Winter Wonderful things to do

Favourite ways to learn about winter 

Wildsight creates and delivers environmental education programs to kids throughout the Columbia Basin area of B.C. The kids love learning about natural science ‘in the field.’ In winter, younger students head out on short trips to places in their neighbourhoods where they learn to look for signs of life in the cold. Here are a few favourite activities, courtesy of Monica Nissen, a Wildsight Winter Wonder educator.

Stories written in the snow

Grab a magnifying glass and see what you can find because there are stories written in the snow. You don’t have to know what made a track or a mark, just follow it and try to figure out what happened. You might see something going into a burrow or hunting. You might be surprised how many mouse tracks you come across!

TIP: If it’s in the cat family it doesn’t leave claw marks. If it’s in the dog family, it does. That’s one good way tell a cougar from a wolf—or a housecat from a little dog—by tracks in the snow.

Black-cardboard snow

You may have seen lots of snow, but have you seen it up close? This is where the naturalist’s handy tool—the magnifying glass—comes in handy.

Wait for a good snow fall, find a piece of black cardboard or cloth and go out and catch snowflakes. When you examine them up close you’ll see what truly beautiful works of art they are. Don’t forget to dress up warmly and have fun this year learning about the wonders of winter.

For more activities, visit www.Wildsight.ca/Education/WinterWonder.