Cold temperatures and snowy school yards make it more of a challenge to get kids outside during the winter months. However, there are many engaging activities to get students out the door exploring and connecting with nature!
Winter Nature Walks
Take a
winter walk around your schoolyard or a local park. Ideas for your walk: conduct
a wildlife or tree inventory, take a listening walk, measure snow fall, look
for and record animal tracks and signs, take your art class outside and sketch
the winter landscape, have each student write about their winter walk, or come
up with your own winter nature study based on your current curriculum!
Winter Study Ideas
Conduct a
study as a class or break into small groups. Have a brainstorming session to
decide what the students would like to investigate about winter. Some ideas are
temperature, snowfall/precipitation, wind, plant growth/dormancy, wildlife
behavior (migration, hibernation, survival, etc…), art or literature classes
could study winter landscapes in art, or naturalists writings on winter. Have
students design and conduct an experiment or study. Have them present their
findings to the class upon completion.
