Although you can study shadows anytime, this post is in honor of Groundhog’s Day. I’m always looking for ways to include shadows in photographs.
Watch full screen.
Watch full screen.
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How do animals cope with frigid temperatures and snow during the winter months? What is this cardinal doing to stay warm?
Some animals hibernate, while others brumate. Some birds, mammals and insects migrate. Other insects die but leave eggs behind. Mammals may grow a thicker fur coat. Fish and frogs will move to the bottom of ponds where it is warmer. Others have adapted to the cold and continue to forage or hunt for food. Birds fluff up their feathers to trap air for insulation. The related posts provide more information.
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Not just birds migrate. Watch full screen.
One of my favorite nonfiction winter books about animals.
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Snow is something many of us look forward to in the South, but not ice! Ice brings power outages, dangerous driving conditions, and fallen trees, especially the top-heavy pine trees. Do you know the difference between sleet and freezing rain? Watch full screen.
Well, freezing rain arrived and I took a quick walk outside to capture the beauty while trying to ignore the damage to my garden.
A Study of Ice (Multidisciplinary Approach)
Do You Wonder – Ducks in Frozen Ponds
Ice Sculptures and More
Include a cooking activity with your study of ice at home or at school. Fun choices would be popsicles, shaved ice or an icee.
Young scientists will enjoy excavating ice. Use a plastic container and fill it with small toys – such as a Lego or plastic animals. Then fill the container with water and carefully set it in the freezer. After the water freezes, remove the block of ice from the container. What could you use to chisel the ice away?
Let’s learn about forces. Watch full screen.
Multidisciplinary units are my favorite! Incorporate social studies with a study of Iceland. Watch full screen. Tectonic Plates Lab
Continue with more landforms as you research ice caves. Watch full screen.
After the boats I viewed last year, I was anxious to see the new designs at Sailing Through the Winter Solstice during my recent visit to Frederick, Maryland.
Related Posts
Last year, I recommended teaching about light during winter months. Check out the following link for a variety of engaging light investigations. They are some of our favorite labs!
My husband and I started finding dead or dying yellow jackets in our home. At first, we thought they had constructed a nest in the attic, so we had it treated, but we continued to find them in the bathroom, living room, and basement. We stopped walking around barefoot and I feared that I would wake up to these aggressive bees swarming above me!
My husband researched their behavior and spoke to several exterminators. The theory was that the bees were dying due to the cold weather. We were finding them in the toilet and bathtub because they were searching for water. On a warm day, we discovered how they were entering the house on the second story near our bedroom.
The second exterminator believes that they are not yellow jackets, but another kind of wasp that mimics yellow jackets. Yellow jackets usually build their nest underground and are very aggressive.
The saga continues.
Related Posts
The song of the Carolina male wren is one of the loudest in the woodland choir. Unlike other songbirds, they will sing throughout the day and all through the year. Even in the winter months, their song is a standout. Read more at All About Birds
This small brown songbird is easily recognized by its large white eyebrow stripe. They are opportunistic nesters, mate for life, and don’t migrate.
Watch full screen.
Watch full screen.
Winter is the ideal time to study birds in the South. They are drawn to bird feeders and easier to view in the forest after leaves have fallen. Migratory birds are also present.
Related Posts about Woodland Birds
With temperatures reaching an unseasonable 70 degrees, it doesn’t feel like winter here! After a discussion about the conditions necessary for snow to fall and how a snowflake forms, my young scientists made insta-snow with a super absorbent polymer in science lab. It was a sensory experience that encouraged creativity and communication skills. The room was filled with their imaginative stories, an early literacy skill! Check out more photos on my Instagram account – pbright2.
Snowflake Bentley had a passion to capture snowflakes in the early days of photography. His story should always be included in the study of snowflakes. Watch his biography full screen.
Watch this informative video from TED Ed about how snowflakes form their hexagonal shape full screen.
Now, watch real snowflakes form full screen.
What is the difference between flurries and a blizzard? Watch full screen.
Watch this engaging animated video about anticipating snow full screen.
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Check out the labs and lessons below for a variety of multi-disciplinary investigations. If you try any of these or have other ideas, please share in the comments.
Snowflakes and More
Art Project for Crafters of All Ages
Snow People – One of my favorites!
Making Snow and Again and Once More
Check out some more winter-themed science activities.
I grew up in Wisconsin and New York and winter there looked white with shades of blue.
But in Atlanta, winters are brown with golden highlights.
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Winter Scavenger Hunt (literature connections)
Brown to Green (literature connections)
Brown (art connections)
The annual Enchanted Woodland Trail at the Chattahoochee Nature Center opened on December 14 and will be available to view through February. These structures are tiny architectural and engineering feats. My favorites ones below are those that were constructed with natural items or recycled materials. Which buildings will withstand the winter weather? Visit CNC to see more.
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Enchantled Woodland trail 2023 (literature connections)
I am the science enrichment teacher for learning pods at the ColLab. After observing the skulls of deer and comparing pinecones and evergreen needles, we investigated roly polies. A preassessment provided insight into our background knowledge of pill bugs.
Facts We Learned:
Pill bugs, also called roly polies, potato bugs, and isopods, are not bugs at all, but crustaceans and therefore related to shrimp, lobsters, and crayfish. They are the only terrestrial crustacean.
Roly polies breath through gills and must consequently live in a damp habitat. They are more active at night.
When threatened, pill bugs roll into a ball. Armadillos use the same defense mechanism.
Pill bugs have 14 legs (seven pairs).
They grow by molting a hard exoskeleton.
As decomposers, they eat rotting vegetation on the woodland floor.
Eggs are carried in a pouch under the female.
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Add this nonfiction picture book with photos of isopods to your science collection:
