Winter is obviously a perfect time for winter activities including snow, ice, snowmen, cold weather, and animals in winter. Of course, winter is also a great time to study the Arctic and Antarctica. And an Arctic/Antarctic unit works very well for multi-level learning. If you follow the links below, you’ll find hundreds of resources and activities to help you prepare a Montessori-inspired Arctic and Antarctic unit.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Here’s a link to continent map work to help your child identify continents before you start an Arctic/Antarctic unit. I also have a roundup of Montessori Continent Boxes. This would be a great time to start an Antarctica continent box. You could also focus on Arctic items for your North America box.
Arctic Printables and Resources
Free Arctic Animal Printables and Montessori-Inspired Arctic Animal Activities (my post – includes long list of free Arctic printables plus Montessori-inspired polar bear subscriber freebie pack )
Polar Bear Growls Exercise for Kids {Free Printable} from Christina Chitwood
Free Arctic Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Arctic Animal Songs and Educational Videos (my post)
Free Inuit Printables and Montessori-Inspired Inuit Activities
Free Igloo Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Inuit Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Printable Arctic Animals 3-Part Cards (subscriber freebie) from Trillium Montessori
Arctic Animal Movement Cards from Uno Zwei Tutu
Arctic Animals Action Cards from Uno Zwei Tutu (The blog is no longer available.)
Arctic Printables available for purchase from Montessori Print Shop
Montessori Arctic Printables from Teachers Pay Teachers
Montessori-Inspired Arctic Activities
Montessori-Inspired Toddler Geography Activities with Baby Beluga (my post)
Simple Arctic Sensory Bin with Vocabulary or Grammar Activity (my post)
Arctic Sensory Box (Photo by Julie at Nurturing Learning)
Arctic posts (photo from Arctic Unit Week 1) and Icebergs from Nurturing Learning
“Igloo” Building Activity (Photo from H is for Homeschooling)
Winter Tot Trays (I is for ice and igloo) from H is for Homeschooling (Blog is no longer available.)
“Iceberg” Activity and Arctic Animals Books from My Montessori Journey
Kudlik – Inuit oil lamp lesson (Photo from Making Montessori Ours)
Kudlik – Inuit Oil Lamp Lesson, Building an Inuksuk, and North American Continent Box (with an extra emphasis on Canada) from Making Montessori Ours
9 Arctic Animals Learning Activities from Gift of Curiosity
Montessori-Inspired Polar Bear Unit from Mama’s Happy Hive
Montessori Arctic Activities and Free Printables from Welcome to Mommyhood
Antarctic Printables and Resources
Free Penguin Printables and Montessori-Inspired Penguin Activities (my post – contains long list of free penguin printables plus Montessori-inspired penguin subscriber freebie pack)
Antarctica Geography Folder from Montessori Print Shop
Globe, Continent, and Ocean Labels (free printable) and Antarctica materials (available for purchase) from Montessori Print Shop
Antarctic Animals (free printable) from Montessori Materials
Antarctica’s Animals – Leopard Seal from Imagine Our Life
Animals of Antarctica for the Montessori Wall Map & Quietbook with Free Printables from Imagine Our Life
Latitude and Longitude (free printable) and Antarctica Continent Kit (available for purchase) from Montessori for Everyone
Antarctica A-Z Montessori Style Activities from Trillium Montessori
Antarctica A-Z Montessori Pack from Trillium Montessori
Montessori-Inspired Antarctica Unit Printable Pack Bundle from Every Star Is Different
Montessori-Inspired Antarctica Unit Printable Pack Bundle available for purchase from Every Star Is Different
Montessori Antarctic Printables from Teachers Pay Teachers
Free Penguin Songs and Educational Videos (my post)
Montessori-Inspired Antarctic Activities
Easy and Fun Antarctic Sensory Bin for Winter or Summer
Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities – Penguins of Antarctica (my post)
Montessori-Inspired Multi-Level Penguin Activities (my post)
Making Penguin Booklets (Photo from Just Montessori)
Antarctica Activities from Just Montessori
Antarctic Animals from Antarctica Continent Bag (Photo from Counting Coconuts)
Our Continent Bags – Antarctica from Counting Coconuts
Math Thermometer Cards (Photo from Leptir)
Math Thermometer Cards from Leptir
Continent Boxes: Antarctica from What DID We Do All Day?
