the woods is ever complete without a retelling of the whole story (we’ve even managed to include the snow storm a couple of times but not often) and every dog walk (once a day through the woods in the summer) we have to go through the dark forest, stumple tripping, in the meadow’s long grass swishing and swashing and through the thick oozy mud…

Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Going on a Bear Hunt

Join us and some other fabulous blogger celebrating 25 years of Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s iconic book We’re going on a bear hunt – visit the Walker Books dedicated Join the Bear Hunt website and check out the other blogs joining me on the Bear Hunt Blog Tour

To celebrate Walker Books have released 2 new versions of the book with special celebratory covers – a paper back book and a board book ideal for giving to new parents as a baby gift.

Disclaimer – we received a party pack from Walker books to help celebrate 25 years of We’re going on a bear hunt.

Author

Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.