Coping with the Cold

Discover How Animals Brave the Winter with this Coping with the Cold Nature Study

As the days grow shorter and the air turns cooler, witness the remarkable ways animals prepare for and survive the harsh winter months!

Animals begin preparing for cold weather long before winter arrives. Some start as early as late summer. Food is stored. Shelters are created. Bodies change for survival. These preparations continue through autumn and into the coldest days of winter.

Coping with the Cold helps your family notice those preparations in real time and learn the science behind them. Whether you are homeschooling, leading a co-op, or teaching in a Christian school, this NaturExplorers guide provides science lessons grounded in real nature observations, so learning continues across several seasons.

What Makes This Science Study Special

This curriculum is more than a set of nature walk prompts. NaturExplorers guides include a rich collection of lessons and ideas that help you turn real observations into meaningful science learning. Inside this guide, you will find:

• inspirational literature suggestions
• background information for the parent or teacher about how animal cope with the cold weather
• plenty of creative nature walks for late summer through winter
• hands-on follow-up activity ideas
• writing and research suggestions across several subjects
• references for Bible study, artist study, composer study, and poetry tie-ins
• book lists for deeper study
• ideas to easily adapt for younger children, older students, or groups
• several colorful notebooking pages ready to use
• general nature study suggestions and tips

This study supports seasonal life science, biology concepts, and adaptations and behavior science across the changing seasons.

Who Will Enjoy This Study

The NaturExplorers series was written for grades 1 through 8, but the activities are adaptable for all ages. You can choose a few nature walks and explore the topic lightly or spend several weeks building a unit study with cross-curricular connections.

Charlotte Mason homeschoolers love the living literature and artist and poet connections.
Unit study families enjoy having most of what they need already gathered.
Unschoolers appreciate being able to use ideas at the perfect moment.
Project-based learners find plenty of ways to expand.
Traditional or classical homeschoolers can pull as much or as little as they wish.

What Children Begin to Notice With This Guide

• animals storing food for later
• burrows and winter shelters
• physical adaptations for colder temperatures
• signs of migration taking place
• clues left in mud, leaf litter, frost, or snow

These observations build an understanding of fundamental biology concepts. Students begin to associate what they notice outdoors with the science ideas they are studying in this guide.

A Resource That Works in Real Weather

Some days will be perfect for outdoor walks.
Some days, staying warm will be the only practical choice.

Coping with the Cold supports both.

You have nature walk ideas for good weather and more than 50 indoor activities for days spent inside. Learning continues either way.

Families Trust NaturExplorers

Thousands of families have used NaturExplorers guides to keep science active in real-life settings. Parents consistently share that these guides help them follow through with nature-based science rather than putting it off. Christian schools and co-ops also use NaturExplorers because the ideas are adaptable and easy to layer into existing curricula.

“This is the first time we’ve kept nature study going from fall into winter without losing momentum.”
— Reyna, homeschool mom of 4

Make Late Summer, Autumn, and Winter Nature Study Interesting

Animals do not wait until the first snowfall to begin coping with cold. When your children understand how early these preparations begin, the changing seasons become full of discovery.

Make the colder months a time when nature-based learning continues instead of slowing down!