A 21-day winter activities countdown that’s rich with meaning, learning, creating, and connecting.
There’s something special to do each day!
This 21-day program is one part educational curriculum, one part seasonal celebration, and one part family memory-making.
It’s based on the natural rhythm of the season and on the extra special activities my family has enjoyed as my children have been growing up.
With a winter activity for each day, this is a connected program sequenced around themed seasonal words. Every day there is something to learn, make and do.
Day one is prepare, day two is welcome, day three is light, day four is cookies… all presented in a useful ebook, with bonus printables, that you can save and use year after year.
The Seasons School Winter Retreat is like a cosy hug
for the long, dark days.
Such a blessing at this time of year when we crave ritual, meaning, comfort, inspiration, joy, and family time.
Written by Cathy James, B.A. (Hons), the author of The Garden Classroom.
What’s in The Seasons School Winter Retreat?
- A complete twenty-one day program of nature, science, literacy, arts and crafts, sensory and imaginative play.
- A planned idea for each day, with plenty of options for flexibility and choice
- Activities themed around the special words of the seasons, giving rhythm and ritual
- Follow as a daily countdown or dip in and out through the winter season
- Over 70 pages of learning and activities, with material lists and bonus printables to make it so easy for you to follow
- For ages 4 – 12
See more details here or go ahead and buy the book now.
You can buy just The Winter Retreat for $19.99 or save over $90 and get a program for the whole year when you buy the Seasons School Complete Year bundle. Our seasonal best-seller, the Seasons School Complete Year bundle gives you a nature-based curriculum for every season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Forest Bundle at the discount combined price of $182.86 $89 = you save over $90!
The 21 winter-themed days include:
- welcoming the new season and setting intentions for the coming year
- learning about the earth, the moon, the sun, and the seasons
- reading and writing both poetry and stories
- learning which foods are in season, cooking a winter feast, finding out where cocoa comes from, and building kitchen skills with cookies
- creating artworks inspired by the season, plus hand-drawn colouring pages and math lessons disguised as art
- winter crafts including lanterns, wreaths, and calendars
- stretching imaginations with playful, sensory ice and snow, and homemade winter wonderlands
- and learning how nice it is to pass the winter with ritual and rhythm, cosiness and connection
The twenty-one days’ activities are all themed around special words:
- Day 1 :: Prepare – learn about the Solstice, including a printable winter retreat calendar
- Day 2 :: Welcome – including wreath making
- Day 3 :: Light – including lantern making
- Day 4 :: Cookies – including a favourite recipe
- Day 5 :: Warmth – learn how animals stay warm, including snowy small world making
- Day 6 :: Stories – including favourite book recommendations and printable story writing prompt cards
- Day 7 :: Art – including projects en plein air, using frozen paint, painting on ice and clay snowflakes
- Day 8 :: Community – acts of kindness
- Day 9 :: Cocoa – learn what cocoa is made from and favourite recipe suggestions
- Day 10 :: Stars – learn what stars are, go on a star gazing walk and make math stars
- Day 11 :: Dark – play ideas using light and darkness
- Day 12 :: Rest – suggestions for restful play including a favourite play dough recipe, making a snowy play town, and printable coloring pages
- Day 13 :: Full Moon – learn about the moon and take a moon watching walk
- Day 14 :: Calendar – suggestions for making your own calendar
- Day 15 :: Sun – learn about the sun and enjoy sun-themed arts, crafts and play
- Day 16 :: Sustenance – ideas for winter food activities including preparing for a Solstice feast and feeding the birds in your garden with a bird cafe
- Day 17 :: Decorate – ideas for making decorations including wreaths, lanterns, word birds, and garlands
- Day 18 :: Popcorn – a favourite flavour recipe
- Day 19 :: Poetry – poems to read and memorise and a printable guide to writing your own winter poetry
- Day 20 :: Intentions – reviewing the past year and setting intentions for the next, including making new year wish fairies
- Day 21 :: Celebration – ideas for hosting a winter feast celebration
Bonus printables include:
- Happy Solstice Advent Countdown poster
- Welcome Winter Advent Countdown poster
- Winter Owl coloring page
- Winter Deer coloring page
- Here Comes The Sun mandala coloring page
- Winter Poetry writing guide
- Winter Journal writing prompt cards
You can buy just The Winter Retreat for $19.99 or save over $90 and get a program for the whole year when you buy the Seasons School Complete Year bundle. Our seasonal best-seller, the Seasons School Complete Year bundle gives you a nature-based curriculum for every season: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Forest Bundle at the discount combined price of $182.86 $89 = you save over $90!
Available for instant download
This product is an ebook (electronic book), which means you will be sent a link by email which allows you to download the ebook and all the resources. You should save the ebook file to your computer or iPad and then either read it on screen or print some/all of the pages, as you prefer.
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Hello I am in the UK and teach adults with learning difficulties. It is always a challenge to find adult material at a simple learning level. I really like your ideas and I think they will work well with my learners. We will be learning about the seasons in art this year. However I am not sure how I can safely purchase your work.
Hi Caroline. I’m in the UK too. Did you have a particular question about how to buy the Winter Workshop?