Hibernating for Winter
The importance of rest and restoration
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To explore the lessons that animals can teach us about the importance of rest and restoration.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Hibernating for Winter) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Winter Hibernation Winter’s Tale’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 2.21 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/3hSGuYMOe3E
Assembly
- Show Slide 1 and welcome the students to the assembly.
Who feels a bit sleepy on this cold December morning? Does anyone feel only half-awake, or even half-asleep? I expect that it’s taken a while for most of us to get going today. If that’s the case, we are not alone. In the cold winter months, the natural world takes a rest and goes into sleep mode. For example, some of the trees lose their leaves to allow the tree to rest and regain energy for spring. Many animals and creatures across the world will enter a hibernation state too. Hibernation is similar to an extended time of sleep for certain animals. - Show Slide 2.
Hibernation is defined as an inactive state that resembles deep sleep in which some animals who live in cold climates pass the winter. In hibernation, the body temperature lowers, and breathing and heart rates slow down. Hibernation protects the animal from cold and reduces the need for food during the season when food is scarce.
This slide shows a bear, one of the many animals across the world who go into hibernation. In the UK, there are just three types of animal that hibernate.
Ask the students, ‘Can anyone name those three animals?’
Listen to a range of responses. - Watch out: the next few slides come with a cuteness warning! Lots of small, sleepy animals are coming up!
Show Slide 3.
Dormice hibernate from about October to April. They hibernate on the ground, rolled tightly into a ball in a nest of leaves and grass. During hibernation, they will lose 50 per cent of their body weight, so to survive it, they spend the last weeks of the summer eating enough to double their weight. - Another UK animal who hibernates is the hedgehog.
Show Slide 4.
Like dormice, hedgehogs eat plenty before entering hibernation. When they are in hibernation, their breathing rate slows to conserve energy. A non-hibernating hedgehog takes about 25 breaths a minute. However, when a hedgehog is in the deepest stages of hibernation, it can go two hours without a single breath. - There is one more animal that hibernates in the UK: the bat.
Show Slide 5.
There are various types of bat in the UK, and all of them hibernate. As the only flying mammals, bats need to use a lot of energy, so to survive a winter where food is scarce, bats hibernate. They often pick hibernation roosts in old buildings or the eaves of houses. - Perhaps you think that some UK animals are missing from this hibernation list? Well, some animals enter a deep rest stage that involves reduced activity, but is not scientifically classified as hibernation.
These other forms of deep rest have different names such as brumation, torpor and diapause. For example, butterflies enter a diapause state during the UK winter, as we’ll see in this video.
Show the YouTube video ‘Winter Hibernation Winter’s Tale’ (2.21 minutes long).
Time for reflection
Our distant ancestors, who lived in tropical parts of the world, had no need to hibernate to survive a cold winter. This is why humans did not evolve to hibernate. As humans migrated to colder regions of the world, we discovered fire, clothes, shelter and other ways of surviving the cold.
However, we all need time to rest, build up our energy levels and recover from difficult conditions around us. Although we might not hibernate, we do need times of rest and restoration.
The Bible emphasizes that rest is important. In the creation story in Genesis, after a period of activity and work, God takes a rest day, which of course is where we get the idea of a day of rest, or the Sabbath. It is a time to kick back, chill and recharge our batteries. The Bible also tells us that Jesus rested and slept when he needed to.
Show Slide 6.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11.28)
Many of us may not notice if we are feeling tired, tense or in need of a pause. It can be easy to fall into busy mode.
Tiredness can take different forms. We can be physically tired or mentally tired. If we are dealing with many things that pull on our emotions, we may feel emotionally drained too. We may also find ourselves feeling spiritually tired.
So, let’s do an audit of how we are feeling right now . . . something that can help us to slow down and discover what we might need to do to take care of ourselves.
- If it helps, close your eyes, or bow your head. Notice how your body is feeling. Do you feel tired or tense? How can you tell? What do you need because of this awareness?
- In a moment of calm and quiet, let’s check in with how mentally tired we are. Is your brain whirring at 100mph, or can you think slowly and calmly? Take a moment to notice what you need because of this awareness.
- Finally, let’s think about how tired we are emotionally. How are you feeling today? Do you feel strong, confident, upbeat and energetic? Or do you need some time and space to allow you to manage some sadness or frustration? Do you need a pause in the day to talk it through with another person, or even with God in prayer?
Of course, we can’t stay in bed all winter and hibernate, but we all need time to rest, recharge and give our bodies, minds and emotions the chance to recover when things are difficult. We might need to ask for help from friends, family and people at school, who can help us to find ways to rest and recharge.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the wonders of the natural world.
Today, we’ve thought about hibernation and how animals manage the winter cold by resting and recharging.
Please help us to recognize when we need to rest and recharge emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.
Help us to stay in touch with how we are feeling and what it is that we need.
Please help us to find moments of peace.
Please help us to be sensitive to the needs of others.
Amen.
