I wanted a unique Antarctica diorama that was in something besides a shoebox, and this is what I came up with, a snow globe. Be sure you grab more ideas for winter fun on my page Winter Season Unit Study with free lapbook.
It was so much fun to create a little snowy wonderland of Antarctic creatures and learn about them, their habitats, diets, and more.
You will not find arctic foxes, polar bears, or snowy owls in Antarctica because there are no true terrestrial (land-living) animals that make their home there.
Antarctica is the only continent on Earth without them.
While it has no native land mammals, reptiles, or amphibians it is teeming with penguins, whales, seals, and seabirds.
A great hands-on activity to complete while you learn about what animals do and do not live in Antarctica is to create this cute snow globe diorama that I have for you below.
I thought it was the perfect way to highlight this frozen polar desert.
Books for Kids About the Antarctic
First, look at some of these books either based in the Antarctic or about animals that live there.
I lean toward living books first then like to add informational books next.
11 Antarctica Books & Resources for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
Add some of these books for different ages and resources to your study about Antarctica.
Named a "Best Book of the Year" by Science Books & Films
"Librarians acquiring this book, a must-have for any scientific collection, can be assured that it will contribute to some reader's decision to visit or work in Antarctica."—VOYA
"This is an eye-catching book packed with gems for browsing, and the presentation makes it suitable for reports."—School Library Journal
Join a young explorer and his best friend, Mouse, on a sea journey to Antarctica, where they make new friends with penguins and a whale – and have all kinds of fun. Young readers won’t stop grinning as they’re swept away by the strange and magical world created by Frank Viva, the bestselling author of Along a Long Road. As kids TOON into Reading, they will want to circle back to the beginning – again and again.
The exploration of the Antarctic has been undertaken for five centuries in the name of many nations. Challenged by the mystery of its formidable, icy regions, they have used dogs, sleds, and above all the weapon of human endurance to cut down the barrier which isolates it from the developed world. In this history of the centuries of exploration, of the men who risked and often gave life to penetrate its secrets, the achievements of many great figures are reviewed
In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and set sail for Antarctica, where he planned to cross the last uncharted continent on foot. In January 1915, after battling its way through a thousand miles of pack ice and only a day's sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization.
Explore Antarctic Wildlife: This Toob includes 10 diverse figures from the freezing landscapes of Antarctica: emperor, chinstrap, and rockhopper penguins, blue, humpback, and sperm whales, an orca, a crabeater seal, an Antarctic fur seal, and a wandering albatross.
The extraordinary true story behind Ernest Shackleton's harrowing expedition to Antarctica on the Endurance—the ill-fated ship that became trapped in ice and sank to the ocean floor. Defying the odds, the crew made it back alive, bringing with them the astounding collection of photographs included in this critically acclaimed, timeless book.
It is the windiest, coldest, most forbidding region on earth, and I am heading straight for it.
Sketchbook in hand, an artist leaves home to spend four months in Antarctica. She hikes up glaciers, camps on deserted islands, and sees mirages of castles in the air. She sails past icebergs and humpback whales. And she fills her sketchbook with drawings of penguin chicks huddled in their nests and seals basking in the sun. Jennifer Dewey's sketches, photographs, journal entries, and letters home let you see the last great wilderness on earth through the eyes of an artist at work.
In August 1914, during the height of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off from England with a team of explorers to walk across the Antarctic and study the icy depths of this new and forbidding continent. Sailing through some of the most perilous seas, the Endurance becomes trapped in the deadly pack ice of the Weddell sea. When the Endurance is eventually crushed between the vast bulk of two floating icebergs, the men are forced to abandon ship and make the dangerous journey across the crushing sea in lifeboats,
Antarctica, the earth's southernmost continent, was virtually untouched by humans until the nineteenth century. Many famous explorers journeyed (and often died) there in the hope of discovering a land that always seemed out of reach. This book introduces readers to this desert--yes, desert!--continent that holds about 90 percent of the world's ice; showcases some of the 200 species that call Antarctica home, including the emperor penguin; and discusses environmental dangers to the continent, underscoring how what happens to Antarctica affects the entire world.
