Polar Bear Games

Ice Maze 3

• This top-down adventure game puts the player in charge of a polar bear, tasked with reaching its den at the end of each level. Standing between bear and den is a twisting maze. The player must guide his polar bear to the end of the maze, while being sure to keep the bear full of energy by munching on the remains and walruses to be found scattered along the way. If the bear doesn't grab enough energy, he'll run out and the game is over. The player uses the mouse or keyboard to direct the polar bear around the maze while monitoring the amount of energy it has remaining by checking the scores at the bottom of the game screen.

Polar Bear Dress-Up

• This game is a variation on the popular dress-up simulations that have appeared all over the Internet and is aimed at young girls. Rather than dressing up a cartoon model of a human, though, as in most dress-up games, the player is in charge of a polar bear's wardrobe instead. The items of clothing and accessories available are divided into eight categories, including sunglasses and hats. Clicking on one of the eight buttons in the top left-hand corner of the screen allows the player to switch among categories; when the player wants to dress her bear with an item, she just clicks on her choice and the item appears on the bear.

Polar Bear Fishing

• This game is suitable for kids of around kindergarten age. Beforehand, an adult needs to prepare a polar bear claw, which can consist of two pieces of kitchen towel cut into an arm shape and then sealed with fabric glue, leaving one end open for a child to put her arm through; a magnet should be placed at the opposite end of the claw before it's sealed. Next, the adult should prepare a bunch of fish, which can be made from cutting out pairs of paper fish shapes, gluing and laminating each fish, as suggested by the Nick Jr. activities website. These fish will need to be picked up by the magnet, so a paper clip or similar object should be placed in each fish before the sides are glued together. These fish are then placed in a basin or bucket of water.

  Kids play the fishing game by reaching into the water with the claw in the hope of catching as many magnetized fish as possible. Kids can take turns playiing the game, with an adult timing each child's attempt. The child with the most catches in the allotted time wins.