Arctic Unit Study

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Confession time! Other than the fact that POLAR BEARS lived there while penguins didn’t, I knew very little else about THE ARCTIC before doing some research for this UNIT STUDY. I’m not going to lie and say I want to choose it for my next vacation, but it sure does offer some fun and interesting learning opportunities!

ETA: Joke’s on me! My job took me to Alaska for nearly three weeks in the Spring of 2022 and I was fortunate to be able to take my teen with me. While we did not make it quite to the actual Arctic geographically speaking, we enjoyed so many near-Arctic experiences while there including several Arctic animals, the Northern Lights and more. Alaska is AMAZING! If you ever have the chance to go, I would jump!

If you find it handy to have a simplified printable of these suggestions, you can find one, along with several free printables, in the Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack.

{Note: All links are pink! Just think, “pink link” if you are wanting to follow a link.}

Arctic Unit Study

READ

Cozy by Jan Brett is a fairly new book and so stinking cute! She always does a great job of weaving tidbits of animal facts into the cuteness of fiction, and this book manages that for several types of ARCTIC animals. It’s adorable! And it also highlights the fact that THE ARCTIC is really very cold while also subtly exposing the reader to the beauty of the Northern Lights. My library did not have it so I ordered it from Amazon, but even though I have only a teenager at home, I decided this book was worthy of a purchase. And, there are a couple of comprehension pages you can grab from the FREE Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack.

ETA: During our 2022 trip to Alaska, we visited a musk ox farm. It was an amazing experience AND it turns out that Jan Brett had visited the farm while doing research for this book. So cool! If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend the tour. It’s educational, fun and inexpensive.

Arctic White by Danna Smith is a really simple but beautiful way to introduce your kids to the Northern Lights. After reading it, there is a great art project you can do {see below in the CREATE section for that link.} And, while the glue dries, use the comprehension and sequencing pages found in the FREE Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack.

arctic unit study arctic white worksheets

Everything I have seen in the One Small Square series by Donald Silver is amazing and Arctic Tundra is no different. It’s filled with stunning illustrations, on-topic activities and a picture field guide. Another excellent option to showcase the Arctic as a unique ecosystem is Over in the Arctic by Marianne Berkes. It’s filled with non-fiction information told in familiar rhyme.

WRITE

With its lions and hippos, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear by Eric Carle might seem like an odd choice for an ARCTIC book but it’s an easy book to turn into an ARCTIC writing project! Just print it out from the FREE Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack and your kiddos can make a super cute book all on their own. Not only will they need to write in the names of each ARCTIC animal, but they will also need to come up with a verb for each animal too!

arctic unit study printable pack by the wolfe pack sample 1

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For a more open-ended writing activity, try this simple prompt that asks your student to discuss his/her favorite arctic animal. Perfect to use after reading Arctic Tundra, Arctic Animals, Over in the Arctic or In Arctic Waters. Note that there are two types of line-styles included.

arctic unit study printable pack by the wolfe pack sample 2

For a more challenging writing project, this next activity asks the student to create a new ARCTIC animal and write about how it adapts to the cold. You can find it in the FREE Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack.

arctic unit study printable pack by the wolfe pack sample 3

CREATE

After reading Arctic White by Danna Smith, this Northern Lights for Kids by Taming Little Monsters would be the perfect art project to create! It looks lovely and fairly simple. Plus, the only supplies needed are black paper, pastels, a toothpick and glue.

EXPLORE

My son just watched and thoroughly enjoyed the series, Hostile Planet, on Disney Plus {it’s also on Amazon Prime for a small fee.} There are six episodes, with Polar being the final episode. I have NOT watched it myself because I am a total baby when it comes to “the circle of life” and all that stuff. But, he learned a ton from it. Check it out at your own risk though….apparently, the title is not misleading. According to my son’s recounting, the hostility that the wildlife endures from one another and the changing climate change is not white-washed at all.

There is also an entire docu-series about the polar regions from the BBC, Frozen Planet. We have not watched it….but I am sure it’s similar to the above-mentioned Polar episode, just with a lot more information spread out over an entire series.

Arctic Dogs is a full-length animated movie that is probably pretty pointless when it comes to education but it’s way more my style than real polar bears eating real seals so I’m including it! It’s rated PG.

ENJOY

This Marshmallow Igloo from Mombrite is not only easy to make and cute, it’s also fully edible! And, all you need is an apple, some peanut butter and a bunch of mini-marshmallows!

Or you could go the more challenging route with toothpicks and marshmallows like this one from Lemon Lime Adventures.

Either way, you’ll need to stock up on mini-marshmallows!

LEARN

As I said above, I knew next to nothing about THE ARCTIC so everything I learned while researching this topic was extra interesting to me. Like, Matthew Henson! Do you know about him? He’s a remarkable African American that was with Robert Peary on several expeditions to the North Pole. You can read all about him in the FREE Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack.

And, if you have kids that are all about the animals, like mine is, then you’re sure to love the informational text page, Arctic Land Animals. It is included in the FREE Arctic Unit Study Printable Pack along with comprehension questions to use after.

arctic unit study printable pack by the wolfe pack sample 5

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Whether you are ready to book your trip to Alaska or you’re just wanting to read about fuzzy polar bear cubs while snuggled up on your couch, I hope you were able to find an idea or two in this Arctic Unit Study!