In this activity, students will conduct an experiment in order to find which solid melts the fastest: snow or ice. Many thanks to the 2nd Grade teachers at Helen Thompson School in West Gardiner, Maine for sharing this great activity guide during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!
In this activity, students make volcanoes with snow and a few other ingredients. While creating their volcanoes, they will explore the states of matter – including solids, liquids, and gasses! Thank you to the wonderful teams of teachers from: Glenburn Elementary in Glenburn, Maine, Bay Ridge Elementary in Cutler, Maine, and Dr. Levesque Elementary in Frenchville, Maine, that contributed to this activity during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!
Bring the story, An Orange in January, to life through a fun relay! This activity is a great way to encourage movement while strengthening the comprehension of the story. Thank you to the team of Kindergarten teachers at Edna Libby School in Standish, Maine for creating and sharing this activity with us during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!
These activities were designed for students in Kindergarten and 1st grade, as a fun way to review math concepts outdoors and incorporate movement into their learning. Thank you to the teachers at Glenburn Elementary for creating and sharing these two activities with us during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!
Studies show that getting outside helps children to be more positive, creative, and adaptable, and more importantly, has a strong potential to improve mental health in areas of general wellbeing, resilience, restoration, and cognition. We believe that the shorter, darker, winter days make getting outside more important than any other time of year. So what are you waiting for? If it’s cold where you are, bundle your children up, and give some of these ideas for outdoor winter fun a try!
This activity was designed for students in early elementary. After learning about the Properties of Matter, students use balloons and colorful water to create ice orbs for an outdoor winter garden display. Thank you to the team of educators at Ash Point Community School in Owls Head, Maine who shared this activity with us during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!
This activity was designed for students in 2nd grade. After researching and learning about snowflakes in the classroom, students head outside to catch snowflakes and study them with magnifying glasses. Created and shared by the amazing teachers at Ames Elementary School in Searsmont, Maine!
This fun movement activity brings the classic board game Hungry Hungry Hippos to life! Thank you to the wonderful team of teachers at Edna Libby Elementary School in Standish, Maine for designing, implementing, and sharing this activity! We’ve also included a list of some of our favorite children’s literature books about hockey!
This is a fun, movement-based extension activity for the Creating A Better Plate lesson from the WinterKids Guide to Active Outdoor Learning. Thank you to the wonderful team of teachers at Harrison Elementary School in Harrison, Maine who designed, implemented, and shared this activity!
This is a great activity for connecting a nutrition/healthy foods study to Common Core ELA Standards. Thank you to the wonderful team of teachers at Dr. Levesque Elementary in Frenchville, Maine who designed, implemented, and shared this activity during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!
The changing of the seasons each fall means incredible foliage, the return of snuggly sweaters, pumpkin-spiced everything, and best of all, an opportunity for children to spend time outside learning about all things Autumn! We’ve rounded up some fun ways you and your family can get outside this season to celebrate fall.
It’s the perfect time of year to learn about the water cycle and explore ice! This fun and refreshing activity is great for a warm summer day. In this activity, children will develop an understanding of the water cycle as they sing and move along to a song, read stories, and observe water changing from a liquid to a solid, and from a solid back to a liquid. These ideas can be adapted and used in a home setting or classroom setting.
Step aside, lemonade stand! Enter: bike shop! This activity can provide hours of creative and imaginative fun, while also fostering a love for bikes! Here you will find fantastic children’s books about bikes, steps and resources for creating your own dramatic play bike shop, and our favorite children’s songs about biking. Move, learn and explore!
Exploring the outdoors is a fun learning experience for kids of all ages. This activity will encourage children to observe the world around them by looking for natural items and collecting them in a unique and reusable container. Enjoy getting outdoors in every season, while enhancing your child’s powers of observation with this Spring Scavenger Hunt activity, straight from the pages of the WinterKids Guide to Active Outdoor Learning.
We were inspired by “I LOVE the Rain” (one of our books of the month) to make little stick rafts for bugs and fairies! We anxiously waited for a rainy day to bring enough puddles and streams, so that we could give this a try. Next time it’s raining where you are, gather your supplies, slip on those rain boots and raincoats, and head outside to create your own stick rafts!
Our book of the month for February teaches how nature stays warm and busy when it’s snowy outside. Whether you’re dealing with cabin fever or just looking for a fun new perspective when getting the kids outside in the snow, Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner (author) and Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator) will reveal nature’s secret life beneath the snow.
Here is a simple activity for kids as you are gearing up for the new season and taking inventory for upcoming snow adventures. This is a great opportunity for kids to familiarize themselves with snow sports gear while working on their measuring skills.
