With a dusting of snow on the ground and a crisp chill in the air, many families choose to spend these days indoors, staying warm with hot cocoa or snuggling up with a blanket and movie. With a good coat and hat, however, this is a fabulous time to go on some outdoor adventures with your kids. Whether taking a trip to the forest or exploring your own neighborhood, there is plenty to explore.
Sharing the winter landscape with our children connects them to the cycles of nature and helps them gain a more complete understanding of the changing seasons. Familiar places look different once plants lose leaves and flowers shrivel and fall. Invite children to compare and contrast what they see now to what they remember from spring and summer visits to the same place. How are plants staying alive through cold weather? Where might the animals go to stay warm? What do we look forward to with the changing seasons?
My kids were thrilled to track raccoons that left their footprints in the icy snow in our neighborhood.
In the quiet of a chilly morning, there may be greater opportunities to animals- birds eating from a feeder, squirrels scurrying up a tree- since there aren’t crowds of hiker scaring them away. Wet or snowy ground allows us to better see tracks of animals who have traveled the paths before us.There is much to be seen and learned from the quiet, winter forest, river, park or even neighbor’s yards. With fewer people out and about, your outdoor experience can be a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of school and work.
How do you share the winter landscape with your kids? What are your favorite places to explore when the weather is chilly?
Here is nice article by Writer Amy Wang of the Oregonian with tips for cultivating the connection between children, nature and the outdoors.