How it works
Every polar bear writing prompt here stands on sea ice or wishes it did. The bear hunts from it, swims between pieces of it, and in the last fifteen prompts waits on shore for it to come back.
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Inside the snow den
A pregnant polar bear digs a den before winter, gives birth in it, usually to two cubs, and comes out between late February and early April, Wikipedia's polar bear article says. The fifteen den prompts stay close to that dark: its sounds, a blizzard overhead, the first breath of outside air.
Why the ice matters
Polar bears hunt seals from sea ice, and National Geographic Kids says the ice now melts earlier and forms again later than it did in the past. The prompts on a warmer Arctic begin there: a wait on shore, a letter to five governments, two maps in words.
Questions and answers
What is a good polar bear writing prompt?
An Arctic fox follows a polar bear across the ice all winter: write the fox's account of its large companion. Or write, in slow motion, the shake a polar bear gives as it climbs out of the sea.
Is a polar bear's fur white?
It looks white. Wikipedia's polar bear article says the hairs have no pigment, the long outer hairs are hollow, and the skin underneath is black. One prompt turns that into a riddle.
How far can a polar bear swim?
National Geographic Kids says polar bears have been seen swimming hundreds of miles from land, though they probably cover most of that distance on floating ice. The wide front paws do the paddling.
Are these polar bear writing prompts for kids?
Yes. The seal gets away, and every person stays on a ship, in a plane or well back from the den. None of the 60 prompts asks for a sad ending.