The Winter Shelter Test

This low-prep activity helps students evaluate den sites without turning the lesson into a game.

Bears

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Run with a class

This low-prep activity helps students evaluate den sites without turning the lesson into a game.

The goal is simple: notice, predict, and look for more evidence.

Questions to ask

Which den looked safe at first, but had a hidden problem?
How would flooding change your choice?
Why might a bear choose a plain-looking site over a dramatic cave?
What clues would you want before making a final claim?

Where it comes from

By the time leaves turn copper and the air smells like cold soil, bears are already making winter decisions. They may still be feeding heavily. They may still roam ridges, forests, river bottoms, and berry patches. But somewhere in that fall landscape, another job is beginning.

Find the right den. For many black bears and grizzlies, denning season usually begins to take shape between September and November. The exact timing depends on weather, food, elevation, sex, age, and region.

That makes fall bear dens a perfect classroom lesson. It is not just about where a bear sleeps. It is about how an animal reads the season.

Read the blog post ↗ Fall Bear Dens: The Quiet Work Before Winter · 2026-09-02

Run it

Ticks stay in this browser, so you can set up now and teach later.

What you need

Photos or drawings of possible den sites.
Sticky notes or a simple worksheet.
A local habitat map, if available.
Optional: weather cards showing early snow, late snow, heavy rain, or mild fall.

Steps

Observe Look closely at each possible den site.
List evidence Note shelter, dryness, cover, slope, and disturbance risk.
Predict Decide which site would conserve the most energy.
Explain Use one sentence that begins, “This den would help a bear because…”
Revise Add a weather change and ask whether the den still works.

00:00

Workspace

Run it with your class

Set up the class, count what needs counting, write down what happened, then save it and take it with you. Everything here stays in this browser until you download it.

The class

Class or group Date Students Students per group

Counters

Results table

Notes as you go

Observe: Look closely at each possible den site. List evidence: Note shelter, dryness, cover, slope, and disturbance risk. Predict: Decide which site would conserve the most energy. Explain: Use one sentence that begins, “This den would help a bear because…” Revise: Add a weather change and ask whether the den still works. Anything else: what worked, what to change

Answers to the questions

Which den looked safe at first, but had a hidden problem? How would flooding change your choice? Why might a bear choose a plain-looking site over a dramatic cave? What clues would you want before making a final claim?

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