Winter in the Woods Discovery Box (Preschool Theme)
Winter is an absolutely fantastic time to bring in a cozy “Winter in the Woods” preschool theme. The cozy winter days, snug inside, just beg for learning about the winter in the woods. Below is a list of activities, sorted by area of learning, to create your own Winter in the Woods Discovery Box for your preschooler.
And if you’d like a FREE downloadable PDF of a choice board to match these activities, be sure to sign up at the end of the post! (My daughter likes to hang up the choice board on the fridge and highlight items off as we complete them.)
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Winter in the Forest
I absolutely love this four-part series. Each book features the same area of the forest through all a different season. In this one, animals find food in the snow, burrow away from the cold, and explore the forest on a brisk winter’s day.
The “lift-the-flap” features keep preschoolers engaged and the thick, heavy flaps will hold up well for year after year.
It’s available on Amazon here.
Science Activities
Sorting Animals By Hibernation Status
Winter is such a great time to really see how animals respond differently (and for some reason, preschoolers are FASCINATED by the idea of hibernation).
I have a few different activities for this.
- You can download and print out this adorable worksheet I made where preschoolers circle which animals hibernate and which don’t. It’s available for free here. (And if you’re unsure of this yourself, I included a key on the worksheet)
- You can gather animals from Safari LTD Toobs and sort them into animals that practice dormancy and animals that don’t- or you can use the animal language cards I created here. (The “In the Woods” Toob has great animals to sort with this activity. The language cards linked here correspond with that particular Toob.)
And if your child is interested in how more animals prepare for winter, I have a brief worksheet here.
Identifying Animal Tracks
Another fun activity with a couple of different ways to go about it.
- If you have snow (or just a lot of mud) on a trail nearby, head out and see if you can locate animal prints along the way.
- If you don’t live in a good area for this (or would just rather stay where it’s warm), I have a set of matching cards available here.
- Print them out (laminate them if you want them to last longer), and then have your preschooler match them up. Talk about what they notice about the shapes of the animals’ feet to help them have an idea of which tracks go to which animal.
- For each animal, I included a picture of the animal, a close up picture of their feet or paws, as well as a picture of the track. With eight animals included, there’s plenty to learn and talk about here.
- Plus, they pair great with the animal track wooden stamps we used in the activity below AND they pair great with the Safari LTD Nature Toob animals.
Language Activities
Writing a Winter in the Forest Story
After a winter’s nature walk, have your child write their own “winter in the forest” story. Imagine what it would be like to be a squirrel or a deer on a cold winter’s day. Encourage them to think about the forest from different animals’ perspectives and how they might respond to winter differently.
Have your child narrate to you for you to write the words, then hand over the illustrations for them.
My daughter also LOVED to use these wooden animal track stamps in her book to add even more detail to her story. (Did I buy these stamps because I wanted to play with them? Yes. Yes I did. No regrets, though. We’ve used them for so many different activities.)
Practical Life/Open-Ended Discovery
Creating Bird Feeder Pine Cones
A classic for a reason. Take your preschooler on a nature walk to collect pine cones. Then roll them in peanut butter, bird seed, and tie a ribbon to them. Hang them in the yard for birds to enjoy.
Winter in the Woods Art
Creating a Bear Cave Out of a Bowl or Shoebox
If you have an extra shoebox lying around (or some paper bowls), you could have your preschooler create a bear den. If you allow glitter in your house (I don’t, because I’m generally cranky about glitter, but I admire people that do!), add some glue to the top of the den and sprinkle on glitter for a snowy look.
Add in a bear figurine from a Safari LTD Toob and let your preschooler pretend play.
However, I also found this adorable craft here that is WAY less work and was still just as much fun (what my daughter created with it is pictured below, but in now way am I crafty enough to come up with this own my own! All credit goes to www.krokotak.com!
Painting with Pinecones
Simple enough but so much fun. We gathered pinecones on a nature walk and used them to create textured paintings. I simply poured some paint onto a paint palette (Dollar Tree has some for super cheap), rolled out some paper, and encouraged my girls to be creative.
It was fun to see what they could come up with and how different kinds of pinecones made different textures and patterns with the paint.
Creating a Winter Suncatcher with Found Objects
I loved this one! We went on a winter nature walk and collected all sorts of different items. Pine cones, branches, pine boughs, and yes- some artificial berries that had fallen off my Christmas wreath and onto our porch. We gathered them up, sorted them, and placed them between two sheets of contact paper, I taped it off with red masking tape, tied a ribbon through the top, and we had a lovely winter in the forest themed suncatcher.
Sensory/Fine Motor
Sensory Bin with Winter Forest Items
I love sensory bins to encourage my preschooler and toddler to play and learn together. This one was a lot of fun to put together with fake snow, pinecones, pine trees, and Safari LTD Toob figurines. (Plus, I got all of the sensory bin fillers at Hobby Lobby after Christmas on a CRAZY good sale. I love finding ways to keep my homeschooling costs low!)
Geography and Culture
“Where Would I Travel to See a Forest in Winter?” Activity
To help introduce the idea of physical geography and help my preschooler place items correctly on a map, I created this simple activity.
I gave my daughter a set of cards that I created with different images of places around the world. Then I asked her where she would go if she wanted to see a forest in the winter. She had to sort the cards into a “yes” pile and “no” pile.
After she had her “yes” pile complete, I helped her place the cards on a large world map.
Then I asked her what she noticed about the pattern of where these places were on the map.
It was easy, simple, and gave us great talking points like “it’s too warm at the equator to snow” and “the closer you get to the North Pole the colder and snowier it gets.”
Plus, it added to her travel wish list!
The cards I created are available for download here.
Family and Service Activities
Donating to a Coat Drive
I always want to encourage my kids to be generous and show that they can have an impact on their community. Donating to a coat drive can be a great way to get your kids to think about how they can help their neighbors in need.
A Winter Hike
I love hiking in the winter. It’s the best time to see rock formations, the intricate shapes of trees. Plus, the sound of walking over crunchy snow- it’s just the best. Bundle up, put on some sturdy hiking boots and micro spikes if needed, and venture out. (Plus, you won’t have to worry about bugs and overheating!)
Additional Winter in The Woods Books
Winter is quite possibly my favorite time to curl up with my daughters and read the coziest books. So if you’re looking for more winter in the woods books for preschoolers, check out my post here for the full list.
Additional Resources
If you would like to purchase all of the resources in this post in one convenient, discounted bundle, that is available here.
If you’re looking for more winter activity ideas, be sure to check out my post below for easy ideas on ways to get outdoors with your preschooler during the winter.
And if your child enjoyed this preschool unit, be sure to check out my Forest in the Fall Preschool Unit or my Snow Preschool Unit Theme.
And last, if you want to get a free copy of the choice board for this preschool unit, be sure to sign up here and it’ll be sent to your inbox!
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