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Check out the attached PDF for 10 great ideas for Family Holiday Fun!
1-20
5-18 years
To celebrate the winter season and decorate outdoors, make garlands out of edible items for our wintering friends in the woods. You can use a variety of items: Cheerios, raisins, cranberries, peanuts, air popped popcorn, orange and pomegranate peel (shaped with cookie cutters) are all great options for stringing into garlands to hang in the trees.
2-6
2-6 years
Here’s a winter version of a mud kitchen! Gather some kitchen items (scoops, pans, muffin tins), and let the children use them to prepare some wonderful snow treats. Natural items can be used to decorate snow cookies and cakes. A great focus for imaginative play in the snow.
As the colours have shifted to the browns, greens and whites of late fall, and the broadleaf trees have shed their leaves, this is a perfect time to explore the many conifers of our area. Go for a walk together and look for nearby evergreen trees. Can you find spruce, pine and cedar? Use the introductory Evergreen ID Sheet to help you get started.
It’s surprisingly fun to bellow a tune on a cold day! Learn a winter song, like the Snowkey-Pokey and get moving to the beat. See the poster for words and actions to sing outdoors.
Kate Jarrett, our favourite early years minstrel, has shared some of her favourite material for celebrating the snowy months. How about a rousing chorus of ‘Hibernation’ (sung to the tune of Alouette):
Hibernation (tune: Alouette)
Chorus: Hibernation, time for hibernation
Hibernation, time to go to sleep
Where oh where is little bear?
Sleeping in his den or lair
Where is bear? Den or lair
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Chorus…
Where oh where is little frog?
Sleeping in a pond or log
Where is frog? Pond or log
Where is bear? Den or lair
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Chorus…
Where oh where is little snake?
In the mud beneath the lake
Where is snake? Beneath the lake
Where is frog? Pond or log
Where is bear? Den or lair
Chorus…
The Sky is Dark (Clyde Watson)
The sky is dark, there blows a storm
The fire is hot, our cider is warm
The snow is deep, the night is long
Old Father Fox, won’t you sing us a song
Winter is Cold
Winter is cold, there is snow in the sky
Squirrels gather nuts, and the wild geese fly
The fluffy red fox has his fur to keep warm
The bear’s in his cave, sleeping all through the storm
Snow on the Rooftops (Kathy Reid-Naiman)
Snow on the rooftops, snow on the trees
Snow on the green grass, snow on me
Snow on my mittens, snow on my nose
Snow on my head, and snow on my toes
Whirling, twirling, swirling down
Down and down and down and down
(available from the Peterborough Public Library)
Bauer, Marion. Winter Dance
A fox watches other animals preparing for winter and wonders what he should do
Camper, Cathy. Ten Ways to Hear Snow
A young child helps her grandma who has lost her sight explore nature through listening.
Carlstrom, Nancy. Mama, Will It Snow Tonight?
Three mothers and their offspring – fox, hare, and human wait for the first snow of winter.
Gershaton, Phillis. When It Starts to Snow
Various animals tell what they do and where they go when it starts to snow.
Holler, Sue. Raven, Rabbit, Deer
A grandfather teaches his grandson how to identify a number of animals tracks with Ojibwemowin names.
McGrath, Jennifer. The Snow Knows
Introduces readers to animals both domestic and wild, celebrating wilderness and outdoor play.
Messner, Kate. Over and Under the Snow
Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter’s snowy landscape.
Sayre, April. Best in Snow
A photographic non-fiction picture book about the wonder of snowfall and the winter water cycle.
Stewart, Melissa. Under the Snow
A look at the amazing ways animals behave and interact with their environments on a snowy day.
Thornhill, Jan. Winter’s Coming
A young snowshoe hare hears that winter is coming – but who, or what is winter?
Yeomans, Ellen. Some Snow Is…
Celebrates all the different kinds of snow – from melting to packable!
Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon.
A father and daughter trek into the woods to see a Great Horned Owl under a winter full moon.
As winter approaches you might be wondering how you can best get out and enjoy the season. Our Outdoor Activity Consultant, Kim, has curated a list of local events and activities that will have you bundling up and falling in love with winter all over again.
