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| Photo by Oakley originals at creativecommons.org |
For early childhood/lower elementary:
From Growing Up WILD, Exploring Nature With Young Children:- Hiding in Plain Sight- Use Hide and Seek to teach adaptation
- Tracks!- Explore and make tracks
- Oh Deer- Explore parts of habitat
- Field study fun- Explore a plot over time
- Cold cash in the icebox- Make an insulator to keep ice from melting
- Molecules in motion- Act out three states of water
- Tracks, Scats, and Signs by Leslie Dendy
- Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature's footprints by Jim Arnosky
- When Winter comes by Laan and Gaber
- Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin
- In the Snow: Whose Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George
- Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Lee
- Stranger in the woods! by Sams and Stoick
- What will I do without you? by Sally Grindley and Penny Dann
For upper elementary:
From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers- Cold cash in the icebox- make an insulator to keep ice from melting
- The Incredible Journey- act out the water cycle
- Hanging together- act out hydrogen bonds in surface tension, ice formation, etc.
- Just passing through- Imitate how water moves down a slope (*Adaption: Change the game by declaring different temperatures in different rounds)
- Molecules in motion- Act out three states of water
- Water crossings- simulate various water crossing situation (*Adaptation: build a replica of something used historically or modern day to pull cargo across ice or snow. OR simulate a sled dog race)
- How many bears can live in this forest?- Students become bears and look for components of a habitat.
- My kingdom for a shelter- Construct a lifesize habitat replica
- Oh Deer- students use tag-like game to learn about carrying capacity
- Urban Nature Search- gather data about what habitats exist in your area. (Winter is great time to find bird's nests).
- Quick Frozen Critters- Use freeze tag to teach adaptations.
- Julie of the Wolves
- Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
- Little house in the Big Wood by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Arctic Tale by Wolverton, Richards, Gore
- Snowflake Bentley by Martin
- Learning about Winter with Children's literature by Bryant, Keiper, and Petit
- Who lives in the Snow? By Jones and Powell
- The Kids' Winter handbook by Drake and Love
From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers
- Hanging together- act out hydrogen bonds in surface tension, ice formation, etc.
- Just passing through- Imitate how water moves down a slope (*Adaption: Change the game by declaring different temperatures in different rounds)
- Water crossings- simulate various water crossing situation (*Adaptation: build a replica of something used historically or modern day to pull cargo across ice or snow. OR simulate a sled dog race)
- How many bears can live in this forest?- Students become bears and look for components of a habitat.
- My kingdom for a shelter- Construct a lifesize habitat replica
- Oh Deer- students use tag-like game to learn about carrying capacity
- Urban Nature Search- gather data about what habitats exist in your area (Winter is great time to find bird's nests).
For high school:
From Project WET- Water Education for Teachers- Hanging together- act out hydrogen bonds in surface tension, ice formation, etc.
- Water crossings- simulate various water crossing situation (*Adaptation: build a replica of something used historically or modern day to pull cargo across ice or snow. OR simulate a sled dog race)
- Artic survival- Do a simulation of hunter gather lifestyle in the artic.
What active winter curricula have you found useful?
Bonus points: What animal makes the footprints in the above photo?
Bonus points: What animal makes the footprints in the above photo?
