A preschool winter unit can include plenty of science concepts. Young children best learn about science through hands-on experiences and through educational play. These learning activities will engage preschoolers in age appropriate science lessons that relate to animals in winter. Preschool teachers can create learning centers that introduce children to life science concepts such as bird life, seasonal bear activities and animal tracking.
Birding Science Center Activities
A bird feeder mounted on or outside of a classroom window will give young children an up close view of winter birds. Small window feeders with suction mounts are available by several manufacturers. Preschool children will enjoy refilling the feeders using small scoops.
For even more hands-on interaction, classroom teachers can involve preschoolers in making simple bird feeders to hang outside of the birding science center. Basic bird identification guides mounted on the wall at the science center will give preschoolers the opportunity to match the birds at the classroom feeder to pictures of the birds. The best bird identification guides for children use actual photographs of birds rather than drawings. Preschool teachers may want to place a tally sheet next to the bird identification guides and have preschoolers tally the different types of birds they see at the feeders.
Animal Tracks Science Center Activities
Exploring animal tracks is a great way for preschoolers to learn about animal life. Through hands-on play, young children can learn how animal feet leave tracks in the snow. Preschool teachers can place actual snow, shaved ice or dry flour in a shallow pan and a variety of plastic animal toys next to it.
Teachers can encourage children to play with the animals in the “snow” and notice how the animal feet leave prints. Preschoolers will also be interested in pressing animal feet into play dough.
Age appropriate books such as Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints by Millicent E. Selsam [Harper Colllins, 1998] and Who’s Been Here?: A Tale in Tracks by Fran Hodgkins [Down East Books, 2008] work well to reinforce the learning about animal tracks in winter for preschoolers. An animal track identification poster hung on the wall works as a great visual to show preschoolers the variety of shapes and sizes of animal tracks.
Hibernation Science Center Activities
Bears hibernate during winter. Before bears hibernate for the winter, bears eat lots of food to store up fat for winter hibernation. Preschool winter science activities can involve children in pretend play that teaches animal habits. Preschoolers can experience eating berries, nuts, honey and fish just as bears do to prepare for the long winter of hibernation. A “bear feast” snack works well to introduce children to the hibernation activities at the science center.
Preschool teachers can ask preschoolers to bring in stuffed bears from home or provide plastic or stuffed bears in the classroom to set up science center activities about hibernation. A collection of empty boxes, cartons or containers can be set out as bear “caves” along with pretend “bear food” such as plastic fish, bee hives, berries and unshelled nuts.
Preschoolers will enjoy assisting their bears in eating a bear feast and placing plastic or stuffed bears into pretend bear caves. To involve preschoolers in more hands-on learning, teachers can set out cave making art supplies and glue so that preschoolers can decorate the cartons and containers to resemble bear caves. Brown and black construction paper, twigs, brown pom-poms and brown or black chenille stems will change a simple container into a fun bear cave.
Photographs of bears, bear puppets and books about bears will offer opportunities for preschoolers to learn through their senses. Great books about hibernation include Time to Sleep by Denise Flemming [Henry Holt and Company, 2001], Do Polar Bears Snooze in Hollow Trees? A Book About Animal Hibernation by Laura Purdie Salas [Picture Window Books 2006] and Wake Me in Spring by James Preller [Cartwheel, 1994].
Hands-on experiences in the classroom help preschoolers learn about science in a fun and age appropriate way. A science unit on winter animals will be of high interest to young children, especially when teachers provide opportunities for children to be actively involved in learning. For more winter season ideas, read Preschool Activities about Ice, Preschool Winter Dramatic Play and visit the winter science section of PreschoolEducation.com.
Kelly Pfeiffer - Kelly Pfeiffer teaches Positive Discipline workshops to parents and trains child care providers on various child development topics.
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