Blueberries for Sal Unit Study for PreK to 2nd Grade Students

This Blueberries for Sal Unit Study is based upon the classic children’s picture book by Robert McCloskey and is perfect for your preschool to early elementary-aged kids.

blueberries for sal unit study preschool kindergarten 1st 2nd grade

This sweet Blueberries for Sal unit study will bring you and your kids closer as you look back at a simpler time with this classic children’s book. Learn about blueberry picking, bears, and staying close to momma as you explore the book.

This Blueberries for Sal Unit Study includes activities in science (bears and hibernation), math (skip counting), language arts (onomatopoeia and phonics), history & literary analysis, practical arts (canning and cooking), art (analysis, painting, and drawing), plus pretend play and a field trip to a local berry patch.

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Resources for your Blueberries for Sal Unit Study

Required Books:

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

National Geographic Readers: All About Bears (pre-reader level) OR Bears (reader level)

A Cub Explores by Pamela Love OR Black Bear Cub (Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection) by Alan Lind

Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss

Blue beads like these or these

Metal bucket or tin can (opened with a safety opener so there aren’t sharp edges) You can often find small party favor size metal buckets in the crafting or wedding section at dollar or fabric stores

Optional Books:

The Very Berry Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta

More Blueberries! by Susan Musgrave

Berries, Nuts, And Seeds (Take Along Guides) by Diane Burns

Blueberry Shoe by Ann Dixon

Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows

Don’t Wake Up the Bear by Marjorie Dennis Murray

Video Resources:

Blueberries for Sal read by Storytime with Will

Molly of Denali: Awesome Alaskan Kids: Blueberries with PBS Kids

Why Do Some Animals Hibernate? by SciShowKids

What do Brown Bears Eat? by Animal Facts by Datacube

Bears DisneyNature

Bear Facts for Kids by Little Cozy Nook

How to Draw a Bear by Art for Kids Hub

How to Can Blueberries with Jenelle Elizabeth.

Online Resources:

Fun Facts a b o u t Blueberries

Blueberry Smoothie Recipe from Inspired Taste

Activities for Your Blueberries for Sal Unit Study:

Read the book together as a family each day and complete the suggested activities. Use the resources listed above to find the answers to questions.

Science

Bears:
The bears in the book are eating blueberries. Find out what else bears eat. Are they herbivores (only eat plants), carnivores (only eat meat), or are they omnivores (eat everything)? Use the Bears’ Diet Venn Diagram printables to help you decide.

Hibernation:
What is hibernation? What do bears do to get ready to hibernate? What other animals hibernate? Watch the Why Do Some Animals Hibernate? video (above) and read Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story. Complete the What Animals Hibernate? printables.

What do bears eat? worksheet for early elementary

Hibernating animals worksheet preschool kindergarten 1st grade

Which animals hibernate? printable worksheet early elementary

Language

Onomatopoeia is the use of words that are spelled and sound like their sounds, such as plop or plink. Re-read Blueberries For Sal with your child and listen for the onomatopoeia words and see if you can find them all. (Hint: the berries, the crows, and Bear’s mother)

Phonics: Use the letter “B” beginning sounds booklet printable. Print and cut out the eight pages of the B is for Bears & Blueberry book. Show your child the pages and talk about the pictures and the letter B. Let them color the pictures and trace the letters. Then staple the book together for them to “read” to family and friends.

Literary Analysis and History

Re-read Blueberries For Sal with your child and pay attention to the “setting” of the book. What time frame is it set in? The past, present, or future? How can you tell? Study the pictures, especially the ones inside the front and back covers. What things in those pictures look the same as the ones in your house? Which ones are different?
Make a list of all the examples you can find. For instance, the cookstove is different, but the pots and pans are mostly the same.

Phonics What starts with B printable emergent literacy book preschool

Math

Counting:

Using the metal pail and the blue beads, let your child figure out how many beads it takes to completely cover the bottom of the bucket?

Skip Counting:

Let your child practice skip counting with the blue beads and the metal bucket. Plop them into the bucket by two’s while counting them. Then let your child complete the Blueberry Skip Counting worksheet.

Practical Arts:

Canning:

If you do home canning, try canning blueberries and involve your child in the process; it’s a terrific bonding experience!

If you’ve never canned, learn a little about the process. Or watch the short video above, How to Can Blueberries with Jenelle Elizabeth, which explains how to can blueberries like Sal’s mother did.

Cooking:

Make a Blueberry Smoothie with the recipe (above) from Inspired Taste

Art

Illustrations: Study the drawings in Blueberries for Sal and compare them to the drawings in the Hibernation Station book. What differences do you notice? Which do you prefer? Which are more realistic?

Drawing: Draw a bear using the video, How to Draw a Bear by Art for Kids Hub as a guide.

Painting: Create a bucket of blueberries thumbprint painting. You may use either the wooden basket or the metal pail printable. Print one on medium card stock. Let your kids “fill” the basket or pail with fingerprint blueberries. I recommend either using washable tempera paint or letting your kids mash up a few blueberries, add a tiny bit of water, and use that as paint.

Pretend Play

Let your child use their metal pail and blue beads (closely supervised if they still put objects in their nose, mouth or ears 😉 ) along with a stuffed animal bear to “pretend play” they are picking blueberries when a bear cub switches places with them and the moms.

Field Trip

Visit a blueberry farm to pick some berries or find some in the wild. Notice how the berries from different bushes can taste different. Some are sweeter and some are sourer. Are the sweeter ones a slightly different color? (Hint the berries without any purple left should be sweeter and riper)