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Winter Science Walks – Preschool Fitness Activity Ideas
by Kelly PfeifferWinter nature walks combine fitness and science education. Taking a walk outdoors in nature is a great way for preschoolers to stay active during winter. Parents and teachers can keep the interest level high for preschoolers to take more winter walks by engaging children in simple science observations. Each of these winter science walks will keep young children focused on a hands-on lesson about preschool science.
Preschool Science Education
Teaching preschoolers about science involves skills that might seem very basic and simple to adults. But preschoolers need to practice science skills over and over again in different ways. Science for preschoolers involves tasks such as collecting data (counting), categorizing nature items (counting items that fit into a certain category or sorting by color, shape or other attribute) and noticing details (shapes in nature, which trees have needles and which have leaves).Winter Science Walks for Preschoolers
Winter Bird Watching Walk – Preschoolers can look for birds on a winter walk and may enjoy counting birds or finding each bird’s picture on a bird identification guide,such as Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guides® for Young Naturalists)
.Nature Collection Walk – Give a paper or sandwich sized plastic bag to each preschooler for collecting nature items on a walk. After the walk, use the items either to spark discussions, sort items or create a nature art collage.
Evergreen Tree Hunt Walk – Preschoolers can either point out or count the number of evergreen trees they see on a winter walk. Before going on an evergreen tree hunt walk, consider reading books like Winter Trees
or Where Would I Be in an Evergreen Tree?
.Colors Walk – Each person chooses a color and counts the number of things they see that are the color they chose.
Shapes Walk – Preschoolers choose a shape and look for items that are that shape while on a winter walk. Before taking preschoolers on a shapes walk, consider reading A Star in My Orange: Looking for Nature's Shapes
or Shapes in Nature (Wordless Concept Books)
to preschoolers.Hands-On Counting Walk – Preschoolers start the walk carrying a small bag full of items such as pom-poms, cotton balls or chenille stems (pipe cleaners). Adults start the walk carrying an empty bag. Adults and preschoolers think of something they might see on a winter walk such as dogs, cats, lampposts or snowmen. Each time a preschoolers sees the dog (or cat or lamppost), they put a pom-pom (or cotton ball or chenille stem) in the adult’s bag. After the walk, adults help preschoolers count the number of pom-poms in the adult’s bag.
Leaf Matching Walk – On this winter walk, preschoolers gather different types of leaves. After the walk, preschoolers match the leaves with other leaves that are the same shape (but may be a different size). In addition, preschoolers can match a leaf’s shape to a picture of a leaf on a leaf identification guide such as Looking at Trees and Leaves (My First Field Guides)
.
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