Winter Season Unit Study Free Lapbook & Hands-On Ideas

This hands-on winter season unit study includes a free winter lapbook for multiple ages. You’ll love all the unit studies on my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

When some people think of winter, they think of frozen slush, sleet, and freezing fingers and toes.

Adults might think of driving on frozen roads and struggling with cars that won’t work in subzero temperatures.

But when you ask any child about winter, most think of tumbling through snow and building a snowman. Have you ever skated on a frozen pond? Do you like to ski down a mountain slope?

Winter is not all bad and life teems below the blanket of snow.

Let’s look at some of these winter wonders.

About Winter Trees

Most people identify trees by their leaves.

But trees can be identified by other methods.

One way is by looking at the twig.

Even though winter is here, there is still activity in plants and trees.

6 Ways to Identify a Tree in the Winter Other Than the Leaves 

Look below at these six ways to observe the twigs or buds.

 1. Terminal Bud 

This is the bud at the end of the tip of a twig. It could have flowers or leaves inside. All winter buds are next year’s leaves or flowers. There are all different kinds of buds. They have different sizes, shapes, and smells.

2. Lateral Buds 

The side buds are called lateral buds. These are buds located along the side or the sides of the branches. 

3. Arrangement

The arrangement of lateral buds and branches is important.

1. Opposite branching – This means they are directly across from each other.
2. Alternate branching –  This occurs when buds or branches are alternating on either side of the stem and not directly across from each other. Most trees have alternate branching.

4. Leaf Scars

  This is where last year’s leaves were attached. 

5. Bundle Scars

These are marks on the leaf scar that may form a pattern of tiny dots or lines. The bundle scar marks the place where veins ran from the leaf stem to the twig. 

6. Lenticels

Tiny holes or breaks in the bark scattered over the surface.

Since only a few trees have opposite branching, it is easier to remember them by an acronym. 
M  Maple
A  Ash 
D  Dogwood 
BUCKING – Buckeye 
HORSE – Horse Chestnut

Arctic Fox in the Winter

Arctic Fox Some arctic animals camouflage themselves by exchanging their summer fur for a winter coat. The Arctic fox is unique because its fur changes color seasonally.

Arctic foxes grow thick white or near-white fur in the autumn.  Their coat colors change from blue-grayish in the winter to chocolate brown in summer. 

• Description: Round head, blunt nose, short rounded ears with short legs and a long fluffy tail.
•  Habitat: Arctic and alpine tundra on the continents of Europe, Asia, and North America, as well as the Canadian archipelago, Siberian islands, Greenland, inland Iceland, and Svalbard. They live in burrows and dens. 
• Diet: The Arctic fox is a scavenger and hunter.

During the autumn, this fox gathers ground squirrels, mice, and lemmings, kills them, then stores the food supply just below the surface of the ground in a veritable “icebox”, or “refrigerator.” 

Predators: They can be eaten by polar bears or wolves. Recognizing their tracks: Like other wild canine, their tracks tend to be oval-shaped.

The Arctic fox also has fur on the soles of its feet, which protects its feet from freezing and helps it to walk on the ice without slipping.

Animals in the Winter

Subnivean Habitat {Picture Credit: Marco Cibola} 

What is the subnivean zone? The term “subnivean” refers to a zone that is in or under the snow layer. The word comes from the Latin for “under” (sub) and “snow” (nives).

Subnivean animals include small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, and lemmings that must rely on winter snow cover for survival.

These mammals move under the snow to protect themselves from heat loss and some predators. 

About Shrews: A shrew or shrew mouse (family Soricidae) is a small molelike mammal. In general, shrews are terrestrial creatures that forage for seeds, insects, nuts, worms, and a variety of other foods in leaf litter and dense vegetation.

However, some specialize in climbing trees, living underground, living under snow, or even hunting in water. Their small eyes contribute to their generally poor vision, but their senses of hearing and smell are excellent.

They are very active animals, with voracious appetites and unusually high metabolic rates. Everyday, shrews must eat 80-90 % of their own body weight in food. 

About Lemmings: Lemmings are small rodents, usually found living in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. They are subnivean animals, along with with voles and muskrats.

Lemmings weigh from 1.1 to 4.0 ounces and are about 2.8 to 5.9 inches long. Lemmings generally have long, soft fur, and very short tails.

In addition, they are herbivorous, feeding mostly on leaves and shoots, grasses, and sedges, but also on roots and bulbs. At times, they will eat grubs and larva. 

About Voles: Certain animals, such as mice, weasels and shrews live under the snowpack. Because the earth gives off heat, living under the snowpack is warmer for them than living up on top of the snow.

Free Winter Notebooking Pages

And these free winter notebooking pages include printables about winter animals, weather, and history. Look at these notebooking pages.

Winter Lapbook for Multiple Ages

Then, this winter lapbook has several minibooks which you can mix and match and use with multiple ages.

More Winter Season Unit Study

Finally, I think you’ll love these other ideas if you’re doing a winter season unit study.

How to Get the Free Winter Lapbook

Here are the pages included with this free download

• Animal Adaptions
• Brrrr ..it’s cold
• Canadian Lynx
• Cover of the lapbook
• Snow – Did You know
• Favorite Things About Winter
• Identify that Tree
• Lifecycle of Snowflake
• Life Under the Blanket
• Snow Days
• Texas Winter animals
• The Arctic Fox
• Types of Frost
• What are the Winter Months
• What Causes Seasons
• Art
• Birds
• Winter Notebooking
• Native American Maiden
• Word Mix
• Wolf Hunters Native Americans
• Wonders of Winter

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