Arctic Play

Earlier this month, I set up some Arctic play for Kate.

 I filled a bin with snow and added our Arctic animals.

Collin was home sick from school, and he joined Kate to make igloos out of styrofoam cups, frosting, and marshmallows.

Kate's finished igloo:

Collin's finished igloo:

Apparently, igloos are very tasty.

Arctic Fun

We have read a few books about arctic animals recently.  C and R both enjoy learning about the arctic, so I set up an arctic playset for them to enjoy while I rested on the couch.  Yes, that's right, I went to the couch; I'm ten weeks pregnant, so it's acceptable.  No one got frostbite.

I froze water in a few small plastic tubs.  Then I added that ice, some ice cubes, a few scoops of snow from the yard, and water to a baking pan.  I brought out the Arctic Toob and let them play.

They were very content for quite a while.  I even heard them talking about arctic animals being white for camouflage purposes - learning was going on!

We read:

In Arctic Waters by Laura Crawford is a fun rhyming book with a story that builds with the addition of each new arctic animal (in the style of This is the House that Jack Built").  It is a great introduction to arctic animals.

Over in the Arctic Where the Cold Winds Blow by Marianne Berkes is a spin on the familiar rhyme, Over in the Meadow.  Each page introduces a different arctic animal.  There are many opportunities for learning in this book - counting, naming the animals, an eye spy, factual details about the animals, and tips from the author. 

Thanks to Natalie from Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns for recommending the Arctic Toob.  C and R really enjoy playing with it!
I am linking this to the geography linky at Children Grow, Children Explore, Children Learn.