Winter Homeschool Fun

Last year was my first Ohio winter after living in Texas for five years. Not only that, but last year was the worst winter on record in decades. Guess what? I am not a fan of winter. Perfect timing, huh?

However, on the bright side of a horrible winter, we did get to experience some new things. We had over 50″ of snow – something we never would have seen in Texas. Now, I do love snow in the winter. Not going out in it, just looking at it. It’s so beautiful! And, Emma had the opportunity to make quite a bit of money shoveling driveways. That was another plus.

Mid-winter last year, I saw a post on Facebook about some fun things to do in the winter that I just had to try. As we gear up for another winter – which is predicted to be worse than last year’s – I have been scouring the web for more fun things to do this year.

Winter Homeschool Fun

Unique Opportunities to Study Nature

Winter is a great time to get outside and study nature in a whole new way. The landscape takes on a brand-new look as the leaves fall from the trees and {for some of us} snow blankets the town. This is the time of year we most enjoy watching the birds. The cardinals and the blue jays are much easier to spot as their beautiful colors stand out against the stark white snow. Study the trees and compare conifers (evergreens) with the deciduous trees that are quite bare.

Here are a few fun resources to help you study nature this winter:

• Show your kids how you can freeze bubbles when the temperatures drop.
• Try a winter-themed nature study like Coping with the Cold from Shining Dawn Books.
• While out on your nature walk, gather some pine branches to use as natural paintbrushes.
• Hang some homemade bird feeders in your trees, and study the birds that come for a snack.

Great Winter-Themed Chapter Books

• Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
• The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Magic Treehouse: Winter of the Ice Wizard by Mary Pope Osborne
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
• Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
• Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead
• Polar Bear Patrol by Judith Stamper

Winter Projects for Kids

Sometimes, it’s just too cold to go outside. Last year, the local schools closed several times because of subzero temperatures. What’s a parent – homeschool or otherwise – to do to break up the monotony of long, cold winter days? How about one or more of these fun winter projects:

• Emma and I have made rock candy with sugar water before, but I don’t think we’ve ever done Borax crystals. I think we’ll do this Borax Crystal Snowflake science experiment. They’ll look pretty hanging in the windows of our school room.
• We’re definitely going to make ice grow!!
• If you get good packing snow, you can try this snowball experiment.
• Here’s a fun polar bear experiment for little ones.
• You can show your children how blubber keeps whales warm in the winter.

What unique opportunities do you take advantage of during the winter months?