Animals of Antarctica (Photo from Kingdom of the Pink Princesses)
Antarctica Posts (Photo from Our Continent Boxes – Antarctica) and Winter Word Study (free printables) from Kingdom of the Pink Princesses
Labeling the Penguin Activity (Photo from Kidzone Teacher Mama)
Penguin Posts, (including a labeling the penguin activity) from Kidzone Teacher Mama
Arctic AND Antarctic Resources
Free Arctic vs Antarctic Songs and Educational Videos (my post with lots of fun and helpful resources)
Follow the Trail: Winter Wonderland Book with Schleich Polar Bear and Cub
Montessori Arctic Activities – Polar Regions (Free Printables – subscriber freebies) from Natural Beach Living
Montessori-Inspired Arctic AND Antarctic Activities
Simple Arctic vs. Antarctic Cut-and-Paste Activity {Free Printables} (my post)
Landforms of Polar Regions (Photo from The Pinay Homeschooler)
Polar Posts from The Pinay Homeschooler (photo from Polar Activities for Preschoolers)
Hands-on Polar Activities for Kids by Vanessa at Christian Montessori Network
Polar Regions Unit Study from Montessori from the Heart
Arctic and Antarctic Unit Study Ideas from Mama of Many Blessings
Arctic and Antarctic Animals from Mi Casa Montessori
Arctic and Antarctica posts with subscriber freebies from Every Star Is Different (Go to Free Printables tab at the top of the Every Star Is Different blog, then to Thematic Activities, then to Continent and Country Activities, and then to Antarctica and The Arctic posts.)
Global Warming Update and Global Warming Art from Montessori Muddle
Related Pinterest Boards
Kids’ Winter Activities Pinterest Board
Antarctica Educational Resources Pinterest Board
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We are doing a study on Antarctica now too! Perfect timing. I just posted about our Antarctica Continent Box. http://pinkprincesskingdom.blogspot.com/2012/01/our-continent-boxes-antarctica.html
Thanks so much! That was perfect timing … I added your link and one of your photos. Awesome Antarctica box! 🙂
Thank you so much for featuring our winter trays! And for posting so many other great ideas for inspiration as we continue planning indoor activities for a long, cold winter 🙂 You’re awesome!
My pleasure, Sierra … and thanks so much for your very kind words! I always enjoy your creative activity trays! 🙂
Thanks for the links to our blog!
My pleasure, Julie! Your Arctic sensory box and unit is amazing! 🙂
I am so happy you shared such a special moment in learning for us…thank you:))
Thanks for your kind comment, Cherine! Have a wonderful week! 🙂
Just in time! Oh thank you so much for this! We’re about to start with Antartica next month and I am so overwhelmed with ideas! Thanks a million!
Thanks, Miss Jae! I’m glad the timing is right … have fun! 🙂
Love this post! Have you seen 1+1+1=1’s Arctic/Antarctic Calendar Connection cards? We are using them this month and they have spurred on some great conversations and investigations! Hope you check them out…they’re free and a wonderful resource!
http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/2011/12/calendar-connections-arctic-and.html
Thanks so much for sharing the link, Julie! Those are a great resource! 🙂
JDaniel would love shoveling marshmallows! Yum!
Thanks, JDaniel4’s Mom! You can do the activity with sugar cubes, too! 🙂
What a great post and I am now following your boards on Pinterest!
Thanks so much, Alessandra! I’m following yours, too! 🙂
This looks like a lot of fun. My sister is doing a little preschool work with her daughter who starts school this coming fall. I’m going to send her the link to this activity – even her older kids would enjoy doing some of this after school (she has a daycare in her home).
Thanks for sharing! Tina ‘the book lady’
PS: I just did a review for Vanishing Cultures that you might enjoy on Classic Children’s Books –
http://familyliteracy2.blogspot.com/2011/01/vanishing-cultures.html
Thanks so much, Tina! The Vanishing Cultures Far North and Frozen Lands books would be great for an Arctic unit! I pinned your post to my Kids’ Winter Activities Pinterest board! 🙂
What perfect timing! My daughter’s first grade class is studying the North Pole right now. I’ll give her teacher a link to your post. I’m sure it will prove helpful in their class. Thank you.
Ellie
Thanks for your comment, Ellie! I appreciate you sharing my post with your daughter’s teacher! 🙂
This one post is so full of great ideas. I am definitely pinning it for when we have energy and time to return to our geography studies.
Thanks, Natalie! I hope you have lots of fun with it! 🙂
Fantastic post Deb! I love your posts- SO many fun learning activities all together in one place! Thanks so much for linking up at Thrifty Thursday, have a fantastic weekend!
Thanks for your kind comment, Katie! I love your posts, too – and Thrifty Thursday is great! I hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend, too! 🙂
Thank for your link!
Thanks, Palmy! Great idea! 🙂
What a fantastic list of resources. I love it! I can’t wait to start something like this with my 3 year old. She’s a little young for continent boxes, but I’m itching to do that with her when she gets a little older. There are some really fun activities that would be good for her age, too.
Love the ideas, especially the Arctic Sensory Box! Pinned it!
I think the labeling activity is one of my favorites! We are on a penguin kick and this collection is fabulous! Thanks for adding it to the Afterschool Linky this week. I hope it inspired more penguin themed activities this winter!!!
Fantastic unit study, Deb. I am pinning and sharing!
We just finished our Penguin unit a few weeks ago, but I will Pin this so I can have it for the next time we go through it (we use My Father’s World and I have 2 little ones who will be using the Kindergarten level in a couple of years). I will share this with my MFW-K FB group though. I am sure there are plenty of mommies there who still have to do P:Penguin and may find this helpful.
Thanks for sharing.
Where did you get the Antarctic animal?