Activity 1: Outdoor Activity: Snow Shelter Building

- Delegation: Break into teams with assigned roles (structure engineer, material gatherer, and safety monitor).

- Activity: Build a basic snow shelter (quinzee or igloo).

- Problem-Solving: Discuss how to ensure stability and insulation in the structure.

Activity 2: Indoor Activity: Snow Survival Kit Creation

- Collaboration:Design a basic snow survival kit (discussing what essentials are needed in a cold environment).

- Presentation: Each team presents their survival kit and explains their choices of materials and items.

Optional: Building a fire on snow.

• Objective: Build a snowball launcher and explore the physics of force and motion.

• Instructions: Use sticks, rubber bands, and other materials to create simple launchers. Test different angles and tensions to see which designs launch snowballs the furthest.

• Snowball launching competition: which launcher is most reliable, which launches the most distance, etc. 

• Discussion: Talk about the concepts of force, trajectory, and how changing variables (like angle or force) affects results.

Materials:  latex/rubber exercise bands from 100 yen shop, string/rope

Activity 2: Ice and Friction Challenge (1 hour)

• Objective: Discover the effects of friction on different surfaces.

• Instructions: Set up a sliding race using various materials (cardboard, plastic, sleds, etc.) and measure how far each slides across snow or ice. Test on different snow conditions (packed vs. loose).

• Discussion: Discuss friction and how different surfaces reduce or increase it, and why skis and snowboards are designed the way they are.

Materials:  Anything that can slide...a piece of wood, a food try from the hotel, etc.

• Objective: Work in teams to build the sturdiest snow fort possible.

• Instructions: Children use different techniques (snow bricks, packed snow, natural supports) to construct their forts. Introduce basic engineering concepts such as structure, balance, and stability.

• Challenge: Test each team's fort by throwing soft snowballs at them to see which fort holds up the best.

Materials:  Snow and sticks

• Objective: Test the insulating properties of snow.

• Instructions: Bury a coffee cup of warm water in a snowbank, leaving one unburied as a control. Measure how much the temperature drops in both after 30 minutes.

• Discussion: Talk about how animals use snow for warmth and why igloos are effective insulators.

• extend by having children come up with different ways of insulating the cups

Materials:  insulated coffee cups from 7-11, thermometers from 100 yen shop, other

            materials i.e. aluminum foil or cardboard

Activity 2: Snow Sculpture and Temperature Experiment (1 hour)

• Objective: Learn how the sun affects snow temperatures.

• Instructions: Create snow sculptures of different shapes and sizes. Leave them in the sun and shade to observe how the sunlight affects melting.

• Discussion: Why do some areas melt faster than others? How does shape and size affect melting? Use thermometers to track temperature changes in different locations.

Materials:  Thermometers

1st Hour – Outdoor Activity: Snowshoe Building

- Delegation: Assign roles for tool creation (design lead, material collector, builder).

- Activity: Build snowshoes using branches, twine, and other natural materials.

- Problem-Solving: Ensure that snowshoes are functional and can handle body weight. 

2nd Hour – Indoor Activity: Test and Evaluate

- Collaboration: Test snowshoes indoors on a small snow pile.

- Presentation: Teams present the design of their snowshoes and share what worked and what they would improve. How can tools be refined to improve function of shoes?

Materials: food coloring, spray bottles, trays for snow

1st Hour – Outdoor Activity: Snow Painting

Delegation: Assign different roles (color mixer, painter, designer).

Activity: Use food coloring in spray bottles to create large-scale snow art or murals.

Problem-Solving: Discuss how to combine colors, create textures, and make the design stand out.

2nd Hour – Indoor Activity: Snow Sculpture Presentation

-Collaboration: Reflect on the snow art created and brainstorm how the mural represents their vision of a transformed winter system.

- Presentation: Teams explain the meaning behind their designs and share their creative process.

• Objective: Build and erupt snow volcanoes using a chemical reaction.

• Instructions: Build volcanoes out of snow and place small containers inside. Fill them with baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring to create eruptions.

• Discussion: Talk about the chemical reactions taking place and how this relates to real volcanoes and geological processes.

Activity 2: Frozen Bubble Art (1 hour)

• Objective: Experiment with blowing bubbles in freezing temperatures and observe the results.

• Instructions: Using bubble wands, have the kids blow bubbles and watch as they freeze in mid-air or after landing. Capture them on black paper to see the delicate ice patterns form.

• Discussion: Discuss why the bubbles freeze and what’s happening on a molecular level when the air inside cools rapidly.

Materials:  Bubble supplies from 100 yen shop

1st Hour – Outdoor Activity: Snow Maze Challenge

- Delegation: One group creates a snow maze, while another group navigates it using clues.

- Problem-Solving: Use teamwork and critical thinking to find the best path through the maze.

2nd Hour – Indoor Activity: Compass and Map Reading

- Collaboration: Teach basic compass and map skills, then create a small navigational challenge indoors using the classroom as a map.

- Presentation: Teams present their navigation route and reflect on strategies used in the maze challenge.

• Objective: Identify animal tracks and learn how animals adapt to winter.

• Instructions: go for a walk to search for animal tracks. Bring along animal track guides and encourage the children to draw or sketch the tracks they find. Compare them to known species.

• Discussion: Talk about the different types of wildlife that remain active during winter and their survival strategies.

Extension:  Have children create their own tracks in the snow...have children follow each other's tracks...

Activity 2: Prey and Predator Tracking game(1 hour)

Instructions: Have an instructor leave a trail/tracks for the children to follow...basically the game we played in Karuizawa but with snow!