Our weather in the North Carolina is all over the place. One week we’ll have highs in the 60’s, quickly followed by snow the next. With having such drastic changes in weather, I try to find activities that can be enjoyed with sun or snow. That’s why I created the list of Winter Activities for kids that our family enjoys.
Winter Activities for Kids
Winter has seemed to arrive a little early in the mountains of North Carolina. We recently enjoyed the first snow of the season which came as a surprise. What was predicted to be a “dusting” of snow, turned into us having 8″. While I get that some would prefer to stay indoors during cold weather, my boys can’t seem to get enough of it. Here are a few activities we do with them through the winter months.
Tracking
While we don’t get tons of snow where we live, we do get rain. After a rain, or even times we do luck up and receive a little snow it’s always fun to take the kids out looking for animal tracks, or even where animals have laid. With our recent snow, the boys discovered an area where the deer had bed down as well as tons of tracks in the snow. Once the snow melted, they headed out again looking for tracks. Not only is it exciting for them to discover tracks, but is so much fun when they try to guess what animal the track belongs to. One item that seems to help is the animal track book or the animal tracks game.
Break out the binoculars
Not only do we have a huge pond in our front yard, but we keep several bird feeders as well. My boys have so much fun watching all the varieties of birds that make it into our yard. To make it more educational, we love snapping a picture and making a journal entry with notes of the location, weather and time of day that we observed the birds. We even see a variety of ducks in our pond during the winter months.
Garmin GPSMAP 64st, TOPO U.S. 100K with High-Sensitivity GPS and GLONASS Receiver
Sportneer Military Lensatic Sighting Compass with Carrying Bag, Waterproof and Shakeproof, Army GreenAnimal TracksAnimal Tracks: A Folding Pocket Guide to the Tracks & Signs of Familiar North American Species (A Pocket Naturalist Guide)
Geocaching
This is an activity that we have done with our kids for many years. We used to take our now grown daughters out on Geocaching adventures and they have all loved it. It’s such a wonderful way to get out and explore the world no matter the season. My husband has a GPS unit, and our boys have a Geomate Junior that they have always enjoyed using. No matter the size of town you live in, you’re sure to find caches hidden throughout. To play, log on to www.geocaching.com and sign up for free. When you enter your zip code, a list of caches hidden in your area will appear along with their GPS coordinates.
Hiking
We love heading out for a hike during the winter months, and it’s particularly fun when it’s just starting to snow. It’s amazing how a little snow can completely transform a hike and give it an entirely new look and feel. Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be a long or strenuous hike. It’s all about heading outdoors and enjoying nature.
Head to the playground
This one is a complete lifesaver during the winter months. It’s such a great way for kids to run off all that energy, and one of the easiest to fit into a busy a day. Remember, even if there is snow on the ground, the playground can be just as fun. 
