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Winter Moves

Outdoor exercise during the cold winter can have several health benefits, and there are lots of fun ways to keep active. Students will learn about healthy ways to enjoy the cold weather and explore some winter sports around the world.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

Steps

  • Step 1

    It might be tempting to stay indoors when the weather is cold, but exercise throughout the year, even outdoors, has lots of benefits. The American Heart Association notes advantages of exercising outdoors in cold weather, such as improved immunity during cold and flu season, better stamina due to the absence of heat and humidity, and  increased vitamin D intake from the sun (in small doses). Remember that it is important to wear sunblock during exposure to the sun, even in winter. Have students think of outdoor activities they enjoy when the weather is cold, such as sledding, ice skating, skiing, vigorous walking, or anything else.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to learn about some winter sports around the world that may not be as well known as skiing, snowboarding, or sledding. Examples might include Yukigassen, which is a snowball fight competition that originated in Japan and has since spread to other snowy climates like Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Canada, and Alaska. Then there's skijøring, a Norwegian sport that translates to "ski driving" in which a person on skis is pulled through a snowy field by an animal or small motorized vehicle. Shovel racing became popular in New Mexico in the 1970s. It originated when workers at ski resorts began using their shovels as sleds to get around quickly, and it evolved into a competitive sport.

  • Step 3

    Ask students to create a painting that depicts an outdoor winter activity. It might be a winter Olympics ski event, children building snow people, athletes on skis being pulled by a small vehicle, or anything else.

  • Step 4

    When their paintings are complete, have students present their art and describe the activity they depicted.

Standards

SS: Culture: Create, learn, share, and adapt to culture. 

SEL: Self-Management: Exhibit self-discipline and self-motivation. Use planning and organizational skills. Show the courage to take initiative. 

Adaptations

Have students explore some lesser known unusual warm weather sports around the world. Suggestions might include chess boxing (popular in Germany, The UK, India, and Russia) in which players compete in a boxing match and then play a round of chess; extreme ironing (which has been performed in England, Germany, South Africa, and elsewhere) in which people iron items of clothing in remote locations such as steep mountaintops, under icy water, and even while parachuting; and giant pumpkin kayaking in Canada, in which people carve a giant pumpkin into a kayak, decorate it, and then kayak for half a mile.

Have students learn about Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) and look at some of his photographs. He was known for his pioneering work in chronophotography (a photographic technique which captures a number of phases of movements) and animal locomotion.