The Anatomy series by Julia Rothman is always a go-to resource, ocean Anatomy contains plenty of information on the animals that live in Antarctica, icebergs Polar Ice, and glaciers.
With a new children’s book imprint, the Bodleian Library brings beloved classics back into print, beginning with a beautiful storybook about the life of a fascinating Antarctic species. Originally published in 1962, Penguin’s Way by Johanna Johnston tells the surprising story of these creatures, complete with colorful artwork by award-winning illustrator Leonard Weisgard. In Penguin’s Way, a playful colony of emperor penguins lives on the edge of a faraway secret sea. During the summers, the penguins are content to fish and swim in the icy waters. But, when the seasons change, they must travel more than one hundred miles to the snowy lands surrounding the South Pole. All across the snow plain, the penguins sing songs to welcome newly hatched chicks into the world, but how will the fluffy newborns survive the freezing winter?
Next, look at some of the animals that do make their home there.
Creatures of Antarctica
You can either create a diorama centered around one of these amazing creatures or highlight them all, we are going to learn a little bit about each of these 3 most common -penguins, seals, and whales.
PENGUINS
There are 17 different species of penguins in the world, and 8 of them live in Antarctica.
A penguin’s diet is mainly fish, squid, crustaceans, and krill.
While they do prefer to drink fresh water they do have a gland near their eyes that allows them to filter the salt out of salt water for drinking.
- Emperor Penguin
- Adélie penguin
- Gentoo penguin
- Chinstrap penguin
- Macaroni penguin
- Rockhopper penguin
- Magellanic penguin
- King penguin
SEALS
Only 6 out of the 35 seal species in the world live in Antarctica but they make up the majority of seal numbers. Seals are divided up into 3 different families- True seals, eared seals, and walruses.
Except for the fur seal, all of these Antarctica seals are ‘True seals’ without ears but they can still hear very well, even underwater.
They are built for their frozen home with a thick layer of blubber and fur for insulation as well as being excellent swimmers and divers.
- Southern Elephant
- Crabeater
- Leopard
- Weddel
- Antarctic Fur
WHALES
These amazing aquatic giants are distinct in their appearance and behaviors.
The Humpbacks are known for their haunting songs that can be heard for up to 20 miles while the Orcas are found everywhere but are most abundant here in Antarctica.
The 8 whales that you are likely to spot in Antarctica are:
- Killer
- Sperm
- Humpback
- Fin
- Blue
- Minke
- Right
- Sei
Find out how these creatures survive the freezing conditions of Antarctica in this How Animals Survive Harsh Winters Fun Blubber Activity.
How to Make an Easy Antarctica Diorama
I found a clear plastic bowl, cake plate, and fake snow at Dollar Tree.
Whether you want to keep and display your snow globe diorama long term or toss it out after it is done, this is a very economical project.
You will need:
- Clear plastic bowl
- Clear plastic plate/platter
- Fake snow
- Cardboard
- Air dry clay
- School glue
- Blue craft paint
- Plastic arctic animals
First, use air-dry clay to create a dam to separate your water from the land area.
To do this I just rolled it out like a long snake and then smoothed it into place, it doesn’t have to be thick, just enough to keep the water in.
Paint a thick layer of school glue onto the side that you designated for land.
Sprinkle generously with the fake snow and tap down gently with your fingers or a paintbrush to press it into the glue then tap off the excess.
Mix blue paint with school glue and pour a thick layer into the water section you created, be sure to cover it all completely.
If you like, take some more air-dry clay and create an iceberg, a little cave, or any other land formations you would like, give it a little glue and cover it in more flakes of fake snow.
Allow this to dry for 24-48 hours until the glue, paint, and air-dry clay have cured.
Antarctica Diorama
Add in your animals as you like. If you are going to be transporting it you can add a little bit of hot glue to the bottom of the animals.
To remove and use them another time you can heat up the glue with a hair dryer and wipe it away with a paper towel.
Place the plastic bowl on top and secure it in place with a couple of dots of hot glue if desired or let it sit loosely on top.