“Over and Under the Snow”

“Over and Under the Snow”

Craft Project, Hike Ideas, Learning, Picture Book Buds, Picture Book Hikes, Play, Recipes, STEAM, Winter
Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! Over and Under the Snow Written by: Kate Messner,  Illustrated by: Christopher Silas Neal Over and Under the Snow is a classic winter time picture book read. It manages to be both fun to read and packed with information about what various animals do to survive during the winter, making it great for mixed age groups. I always include it in my hibernation study recommendations, but where is really shines in my opinion is in it's description of the Subnivean Zone. The hibernators seem to get all the love this time of year, and all while the shrews, mice…
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Bird Watching Hike

Bird Watching Hike

Hike Ideas, Learning, Nature Journaling, Valentine's Day, Winter
February is the perfect time to go bird watching! It's much easier to spot birds before the trees have all leafed out, and many birds are super active this time of year. There is long held folkloric belief that February is when birds begin to pair up and make nests, which likely plays into the modern themes of Valentine's Day. They do begin to make nests this time of year as many types of birds time the hatch of their young for early spring when insects start emerging. February is also the month of the Great Backyard Bird Count– a great opportunity to participate in a citizen science project and have fun outdoors. Log the bird friends you spot to help scientists track bird’s patterns and migration. Recording bird sightings in…
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Hot Chocolate Hike

Hot Chocolate Hike

Hibernation Celebration, Hike Ideas, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice
There is nothing more exciting them packig up a thermos of hot chocolate and going on a winter hike. I like to choose routes that I know will have a place to sit down partway through, because while we usually have no problems sitting on the ground, in winter that can be too cold. We always bring these handy collapsible cups to make serving easier. (And they are infinately entertaining on their own.
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