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It’s so fun to put together a seasonal nature study, to study the seasons and the unique way nature behaves in that particular season. Winter will look different depending on what area of the world you live in, but even if you don’t have a cold winter climate, you likely are seeing something different than you are in the summer. Put these ideas together to do a full blown unit study, or you can just add an activity here and there during your day.
Topics to study:
These are just some ideas – follow the bunny trails that your kids take and the things they want to discover about winter!
- the different forms of water
- animals in winter
- hibernation
- migration
- plants in winter
- snow
- winter weather
- animal tracks
Books
The following books I highly recommend as part of your winter nature study, to reference, teach, and guide your conversation:
- Winter Sleep: a hibernation story by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss
- A local tree/bird/animal guide book to identify any animals you see
- The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino
- Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft
- Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
- Tracks, Scats, and Signs by Leslie Dendy
- Migration by Gail Gibbons
- Snow Birds by Kristen Hall
Head HERE to see a list of even more picture books that are stories about snow or winter that you could add to your library list.
Nature Journal
Grab a sketchbook (or any kind of notebook) and take it outside to start observing the bugs you see around your yard, in your neighborhood, or on a hike.
- look for animal tracks
- observe frozen water (ponds, lakes, even puddles, etc.)
- explore the snow
- look for animals and observe their behavior
- look for evidence of abandoned animal homes (nests, etc.)
- observe how different trees look compared to summer (if you have pictures, look at them!)
- lift up logs or rocks you find (if they aren’t too frozen!) to observe if anything is underneath
- see if you can find anything living, like moss, fungus, fish in frozen water, evergreen trees, etc.
Make sure you check out this post if you haven’t done any nature journaling with your kiddos and want some tips on how to incorporate it.
Fun Outdoor Activities
- hiking and looking for animal tracks in the snow
- snowshoeing, skiing, tubing, or skating
- exploring a frozen river/lake/creek
- ice fishing
- sledding
- building in the snow – go beyond snowmen and try to build something unique!
- have a bonfire
- go on a winter picnic – don’t forget the hot chocolate!
If your family isn’t really excited about being outside in the cold together, read this post that has tips for getting outside with kids in winter.
Make sure to also check out your local nature center for any classes they might have about animals in winter, candle lit hikes, etc.
Resources
Winter Scavenger Hunt
Printables
Use the printables below to study animals in winter! These printables go really well with books on animal tracks, Winter Sleep by Sean Taylor and Alex Morss, and a guidebook about local trees.
Links
(always preview videos to make sure you feel comfortable with your kids watching)
- This website has some interesting info and lots of links related to snowflakes
- This video from PBS talks about the phenomenon of lake effect snow (which is very common where I am, near Lake Michigan, but might not be common where you are!)
- This video from the National Science Foundation shares some interesting info on the science and art of snowflakes
Creative Writing Ideas
I think it’s fun to take what we’re studying and make it into a creative writing prompt. This could literally be about anything, but here are some fun ideas to start with:
- There’s a massive blizzard, and no one can drive anywhere! How would you spend the day?
- You stumble upon a bear’s den on a hike – the bear is hibernating, but he smells you and starts to wake up…
- You’re hiking and you look down. You spot some tracks in the snow, so you decide to follow them…
- Scroll up to find a printable with some more activities and a fun creative writing prompt about hibernation
Download these free winter writing prompts:
Art
- cut snowflakes out of coffee filters or white paper
- use a Q-tip to paint white snow onto blue paper
- use pine needles as your paint brush
- paint with pinecones
- put several different colored squirts of paint onto a paper and then rub ice cubes through the paint
- observe paintings or drawings about winter from different artists; make your own version of them! This could easily develop into an artist study too.
- paint a snowy landscape
- draw what trees look like in winter on one side of the page and summer on the other
- The book Sketching Outdoors in Winter is a great resource
Math
- chart or graph the weather (temperature, amount of snow, etc.) each day for a week or even longer
- simple activities for littles – how many animals do you see outside right now? How many trees have leaves/needles and how many have NO leaves?
- learn about converting temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius for older kids
- measure the amounts of snow in feet, inches, and centimeters
- track and graph how long it takes to melt snow or melt ice
- how long does it take for water to freeze outside? (or in the freezer if you don’t get quite that cold in winter)
Comparisons
I love comparisons in a nature study, because it helps our kids to observe differences. There are many more things you can compare, but this is a short list to get you started. You can compare these using a Venn diagram, through drawings, or have your older kiddos write more detailed paragraphs about them:
- different forms of water (ice, water, steam)
- winter weather where you live vs. winter weather in another climate
- winter weather vs. summer weather
- animal behavior (which ones migrate, hibernate, etc.)
Engage the Senses
- Sensory Bins – put snow or ice cubes into a dish tub or water table to explore. Add in food coloring in droppers or spray bottles!
- Freeze objects in water and experiment with melting and chipping away at the ice to free the object!
- Can you hold an ice cube in your hand until it melts?
- Make ice cream together! If you have a big snow, make snow ice cream together by mixing fresh, clean snow with maple syrup. My kids – even my teenagers – do this every year and love it!
Poetry
There are some great poems about insects in these books:
You can use these poems as copywork, draw pictures to go with the poems, or just read them!
Try creating your own poems about winter. Try different types of poems – try writing them in the shape of a snowflake!
Other CYH posts you might like:
Insect Nature Study
Trees Nature Study
Art Study
Nature Journaling