Ten Outdoor Winter Activities
Enjoying the outdoors is not limited to the summer months. Fresh air and exercise help us mentally and physically. Here are 10 activities to get children inspired and moving.
1. SHOVEL SNOW.
Simple ideas are sometimes the best. Nothing inspires children like a “work project,” and snow can provide a wonderful outlet for extra energy. Shovel paths in the yard, or even a whole area of the yard so you can play a game. All you need are some sturdy child-sized shovels and enthusiasm. Add a wheelbarrow or wagon for hauling, and you'll have a wealth of cooperative and imaginative play!
2. BUILD AN IGLOO OR FORT.
Here’s another group project, with plenty of opportunities for hearty exercise, working together and creative play. Tote pans packed with snow make wonderful building “bricks.” Or, make a fairy castle, using snow packed into interestingly-shaped containers such as Jell-O molds or Bundt pans.
3. CREATE A SNOW SCULPTURE.
Learn about snow animals – polar bear, snow leopard, snow rabbits. Then bundle up and make a snow sculpture. And that's only the beginning. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination! Snowman, snow cars or trucks, or other animals all get children moving and provoke inventiveness. A row of snowballs placed end to end make a caterpillar. For smaller children, fill a sand and water cart with snow and let them play till it melts!
4. OBSERVE BIRDS.
Once you start bird watching, you'll be amazed how much can be observed and learned! Put up a birdfeeder outside your classroom window. Some fir branches or a tree near the birdfeeder gives the birds a place to hide, and you'll find they stick around. Borrow a few bird books from the library and keep a list of all the birds you see. Children will keep you busy with all their observations and contributions to a bird list. Make patterns of birdseed in the snow and watch what happens! Draw pictures or make bird sculptures.
5. TRACKING.
Teaching environmental responsibility and a love for the natural world starts very young. Even very small children can learn some basic tracking. Some books from the library will help. Some are big, some little. Can you identify any? Make and observe your own tracks, or even a snow angel!
6. LEARN ABOUT SNOWFLAKES.
A life-long love of nature can start with something as simple as observing snowflakes. Catch falling flakes on black paper and study them with a magnifying glass (hint: Cold paper helps flakes last better, so keep some in the freezer ready for a snowfall). Learn about Wilson Bentley, the famous photographer of snowflakes (try Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin) Or children may enjoy drawing their own. Here are some magnified images of real snowflakes: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/kids/samplecrystals.jpg
7. PLAY TAG.
One of my favorite childhood memories is playing tag in the new-fallen snow. We'd tramp down paths, then play tag using only the pathways we'd made. Or make a large hole in the snow, and toss snowballs in for a game of snow basketball.
8. DRAMATIC PLAY.
Read the book "The Mitten" by Jan Brett together, then act it out in the yard. Children can imagine themselves as the characters in the story. A blanket or tarp might make an excellent "mitten."
9. NATURE WALK.
The natural world of winter is amazing when observed with all the senses. Talk with the children about what they might see, hear, feel, smell, or taste in winter. Then, on your nature walk, ask them to point out interesting nature objects or phenomena. When you get back inside make a list of the things you noticed. Make pictures or find out more from books.
- Sights: Shapes of snow drifts, colors in the snow (you’d be amazed!)
- Sounds: sound of the whistling wind, the quiet of the snow falling, roar of a snowplow
- Feel: The downy touch of snowflakes, soft (or spiky) pine needles or the rough bark of a tree
- Smell: fresh-cut pine, wood smoke, cocoa!
10. WINTER SCAVENGER HUNT.
Make colored ice cubes by adding a few drops of food coloring to water. Hide them around the play yard and let the children hunt for them.
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