What child isn’t fascinated with snow?

At the first sight of snow falling, my kids’ excitement goes through the roof and they start making plans to head out to make snow angels, snowballs, and snow forts.

I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of bundling up all the kids (and then un-bundling them when they have to use the bathroom 5 minutes later, and then re-bundling them up again) and spending the afternoon freezing my behind off.  But…… the kids love it.  And the joy they radiate as they experience the amazing wonder of snow can be contagious.

So homeschool moms, I encourage you to embrace the winter season and enjoy it with your children.  But what would an afternoon of playing in the snow be without a little learning thrown in?  Take advantage of their enthusiasm and incorporate some schooling into your playtime.

Here are some winter educational activities for integrating the snow and the winter season into your homeschool – inside and out.

Free Preschool Printable Pack

Science

• Identify animal tracks in the snow
• Study the water cycle
• Find the freezing point of different liquids
• Catch and study snow flakes
• Keep a journal and track the amount of snowfall for the season
• Make crystal snowflakes
• Go on a winter scavenger hunt
• Study velocity (think snowball fights)
• Study engineering (build a snow fort)
• Study and read about animals that live in snowy places (penguins, polar bears, seals, sled dogs, arctic wolves, moose, reindeer, collared lemming, snowy owl…..)
• Make bird feeders and watch as your feathered friends feast in your yard
• Winter Sensory Bins

 

Math

• Use snowballs as manipulatives
• Draw shapes in the snow
• Draw patterns in the snow
• Study symmetry with snowflakes
• Track and graph the daily snowfall and temperature

 

Language Arts

• Spell your spelling words in the snow
• See how many adjectives you can come up with to describe winter and/or snow
• Writing assignments related to winter or snow; here are some prompts to get you started –

1. My favorite thing to do on a snowy winter day is……
2. How to build a snowman
3. A day in the life of a snowman
4. My favorite thing about winter is….. / My least favorite thing about winter is….. (and why)
5. My pet penguin
6. Describe your favorite winter animal
7. You are stuck inside after a huge snow storm; what do you do all day?
8. Describe winter where you live
9. Describe snow using all of your senses
10. If I were a snowflake, I would……

 

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Literature

Picture books about snow and winter –

1. Katy and the Big Snow
2. The Biggest Snowman Ever
3. The Snowy Day
4. Snowflake Bentley
5. The Three Snow Bears
6. White Snow Bright Snow
7. Tracks in the Snow
8. Bear Snores On
9. Owl Moon
10. One Snowy Night
11. Cold Snap
12. The Mitten
13. Flannel Kisses
14. Winter Trees
15. Snow Sounds

Chapter books about snow and winter –

1. The Long Winter
2. Stone Fox
3. Snow Treasure
4. Snowbound Mystery (The Boxcar Children #13)
5. Mr. Popper’s Penguins
6. Polar Bears Past Bedtime (Magic Tree House #12)
7. Twelve Kinds of Ice
8. Breadcrumbs
9. Julie of the Wolves
10. The Winter Room

Physical Education

• Sledding
• Ice Skaking
• Hockey (ice or street)
• Snow shoeing
• Skiing (downhill or cross country)

 

Art

• Make paper snowflakes
• Make snow sculptures
• Make snow globes
• Spray paint the snow

 

Be sure to end your snow learning playing fun with a hot, or rather warm for the kiddos, cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows!

Don’t have snow where you live?  Make your own!

I’d love to hear some of your ideas for some fun winter educational activities.  Share them in the comments below.