Winter Wonderland Nature Activities Calendar:

Connecting Students to Nature in the Winter

Kelsey Chandler Bird – Frederick County Public Schools
Photos courtesy of Kelsey Chandler Bird

snowyAs parents and educators, we are up against screentime and busy schedules. Encouraging time spent playing and exploring in nature will help support student engagement and retention of knowledge and skills.

The challenge comes with finding the motivation to get out in the winter months because of cold weather. Nevertheless, connecting with nature, even in winter, can support well-being. For instance, researchers in Finland have found that

opportunities to be in nature have positive impacts for both children and families. For this reason, students should learn to appreciate nature through outdoor opportunities that are accessible in every season. (Rantala & Puhakka, 2019).

An activity calendar with simple activities can help support this goal by providing ideas for exploring nature even in the winter months. Many of these activities can also be used to make connections to academic concepts while also encouraging play. These ideas can be used at school, at home, or as families explore their regional area.

Winter Activities and Resources

This sample calendar can be used by teachers and put in newsletters to parents to share ideas with them, or by parents without teacher guidance. This is intended to be used by crossing off any chosen activity, rather than in order by day, since the weather is unpredictable.

Additionally, teachers can select activities to create a snow day choice board if work is required on those days, that both meets requirements and lets students enjoy their snow day. Below are some descriptions of sample activities that correspond with the activity calendar, related to nature identification, nature observation, data collection, and force and motion.

Nature Identification

  • Identify trees by their bark or tree buds using an identification guide such as iNaturalist. Even in winter months, trees have important characteristics that make them identifiable.
  • Make bird feeder ornaments for the trees using nut butter and seeds or hang a window feeder. In winter, birds have less food available to them, making it the perfect time to supplement their food sources.
  • Watch the bird feeders and identify the birds that are coming to feed using an identification guide such as the Audubon Guide to North American Birds. Answer questions such as, What birds do you not see at the feeder? Have these birds migrated for the winter? On another day, scatter a variety of nuts and seeds. Which birds eat each type of nut or seed?
  • Look for animal tracks in the snow or mud and identify them using the Almanac Animal track Identification Chart. Snow or mud are the perfect places to spot animal tracks easily. Learning about animal tracks helps students learn more about adaptations, animal patterns of behavior, food chains, and animal identification.

Nature Observation

  • Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Can you find: winter berries, signs of an animal, a feather, an icicle, a nest, a cardinal, or a robin? Nature scavenger hunts in any season help children slow down and look closer at what is around them. They may notice something they have never seen before, but has always been there, or something completely new!
  • Observe a pond or creek up close. Is it frozen? What life can you see moving below the surface? Do an investigation into what animals slow down, what animals take a form of hibernation, and what animals are simply at the end of their life cycle.
  • As it snows, look closely at the snowflakes, and observe the patterns. Read Snowflake Bentley, by Martin (1998). And his discovery that “no two snowflakes are alike.”Read Aloud Link
  • Sit outside for 15 minutes. What do you hear, see, smell, feel, or even taste? Write a poem based on what you observed sitting outside. Students can use a variety of poem forms such as haiku, limerick, free verse, or concrete.

Data Collection

Data collection and graphing are important skills for students to practice. Students benefit from creating their own system to collect data (e.g., a data collection table).

field and downing sun

  • Track what time the sun is rising and setting. What do you notice? What do you wonder?
  • Take a drive by some open fields at dusk. How many deer and other wildlife are out? Is there a certain time of day they come out?
  • Measure and graph the snow every hour as it accumulates. Measure and graph the snow as it melts, along with the rising temperature.
  • Go geocaching by following coordinates to discover hidden treasure using the Geocaching app. Geocaching uses GPS coordinates to help you locate items others have hidden for you to discover.  Create a system to record your discoveries, and consider leaving something behind for someone else to find.

