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It’s Antarctica Day on the 1st of December and we’re all set to learn about this continent with some awesome Antarctica Day Activities for Kids!

It’s pretty chilly outside, isn’t it? Well, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, of course – we know it’s summer down South! However, what if we told you there was a place in the South that is actually the coldest place on Earth?

Yes, we’re talking about Antarctica! The country that’s also a continent, is the coldest place on this planet, with temperatures never going beyond 15 C or 59 F. Brrr!

With December 1st being Antarctica Day, we think it’s the perfect time to learn more about what happens on this continent. Antarctica Day is the day the Antarctic Treaty was signed. The treaty is to prevent other countries fighting over Antarctica, and to ensure that every country has the freedom to explore and study the place. You can read a kid-friendly version of the Antarctic Treaty to understand it better.

Kids can have many doubts when it comes to Antarctica, and the best way to answer them is with some fun activities and today we’ve gathered some awesome Antarctica Day activities for kids of all ages. Doing more translates into learning more!

10 Awesome Antarctica Day Activities for Kids

1. Antarctica Small World Play

Did you know that Antarctica is the 5th largest continent on Earth? It is nearly twice as large as Australia! Yet, you can turn it into small world play, with this idea from Play Inspired Mum. With lots of floating ice, penguins and whales, looks like you have a perfect recreation of the ice continent!

2. Antarctica Theme Montessori Cards

People are often confused about where penguins are found – is it the Arctic circle or in Antarctica? Well, now you know! There are many types of penguins in Antarctica, of which Emperor penguins are the largest. Penguin colonies can be pretty big, made up of thousands of penguins. In fact, it is estimated that there are about 5 million penguins on this continent! Learn more of such amazing facts with this activity from Homeschooling My Kinetic Kids.

3. Easy Origami Penguin Craft

If all the study about penguins has you intrigued, we recommend trying out this cool Origami penguin craft – complete with icebergs for them to float on! If you’re up for a challenge, make a mini version for a baby penguin to complete the family!

4. Arctic vs Antarctic Cut and Paste Activity

Thanks to its position at the South pole, Antarctica has some unique seasons. It has 6 months of summer when there’s sunlight throughout the day, and 6 months of winter which are in complete darkness. Reminds us of Game of Thrones, what about you? Living Montessori Now helps us understand more about the differences between the North and South Pole with this cut and paste activity.

5. Antarctica Shelf Activity

Antarctica has a terrain that consists of ice bergs (obviously), glaciers and something called ice shelves. An Ice Shelf is a floating mass of ice that extends off the mainland. The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf in the world, measuring over 510,000 square km. Pinay Homeschooler creates a Montessori-inspired ice shelf that kids will love.

6. Animals of Antarctica Activity

Looking at the climate and terrain of Antarctica, it’s natural to be interested about the wildlife there. There are actually over 9,000 animal species in the country, as far as we know. This list includes birds, whales, seals, sea snails, penguins as well as sea cucumbers, algae and fungi. Did you know why fish in Antarctica don’t freeze in the ice cold water? It’s because they have special ‘anti-freeze’ proteins in their blood! Learn more about the animals of Antarctica with this fun activity from Fun Littles.

7. Antarctic Theme Potato Penguins

Antarctica may have many animal species, but it has no trees or bushes. The only plant life that can survive the harsh weather are mosses, lichens and algae. Not having trees is probably a good thing, considering Antarctica is also the windiest place on earth! This also explains the ‘windy’ appearance in this potato print penguin art!

8. Polar Habitat Diorama

What would the people of Antarctica be called? Antarcticans? We won’t know, because Antarctica doesn’t have any permanent residents. The only people here are explorers, scientists and researchers, who live for about a year before they return. But that’s not a problem, because we have some very interesting animals to learn about, with a fun project from First Palette!

9. DIY Fake Snow

Doesn’t this fake snow from The Purposeful Nest look like the real deal? Besides snow, did you know that there is a phenomenon called diamond dust in Antarctica? These are actually made of tiny ice crystals that are suspended in the air. The sunlight makes these crystals sparkle, making them look like beautiful floating diamonds!

10. Antarctica Free Printables

Learning about things helps make us more aware about our surroundings and our impact on them. For instance, Antarctica alone contains about 70% of the planet’s fresh water. Due to global warming, many of the ice bergs and ice shelves in Antarctica have retreated or collapsed. Letting this go unchecked could have disastrous results for humankind. Trillium Montessori helps us learn more about the physical features of this continent and how important they are.

I’m sure you’ve learnt something new about Antarctica today! It is truly a mysterious, beautiful and ecologically fragile place. Kids will enjoy reading and learning more about Antarctica. You can check out documentaries like BBC’s Frozen Planet, Antarctica: A Year on Ice or Disney’s Eight Below. Kids can also get more resources at the Australian Antarctic Division, the American Museum of Natural History and Miami University. With so much material, you’re sure to get a pretty good idea about the coldest place on Earth!