January 18 is the birthday of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne. Celebrate it this year with a fun Winnie-the-Pooh unit study.
The Winnie-the-Pooh stories hold special meaning for me. When I was a child, my sister and I called each other names from Winnie-the-Pooh. She called me “Pooh Bear” and I called her “Eeyore”.
She's thirteen years older than me and went to college when I was just a kindergartner. It was devastating. We wrote each other letters and used our Winnie-the-Pooh names.
In addition to that connection with Winnie-the-Pooh, I loved the Pooh stories when I was a child. When I had my own children, I passed on the stories, reading many of them aloud. The stories are perfect for read alouds because you can discuss the characters and their funny and thoughtful adventures.
Do you want to share these sweet stories with your kids? Use the following resources to plan your own literature-based Winnie-the-Pooh unit study. You can pick up my Comprehensive Unit Study Planner here to help you plan. And don't forget to pick up the free Winnie-the-Pooh notebooking pages at the end of the post!
A Short History of Winnie-the-Pooh
The Winnie-the-Pooh stories were written by A.A. Milne in the early 1920s. They were originally written for his son, Christopher Robin Milne. He's the inspiration for the Christopher Robin in the stories. The characters in the books were based on his son's actual stuffed animals. And Pooh's name comes from a black bear named Winnie from the London zoo and a swan named Pooh that the family saw on a vacation.
The books about Pooh and friends soon became popular, just as Winnie, the real bear, had. They've been translated into many languages, including Latin!
Book list for a Winnie-the-Pooh Unit Study
The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne - This is a hardback book that contains all the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.
Winnie-the-Pooh’s Giant Lift-the-Flap Book, inspired by A.A. Milne– This cute book is a way to introduce the littlest kids to Winnie-the-Pooh.
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne– This is a paperback version of the original Winnie-the-Pooh tales. You can also get a paperback version of The House at Pooh Corner, Now We Are Six, and When We Were Very Young. You can also get these books as a boxed set.
The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: A Walk Through the Forest that Inspired the Hundred Acre Wood by Kathryn Aalto– This is a beautiful picture book that takes readers on a visual tour of Ashdown Forest, the landscape that inspired the Hundred Acre Wood. Although this book isn’t particularly written for kids, you could definitely use it for some Winnie-the-Pooh themed nature study.
Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally M. Walker - This is another nonfiction version of the real bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
Learning Activities
(Math) Make some clothespin honeybees and honeypots that kids can use to practice number recognition.
(Movement) Pooh likes to do his morning calisthenics. Do some stretching and have the kids follow along.
(Art) Follow these instructions at Mama Smiles to help the kids make some simple Winnie-the-Pooh figures with polymer clay.
(Internet) Explore the Winnie-the-Pooh page on Disney's website to learn more about Pooh and friends, watch videos, get activity ideas, and more.
(Internet/Reading Comprehension) In the interactive “The Case of the Missing Tail” from Topher’s Castle, kids can read about Eeyore’s missing tale and help him find it in a choose-your-own adventure type story.
(Grammar/Mechanics) Use this free printable paragraph for editing practice. Kids can read about the history of Winnie-the-Pooh Day and its significance as they correct grammar and punctuation.
(Videos) Education World has a collection of videos you can show the kids on Winnie-the-Pooh Day.
(Creative Writing) Have kids write their own adventure story featuring the characters in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Younger children can dictate the story to you. Older kids can write independently. After they write their story, have them illustrate it.
(Art) Print these Winnie-the-Pooh characters on card stock, so kids can act out the stories. They could also use the characters to create a diorama with a scene from the Hundred Acre Woods.
(Geography) Download the Where in the World is Winnie-the-Pooh activity from Castle View Academy for some Pooh-themed geography learning.
(Art) The Moments at Home has a super simple honeypot craft for preschoolers.
(Science) Kids can make a bee habitat with the instructions here at Natural Beach Living.
(Copywork) Teach Beside Me has some free printable Winnie-the-Pooh themed handwriting pages for little ones.
(Art) In the Playroom has instructions for a cute Winnie-the-Pooh paper plate craft.
(Art/Hands On) As the Bunny Hops has a recipe for edible honey play dough.
(Printables) You can find some free printable activities based on the newer Christopher Robin movie here.
(Printables) Rock Your Homeschool has a great free collection of Winnie-the-Pooh printables you can download.
(Hands On) You can find ideas for hosting your own Christopher Robin tea party at Simple Practical Beautiful.
(Creative Writing) Imagine Forest has seven Winnie-the-Pooh themed writing prompts, as well as some great printables for writing.
(Cooking) Make some edible honey slime as a craft/cooking activity.
Other Winnie-the-Pooh Resources
This Winnie-the-Pooh play set has most of the figures from the stories and will help kids act out the stories as you read them.
Your littlest kids can participate in the unit study with this chunky wooden puzzle from Melissa and Doug.
Watch the classic Disney The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh after you read the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
Winnie-the-Pooh Notebooking Pages
Pick up your free notebooking pages here:
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