Force and Motion

sledding

  • Play ice hockey with a stick and rock on a frozen patch of ice. There are plenty of safe ways to make this happen. If the weather is right, all you need is a sidewalk or driveway right outside. Do not go on a frozen pond, lake, or river without expert knowledge on freezing temperatures needed to make these safe.
  • Go for a walk or hike you have been on in the warmer months. What differences do you see? This activity can be tied into the scavenger hunt mentioned earlier.
  • Create a sledding path and adjust the course to go faster or slower. Explore potential and kinetic energy as the sled goes down the pathway. Using friction, you can change the speed of the sled.
  • Have a snowball fight or play baseball with snowballs. What makes a good snowball? What is the science behind the varieties of snow? Read “The Story of Snow” by Cassino (2017) to find out more! Read Aloud Link

Art Activities

  • Make a frozen sun catcher by freezing a ½ inch layer of water in a round pan, using items from nature to decorate it.
  • Freeze disposable bread pans with colored water and make a snow fort or igloo. Students can explore how Inuit people and other cultures in colder regions have lived and created safe shelters for themselves. Students can observe how an igloo can help you stay warm.
  • Paint in the snow using colored water and a paint brush or spray bottle.

Recipes for Winter Treats

  • In below freezing temperatures, blow a bubble using 1 cup water, 1 tbsp., corn syrup, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. glycerin, 3 tbsp. dish soap.
  • Make snow ice cream using 1-gallon clean snow, 1 cup white sugar, and 1 tbsp. vanilla, 2 cups milk. This is a great opportunity for children to help with measurement skills and following directions.
  • Make maple syrup taffy in the snow using a popsicle stick and maple syrup.
  • Make tortilla snowflakes by cutting geometric designs out of a tortilla. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake. Connect this with the read aloud “Snowflake Bentley”!

Tips for Getting Out in the Winter

  • Dress in layers. Start with a base layer of clothing made from wool such as thermals.
  • Add a middle layer to trap heat. Fleece works well for this purpose.
  • Add an outer later such as snow pants and a coat to block wind and moisture.
  • Additionally, use wool socks, waterproof boots, hat or baclava, and mittens or gloves.
  • If moisture reaches the skin, dry off and replace the clothing as needed.
  • Go out for short periods, if needed. Start small and work your way to longer periods of time as your comfort level increases.
  • Stay hydrated, even in cold weather.

References

Allrecipes(2022). Maple syrup taffy. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/190467/maple-syrup-taffy/

Allrecipes. (n.d.). Snow ice cream. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24944/snow-ice-cream-ii/

Audubon. (2024, July 17). Guide to North American birds. https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide

Boeckmann, C. (2024). Animal track identification. Almanac.com. http://almanac.com/content/animal-track-identification

Cassino, M. (2017). The story of snow: The science of winter’s wonder. Chronicle Books.

Coos Bay Public Library. (n.d.). STEAM storytime: Snowflake Bentley. YouTube. https://youtu.be/mASqg-_gIbY?si=3IuMw8BlXbdQ70B4

Currie, J. (2019). Cinnamon sugar snowflakes snack. Happy Hooligans. https://happyhooligans.ca/cinnamon-sugar-snowflakes/

Geocaching. (n.d.). https://www.geocaching.com/play/mobile

iNaturalist. (n.d.). https://www.inaturalist.org/

Martin, J. B. (1998). Snowflake Bentley. Houghton Mifflin.

Rantala, O., & Puhakka, R. (2019). Engaging with nature: Nature affords well-being for families and young people in Finland. Children’s Geographies, 18(4), 490–503. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.1685076

Read Aloud Kids Book Time. (n.d.). The Story of Snow Read Aloud Book for Kids. YouTube. https://youtu.be/B3BzzJgeszc?si=IIR-GEimIGUGdlcu

Run wild my child (2022). Winter science experiments for kids: how to make frozen bubbles. https://runwildmychild.com/frozen-bubbles/

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