Saturday, December 21, 2013

Wonderful Winter Solstice, 2013!


In the Northern Hemisphere, winter is the 
coldest season of the year. 
It begins about December 21 and lasts until about March 21. Around December 21 or 22, 
the sun's rays fall directly over the farthest point south of the equator - marking the first day of winter. 

Winter days have fewer hours of daylight because of the path the earth takes as it revolves around the sun. The earth completely revolves around the sun during 365 days. The earth's axis always tips about 23 1/2 degrees from a line perpendicular to its path. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, winter begins in June.
Different regions have longer winters than others. For example, in the polar regions, winter takes up half the year. In the Temperate Zones winter takes up about one quarter of the year. 
In regions where there is cold weather, it causes many changes in the environment. Water may freeze and become ice, snow, sleet or icicles. Most plants and animals become dormant and rest. 
Some animals hibernate. 
The only plants that grow and remain green are evergreens. 
People protect themselves from the cold climate with winter clothing when they go outdoors. They enjoy a variety of indoor activities or outdoor winter sports such as skiing, skating, or sledding. 


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Here are some fun winter links!
 


Want to make an online snowflake? Click here! 




BrainPop has some great winter and snow movies! Click here! 



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What do you enjoy most about winter?


How will you be celebrating the holidays?


What activities will you be 
participating in this winter break?

9 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs.Ranney and class,

    What I love most about winter is ice skating. It is so fun and because it is like two tiny pieces of metal carrying you across solid ice. On Christmas eve I am going to my Grandparents' house. On Christmas day I'm going to my cousins' house. On new years I am going to my friends'. I am really busy on winter break.

    Have a nice winter break,
    Colin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Mrs. Ranney,
    What I mostly like about Winter is my family. I also like the meal because We gather by the table together. On Christmas eve we're going to open presents. What do you like about the winter?

    Sincerely,
    Annsley

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Class,
    Tomorrow I will go to the Ice Kingdom! Have you been there?

    I'm going to go tubing in the snow. Do you think it will be fun?

    I'm going to wear warm clothes because they say it is very cold. If anyone has been there already, please send over some tips!

    Sincerely,
    Annsley

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear class,

    Hope you all had a wonderful Winter break! I went to Big Bear. There I went sledding and took my first lesson in skiing. It was fun to go with my friend, Alex, who is in Mrs. Wilson's class. There wasn't very much snow. I hope there will be more next time!

    Did anyone else go to the snow?

    Sincerely,
    N☀ah

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy New Year Mrs. Ranney and Class,
    Hope you all had a wonderful break. I wanted to share the one really exciting experience I had with Noah, his dad, and brother over break. We decided to all learn to ski for the very first time together. Although, the conditions for skiing weren't ideal, we sure had a good time. I will say this, the earlier in life you learn a sport or activity, the easier. Learning at 40 years old, was very difficult.
    I look forward to reading about all the fun things everyone did over break.

    All my best,
    Nancy (Noah's Ema)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Class,

    My favorite time during vacation was going to Big Bear for the first time and being in the freezing snow . I really liked the special places that are open during the holidays like the Ice Skating Rink, Candy Cane Lane and snow tubing. I spent a lot of time with my family and my cousins, plus extra time with my friends. I really liked going to my friend's house for a sleepover.

    Cheers,
    Jacob

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear class,

    My favorite thing about winter in California is when all the ice skating rinks open. This year we spent a lot of time in Pasadena. I went skating with my sister and Dad and fell 64 times. I didn't get hurt. I celebrated the holiday by spending time with my family.

    Cheers,
    Blythe

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mrs. Ranney and Class,

    My favorite thing about winter is that you get to do cold weather sports like skiing and snowboarding.

    Over break I traveled to Florida. It felt like it was summer but it was actually winter, because it was 80 degrees. I was in my aunt's wedding and was a ring bearer.

    At the end of break I traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico and I went skiing.

    Cheers,
    Lucs

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Mrs.Ranney and class,

    My favorite part of winter is that I can spend time with friends and family! Over break I went to a friend's house and decorated a Christmas tree and played games and watched movies! It was fun!

    I also visited Disney On Ice! I loved the costumes, the singing and the skating. Do any of you know how to figure skate? How long do you think it would take to learn how to skate well?

    Cheers,
    Gigi ♥

    ReplyDelete

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