Winter Unit Study
Cold Places
The Arctic Studies Center
Explore the history of northern peoples, cultures, and environments and the issues that matter to northern residents today. Join us as we excavate arctic sites and support indigenous efforts to preserve cultural heritage.
Explore North
All the information you need to explore the circumpolar North. The regions we cover are Alaska, the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Faroe Islands and the northern parts of the Russian Federation.
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland Games & Activities for Kids.
Vikings Culture For Kids
What is myth? What is fact? Learn about Scandinavian history.
Antarctica New Zealand
This section provides a range of education and information resources as well as links to Antarctic related sites.
Cool Antarctica
Facts for reports, lots of photos, and my favorite section: The Heroic age of Antarctic Exploration.
Tundra: The Not-So Barren Land
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons.
Tundra-Cam
Tundra-Cam is a live and interactivewebcam located at an elevation of 11,600 feet in the Colorado Front Range.
Arctic Fox Jigsaw Puzzle
Be patient while this loads. It is worth the wait.
Ski Maze
Help the skier find the fall line and get to the bottom of the hill.
Ski Terms Word Search Puzzle
From "chairlift" to "hot chocolate," can you find the hidden ski trip terms in this puzzle?
Winter is an unpredictable time of year no matter what part of the country you live in. Whether it's cold and clear or a blizzard is blowing, it pays to be prepared with cool crafts, fun printable activities, indoor and outdoor games, or belly-warming winter recipes. You can even add a little Disney magic to your next snow day.
Winter Word Search
Only 12 words to find, but the grid is 15 x 15.
Science of Cold
A glacier site with something for everyone from glaciologists to grade school students
Ice is the dominant feature of Arctic marine ecosystems. It continuously sculpts the coastal landscape and acts as a major limiting factor to all biological activity. Lots of good illustrations.
Artic Wildlife Portfolio
Biologist Doug Siegel-Causey shares his knowledge and special insights about this icy world and it's inhabitants.
Factors Affecting Arctic Weather and Climate
Weather and climate depends on a lot of variables, including latitude, temperature, and the mix of land and water. Individually the factors that affect Arctic climate are important. However, they also interact with each other to produce weather patterns and climate feedbacks, which have effects both within the Arctic region and far beyond the Arctic.
How Animals Survive in Cold Conditions
One of the commonest questions asked about animals in Antarctica is how do they cope with the extreme cold conditions that are found there?
How do animals spend the winter?
People live in warm houses and wear heavy coats outside. Our food comes from the grocery store. But what happens to the animals?
Secrets of Hibernation
Certain mammals have what many people might consider the good fortune to be able to sleep through the winter — to hibernate. They bed down in the fall and, for all intents and purposes, don't arise again until the spring.
Tundra Animal Printouts
The tundra is a cold, treeless area; it is the coldest biome. The tundra is characterized by very low temperatures, very little precipitation (rain or snow), a short growing season, few nutrients, and low biological diversity. Pictures to color and facts about arctic animals.
Wildlife in polar regions
YSvalbard has an abundant birdlife and wildlife. Species have adapted to the Svalbard climate over evolutionary time scales, but some species still migrate to temperate regions in winter. The most extreme is the Arctic tern, which migrates between Svalbard and Antarctica.
Make a Snowflake
An interactive site that lets you cut out a paper snowflake all to your own liking.
Paper Snowflakes
Construct snowflakes and learn about the beauty of their symitry. Patterns to print out and cut to get an idea how to create your own.
Snow Cream
Snow is pretty, and it's fun to play in. If you live in an area where there is clean snowfall, you can use it to make dessert, too!
Snow on Mars Is Great for Skiing, Terrible for Snowball Fights
No human has ever set foot on the Red Planet, let alone tried building a snowman there. But clever data interpretation from orbiting spacecraft and landers, done recently, plus a lab experiment back in the 1970s, have helped unlock the secrets of Martian snow.
What Defines a Blizzard?
What does it take to make a blizzard? Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours).
Winter Tales
Read along with the script of the Disney movie, "Frozen."
Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates
On a bright December morning long ago, two thinly clad children were kneeling upon the bank of a frozen canal in Holland. Thus begins the tale by Mary Mapes Dodge.
Iceberg – The Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots
When three children are set adrift in the midst of an Arctic storm, their adventures are only just beginning. Soon they land upon an iceberg.
Poor thing: in just a few seconds she had caught a glimpse of everything that life had denied her: warmth and good things to eat. By Hans Christian Andersen. No one can keep a dry eye through this story.
Penguin Christmas
Cool Antarctica is fortunate to have been able to secure an exclusive interview with Pete and Dolores Adelie, a penguin couple, in West Antarctica.
The snow-flakes became larger and larger, till they appeared like great white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up. The fur and the cap, which were made entirely of snow, fell off, and he saw a lady, tall and white, it was the Snow Queen. By Hans Christian Anderson.
Tags: habitat, snow, Weather, winter