Well if there was any doubt that Winter's coming, a good part of the continent got its first assurance this past week with enough snow and ice to make many region a winter wonderland! Not that I'm complaining; I moved back to my native Massachusetts because I so love the winter. There is nothing like a clear winter night with a full moon illuminating land blanketed in a pristine blanket of white, or a sunny winter morning with the sun glistening off of branches and snowbanks after an overnight snowfall. I have never lost my childhood love of the snow!
Of course, winter also brings with it some of my favorite activities: sledding, ice skating, building snowmen, and Christmas caroling. There's the Iditarod Sled Dog Race which takes place in the frozen north, and the many activities of the upcoming 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Then there's the warmest traditions of all, coming in from the cold to cups of hot chocolate topped with melted marshmallows and spending an evening around a roaring fire at home with loved ones. I enjoy all of the seasons for different reasons; Winter certainly has its unique allure for me.
In the classroom, Winter offers a variety of great connections across the currciulum, from weather and seasons to the geography of the great white north and the animals that inhabit the frigid land masses there. There's the study of snow, the physics of winter sports and man's exploration of the last land frontiers on earth. When you plug your classroom into all that Winter has to offer, it becomes a lively place full of opportunities for imagination, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving. So turn those gray days of cold and snow into a celebration of the season and all the ways it promotes engaged learning in your students! I hope this month's collection of resources will keep you and your class busy until Spring thaw!
Winter, Snow and Ice
