This week's LIO is all about the movement of animals during this time of the year! As the temperature begins to moderate, it becomes the perfect time to step outside and find some animal tracks left on the snow and mud. Animals like squirrels leave behind a "highway" of tracks as they make their way from tree to tree. Although squirrels share a similar footprint with other animals like the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit and Snowshoe Hare, if we take a closer look, we find some key characteristics in shape and movement patterns that can help us tell them apart! Like these three animals, there is a ton of wildlife activity happening around us that we can track and observe during this time of the year. The activities below introduce students to exploring, identifying, and interpreting animal activity and help investigate the insulating effects of snow. Check out our Mid-February Step Outside Nature Guide to learn more about discovering and exploring the clues these animals leave behind, in addition to some other happenings during this time of the year!

Grades K-3 Animal Tracks: Keeping Track of Who Has Been Here!

In this entertaining resource, students explore animal tracks while learning about how different animals move. The activity-based lessons guide students through a scientific investigation of different animal tracks and compare movement patterns. Students will also learn about adaptations and how these characteristic physical or behavioural features help an animal to survive in its environment. Activities Use Willy’s Scavenger Hunt to help identify tracks in the schoolyard Take a picture of the tracks you find so you can further investigate them in class Get outside and become a wildlife tracker with this Stories in the Snow activity Download the Wildlife in Winter interactive infographic to learn more about animals in winter Have students participate in this winter scavenger hunt or create their own for your region In Wildlife Mysteries, students design and conduct a field investigation about active winter animals and the clues they leave behind

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Grades 4-8 Tracks in the Snow…in the Classroom?

This resource offers several engaging activities in which students identify and interpret animal tracks left behind in the snow. The learning can take place in a nearby natural area, the schoolyard and the classroom. The resource provides direct links to plenty of background information, and the identification keys students will need for their investigations. The only requirement not included is fresh snow! Activities Have your students become C.S.I. Critter Scene Investigators, by learning to analyze various tracks left behind at wildlife scenes Use this Animal Track Identification Guide to help identify tracks in the schoolyard or park The morning after a snowstorm is the best time for Tracking Down Winter Wildlife then check how many wildlife winter tracks you can guess correctly Use this Winter Nature Mini Guide to learn more about winter wildlife and hands-on activities to learn more about nature in the winter Learn more about track patterns and have students create their own tracking kit with Discovering the World of Animal Tracks Make an Animal Track Trap to learn which animals enter the schoolyard

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Grades 7-12 Snow Characteristics

In this outdoor inquiry, students investigate how snow's depth and composition can determine its insulating effects. After digging a snow pit, the air temperature is measured, and the temperature and composition of the snow are recorded at regular intervals between the surface of the pit and the ground below. Students pool their results to determine patterns and consistencies in the relationships among snow depth, snow composition, snow temperature and the distribution of species. Several related winter activities are also suggested. Activities Get outside and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, watch, learn, count and celebrate birds Spend some time outdoors and track down some winter wildlife signs using this handy guide to help you interpret the signs Learn how measurements in combination with observation can reveal information about the speed, size and condition of the animal from its tracks with Animal Tracks can Illuminate Many things: A Detective Exercise Connect your students to the natural world with the Animal Tracks: Building Inquiry, Questioning and a Connection to Nature activity

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About Learning Inside Out Above you will find a selection of activities, broken down by various grade levels. These guides will be released weekly and archived on our Learning Inside Out page, so you can always access the full catalogue. All activities have been modified from resources on our R4R database, simplified and adapted for both outdoor learning in the school yard or at-home as needed. The activity descriptions above should contain all the information and links that you need! If you'd like to view the full original resource on R4R, including curriculum connections for every province/territory, click the activity title. We want this guide to work for you, so your feedback is invaluable to us. Use the feedback button at the bottom of this Guide, or email us at info@LSF-LST.ca. We would also love to see photos of students engaging in the activities, please e-mail us any pictures or videos you have!

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Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) is a Canadian charity with over 25 years of experience working within the education system. Our Resources for Rethinking (R4R) database is an award-winning collection of resources that are peer-reviewed by certified teachers and connected to curriculum in all provinces and territories. R4R is recommended on many Ministry of Education websites.