As the winter season and upcoming break wraps our world in a blanket of frost, it's an opportune time for students to engage in a variety of educational and fun-filled winter activities. From the coziness of our homes, we can explore and learn through a plethora of creative and interactive endeavors. Let’s dive into these wonderful winter-themed activities that promise to keep our kids excited!

Winter-Themed Virtual Field Trips

Capture-Dec-18-2023-02-36-34-7201-PMActivity: Embark on a virtual journey to the "Arctic Adventures" virtual field trip at Discovery Education! This program is heavily involved in creating positive change in our world. While many of us may never encounter such beautiful wildlife first hand (this is a good thing, meeting a polar bear in the wild would be scary!), it's important to educate our children on the importance of protecting the arctic.
Link: Arctic Adventures!

 

_new_img_4059Home Made Ice Cream and Snow Globes!

Activity: Conduct experiments to see how salt affects ice melting or create homemade snow globes.
Directions:
Gather ice, salt, and a timer for the first experiment: How to Make Ice Cream in 5 Easy Steps
For snow globes, collect jars, glitter, water, and figurines, and follow the step-by-step instructions: Homemade Snow Globes


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Various Winter Art Projects

  • Activity: It's always a challenge to find interesting and fun art projects for our children! Here are 13 projects that you can work on with your kids during this winter season. Check them out! 
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  • Directions: Winter Art Projects for Kids

 

Writing Winter Stories or Poems

Sometimes we all just want to get our feelings and emotions out on paper. For writing winter related stories wait for that perfect snowfall day, get out some hot chocolate, and put on something ambient. I prefer this collection of Skyrim mountain songs. Some are contemplative. Some are intense. Some are calm. Some are serene!


Directions: Remember we all express ourselves in different ways - when it comes to creative writing sometimes the best thing to do is to just write down what comes to your mind. Close your eyes and just start imagining where these sounds are coming from. Visualize. Imagine. And go from there!

If you're a bit more rigid in the writing process it's important to follow the proper steps:
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1) Prewriting - Get your ideas down on paper! This is a brainstorming phase. There's no wrong answer for this part, so write everything down that comes to your mind.

 
2) Draft - Begin expanding on the ideas from pre-writing. Add dialogue, descriptions, details. Create the foundation for where and when your characters exist! Make it dramatic. Make it fantastical. Whatever you do - make it your own.


3) Revise - If you're working with someone else, read their work and help them revise and do the same for them. But remember, this step is a team effort. Just because someone suggests non-grammar changes doesn't mean they have to be changed!


4) Edit - Make some of the suggested changes. While correcting grammatical/spelling mistakes is a common component of the edit phase - remember that it's also an opportunity to add or remove any story ideas. These ideas can include new characters, a new plot device, or some additional descriptions of the setting.


5) Publish/Finish - If you're not going to submit your work of literature to a publishing company - have your family read it! If you're a parent - make sure to read it all in full and give some feedback. It means the world to writers to have their work read.

Bake Some Gingerbread Cookies!

Activity: Bake gingerbread cookies! The culinary arts are certainly daunting and challenging sometimes but they are an educational opportunity for all. The artistic expression of gingerbread cookies combined with some help from family is an excellent choice for learning. 


Directions: Direct link to recipe if you don't want to watch the video! 


Winter-fy Your Backyard!

  • Activity:  Sometimes you might look around your yard, no matter how big or small, and want to know how to attract some animals to watch! Inhabitat.com has a great guide with many different options on how to do this. Make sure to document your findings as birds, squirrels, and other wildlife visit! Take pictures and see if the same lil guys are coming to visit on a day to day basis:

    Link: How to Provide a Backyard Habitat to Protect Animals in the Winter

Winter break is a great chance for all of us to indulge in some fun experiments, activities, and to take part in something a little bit different. Mix it up! Make some of your own favorite flavored ice cream. Try baking some gingerbread cookies and decorate them. Listen to some winter themed music and write until you can't anymore! Whatever you choose, PA Virtual wishes you the best and we hope you get some rest and relaxation as the final weeks of 2023 ends. Happy holidays everyone!