These activities connect with so many Pathway Landmarks, from Landmark 1(Explore outdoors together), to Landmark 11, 14 and 17 which all encourage you to try different kinds of outdoor recreation that don’t require gasoline or electricity.
There’s so much to do in Peterborough and surrounding areas this winter.
The City of Peterborough has plenty of neighbourhood outdoor rinks including Cameron Street Park, Dixon Park, Earlwood Park, Golfview Park, Hastings Park, Kiwanis Park, Nicholls Park, Northland Park, Mapleridge Park, Poplar Park, Stenson Park, Turner Park, and University Heights.
Rinks are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (weather and ice conditions permit)
Park right on Armour Road, just south of Hunter Street, and get on the ice within a minute.
Make sure that you see the green flag flying over the canal before venturing onto the ice.
The newest addition to Peterborough’s skating rinks is called ‘The Commons‘ area! It’s refrigerated and has lights for nighttime skating!
215 Charlotte Street St, Peterborough
The park is open from noon to 6 p.m. on weekdays and full days on weekends. Lessons are available. You’ll find it at 3358 Lakefield Road.
The legendary hill is in Ashburnham Memorial Park, on Armour Road where it meets Douro Street.
Kawartha Nordic Ski Club offers beautiful scenery along 46 kilometres of classic trails, 27 km for skate skiing, and 2 km for night skiing. There are also nine kilometres for snowshoeing. You can rent skis and snowshoes right on-site.
Address: 7107 Highway 28, Township of North Kawartha
The groomed route begins at The Trans Canada Trail. The trail will be groomed west along the trail just before the 4th bridge at Atkinson Road. The groomed route is 4km in total.
Peterborough’s outdoor gym is in Beavermead Park. The 12 low-impact stations overlook Little Lake. Enter the park at 2011 Ashburnham Dr. and look for the gym near the volleyball court.
There are different fitness stations with several types of exercises, as well as standalone equipment such as a recumbent bike. The gym is also fully accessible for persons with disabilities. and includes a fitness station that accommodates wheelchairs.
Chemong Lake is a fisher’s paradise and is a great venue to introduce kids to this annual tradition. No licence is required during the family day weekend.
A half-day farm adventure for the family at Woolley Wonderland Farm in Lakehurst. It’s all outdoors with lots to do. Meet your favourite Frozen characters with Olaf and Elsa, join in the bonfire with hot chocolate, take a wagon or sleigh ride, and pet the miniature farm friends. This event runs until Jan 8.
Wanderlight Alpaca experiences run through the winter and offer you and your family a chance to meet alpacas and go for a walk with them. Wanderlight Alpaca is located at 874 Lynch’s Rock Road in Lakefield.
PolarFest is an exciting family festival, offering something for everyone to enjoy!
Choose from activities including: Opening Ceremony with fireworks display, Snowman Building Challenge, Candlelight Skate, Ice Carvings, and for the brave the BEL Rotary Polar Plunge
As part of this Snofest Event, meet outside in the Heritage Pavilion for a snowy Story Time in the Park with the Peterborough Public Library. After, warm up inside the Peterborough Museum. Do a simple craft, explore the galleries, and play with the many interactives. Feb 17, 10:30-11:00 and 2:00-4:00
See more of this year’s festivities by checking the Peterborough website for information.
The Peterborough Museum & Archives’ newest temporary exhibit Get Out and Play: Winter Sports in Peterborough will open on Saturday, December 10, and be on display until March 19, 2023.
Get Out and Play was developed in-house at the Peterborough Museum & Archives, using artifacts, archival images, and stories from its collections. Visitors will see skates, skis, a toboggan, and other winter sports equipment from days past. People can learn about the origins of some of their favourite winter sports, as well as the context of these sports and clubs at a local level
Here is an event that’s fun for the whole family. This is a free event and families can get creative in the craft area, pick out a book and settle in to enjoy Paddling Puppeteer, Glen Caradus, and his puppet friends as they entertain us with songs and stories about the natural world. Family Literacy Day is taking place at Peterborough Square, on Saturday, January 28 from 9:30-12:00.
