Early childhood experts Kate Jarrett and Nancy Doherty share their ideas for memorable storytelling with very young children. They tell some of their favourite stories in this 1 hour filmed workshop.
1-12
12-18
You don’t need to wait until spring to look for birds! Many birds stay all winter, and sometimes it’s easier to begin bird identification in the winter months when there are fewer species to learn. This 7 minute introductory video describes how you can collect important data for conservation by learning to identify common species and reporting them through the eBird app. Also included in this package are simple identification sheets for common winter birds in the Kawartha region.
2-20
6-10 years
This 17 minute video summarizes a winter workshop by Nancy Thomson and Kim Dobson for primary level educators. They share a host of tried-and-true ideas for outdoor activities with kids during the winter season. We’ve also included their handout with instructions for a variety of winter activities and games.
1-20
8-17 years
After a fresh snowfall, go out to look for evidence of animal tracks. Use the Animal Tracks ID sheet to try to identify who has passed by! Younger students can work with a partner or in small groups. Be careful to avoid stepping on the tracks so others can see them too.
1-20
7-14 years
On a snowy day, you can go outdoors to catch snowflakes with pieces of black construction paper or cloth. The dark background makes it easier to see the snowflakes. Use a magnifier and copies of the Snowflake ID Chart to see how many shapes you can identify. Then, try playing the snowflake game (see tab for instructions).
2-10
2-12 years
On a day with good packing snow, gather some nuts and seeds, a large carrot, some apple pieces and maybe some old worn out mitts and a hat. Don’t forget to also pack your sense of humour and imagination!
Head out to a local forest and find a spot to make a snowman, using the food
you’ve brought to decorate it. Who will visit the snowman? Return again soon to see what has been eaten by forest creatures. Can you find tracks as clues
to who has visited?
Replenish the food and visit often to see who visits your ‘Stranger in the Woods.’ Look for the picture book ‘Stranger in the Woods’ at your library and read it together as a perfect complement to this activity!
Any
Any
While the weather is very cold, fill a bucket or container 2/3 full of (coloured) water. Place outside for 6-12 hours to partially freeze (you don’t want the water to freeze solid). The top will freeze first, and then the sides. Bring indoors and turn the container upside-down in the sink so the water from the middle can drain out. You should have an icy container that’s hollow in the middle.
Store your lantern outdoors so it doesn’t thaw out. After dark, light a candle and place the lantern over it. Watch the beautiful glow!
Any
5-10 years
any
2-6 years
Bury a variety of small items in the snow, such as coloured ice cubes or small toys (cars, animals, dinosaurs). Give children shovels and pails and send them on a hunt to see how many they can find.
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.
Winter is a perfect season for an often overlooked family activity – exploring the sky at night. With winter’s early darkness and often crisp, clear weather, the stars take on a special brightness that is nothing short of breathtaking.
January and February are perfect months to view one of the most striking and unforgettable of all the constellations – Orion, the Hunter. Rising in the southeastern sky in early evening, Orion travels (like the sun) from east to west across the winter sky as the earth turns and night progresses, to finally set in the west before morning. Orion is easy to find, by facing south and looking for the three stars in a row that make up his belt. His shoulder and knee are two of our brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel. Just below and beside him is Sirius, the dog star – Orion’s faithful friend.
Indigenous storytellers also saw a human-like figure in this unique combination of stars. The Ojibwe know him as Biboonkeonini – the Wintermaker. Wintermaker stretches out his long arms to beckon the cold and winds of winter. He also ushers in the traditional storytelling season of winter.
Early on a crisp, cloudless winter night, pack up the family, bring a thermos of hot chocolate and go out stargazing. Turn out the house and yard lights for better viewing, or travel to a park or open area with few lights. Look for patterns in the stars and make your own stories. If you’re lucky, you may even see a shooting star! What an awesome reminder of the wonders around us every day.
Star watching connects with Landmarks 1, 3, 6, 11, 14, 17, 25.
