February Nature Study Ideas:

The holidays are gone, and while the days are starting to grow longer, many of us have a good bit of winter still ahead. It can be a struggle to keep going with nature study when the world seems frozen and asleep outside – but there are still SO many things to explore even in the dead of winter. From ice, to snowflakes, to the sky, to the animals that thrive in the winter woods, check out these ideas to keep nature study alive this month!

Check out these nature study activities this winter! (and check out the Freebies!)

1. The Northern Lights

Science Experiment: Make the Northern Lights (Surface Tension Experiment)

We also used this unit study on the northern lights included in the Arctic Journal (you can find out more about that here).

Our Favorite Picture Books about the Northern Lights

2. Winter Constellations

Winter can feel especially long in January, which is just one reason I am especially grateful for our lovely, feathered winter friends. If you’re looking to keep nature study going during the winter months, birds are a great topic of study. There are many birds that either don’t migrate, or migrate very short distances – which means you can find winter birds in almost every area of the world.

Keep a Winter Birdwatching Diary (FREE Bird Log Printable!!)

Get this FREE Printable Bird Watching Diary (And it’s also included in my Birds of Winter nature study!)

Picture Books About Constellations and the Night Sky

3. Snowdrops

Winter is the perfect season to explore evergreen trees – trees that don’t lose their leaves in winter – and their cones. Take a walk and see how many evergreen trees you can identify. And don’t forget – “soft fir, spiky spruce, pine needles grow in bunches.”

Make Evergreen Paintbrushes

Picture Books About Snowdrops

4. Ice

January is the coldest month for many regions in the Northern Hemisphere, which means it’s a great month to learn all about ice. From icicles to icebergs, to pancake ice and hoarfrost, there are tons of opportunities to learn about ice in the winter.

Make an Iceberg

Did you know you can make an iceberg right in your own kitchen? Fill a balloon with water, tie the end tight and place it inside your freezer for at least 24 hours. Once the water has completely frozen, carefully cut away the balloon, leaving the frozen sphere – your iceberg.

Now fill a large container with water (it should be big enough so that the iceberg can float). Place the iceberg into the container – you just made a freshwater iceberg. Note how much of the ice is above the water. You can measure the amount with a ruler, if you wish. How much of the ice remains below the water?

Most icebergs are freshwater, including the one responsible for the sinking of the Titanic. However, you can repeat this activity using salt water, and note how the salinity (saltiness) of the water affects how the iceberg floats.

Play With Frozen Bubbles

Who doesn’t love playing with bubbles? On the coldest of days, try making frozen bubbles! Check out this tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

Explore ice, icebergs and more with the Arctic Journal!

Picture Books about Ice

The Story of Ice

Ice Cycle: Poems about the Life of Ice

Waiting for Ice

5. The Moon

On a cold, clear winter night, the moon shines extra bright. I like studying the night sky in winter, when there’s not much going on down here on Earth.

Study Moon Lore

Over the centuries, different cultures have given names to the full moons across the lunar calendar (January’s full moon is known as the Wolf Moon, by the way). The cycle of moon phases were an important method of keeping time for their way of life. Check out some books and articles on full moon lore (book recommendations below!), or explore rare and special moons, like the blood moon, supermoon, and blue moon.

Make Moon Sand

Have your students ever wondered why the surface of the moon is full of craters? Once something hits the moon or alters its landscape, that event becomes frozen in time because the moon has almost no erosion or atmosphere.
Erosion happens when a surface gets worn down by natural elements like water, wind, or even ice. Because the moon has no atmosphere, it has no wind, moving water, or weather to remove marks on its surface once they are made. The dusty footsteps of astronauts who walked on the moon many years ago are still there today, and may remain for millions of years!

To make fluffy moon sand, you will need:􀄮􀃌􀂽􀂇

• 8 cups of flour
• 1 cup baby oil (or another oil)
• Pie pan or circular tray
• Mixer
• Marbles, small pebbles or beads

Mix flour and oil together in a mixer for 10 minutes. Spread the moon dough out evenly into a circular pie or cake pan. Gently toss marbles, beads or small rocks into the moon sand to make craters. You can even use figurines to make
“footprints.” Smooth the moon dough out and begin again!

Want more on the craters of the moon, moon phases, full moon folklore, and more? (plus a fun moon phases flipbook!) Check out my Moon Nature Study!

Our Favorite Picture Books About the Moon

Full Moon Lore

A Big Mooncake for Little Star

A Moon of My Own

If You Had Your Birthday Party on the Moon

The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean

6. Tree Bark (and a FREE bark ID printable!)

Although many trees are dormant this time of year – and the leaves have come and gone – a tree’s bark is a great way to learn about trees and identify them. Take this free bark viewer with you on a nature walk and see how many trees you can identify (even without their leaves!)

Free Tree Bark Identifier

Bark Rubbings

Bark rubbings are another fun way to experiment with different types of tree bark. Simply attach a piece of printer paper (we tied it to the tree with a piece of yarn), and use an unwrapped crayon held sideways (or a charcoal stick) to create rubbings. Store the bark rubbings in your nature journal along with the name of the tree species.

7. Wolves

The January full moon is called the wolf moon, because wolves in January are very active. They use the cold, snowy conditions to hunt prey like elk and bison. This time of year they are on the move, traveling in packs and communicating with howls.

There are plenty of picture books about wolves (see booklist below!), and if you live in a region wolves inhabit, you might want to look for tracks in the snow. (Use the reference below to identify wolf tracks!)

Make Wolf Silhouette Art

I absolutely love this art project from Arty Crafty Kids, check it out here!

Our Favorite Picture Books About Wolves

Nutik, the Wolf Pup

The Seasons of Little Wolf

Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West

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