Surviving Winter: How a Livestream Turned My 5th Graders into Wildlife Scientists

This is a guest blog post by one of the educators following Expeditions in Eduction. Many thanks to Becky Bodenchak.

On December 12th, 2025, my classroom became something pretty magical. Instead of four walls and desks, we were suddenly standing in snow covered valleys, coastal cliffs, and icy forests, right alongside park rangers from across the country during the “Crossing America 5.0: Holiday in the Parks” livestream.

More than 15,000 students joined in that day, but in our little corner of the world, something powerful was happening: my 5th graders weren’t just watching, they were thinking, questioning, experimenting, and connecting.

A Front-Row Seat to Winter in the Parks

As rangers guided us through 19 national park sites, students saw firsthand how winter shapes life. They learned how bison push through deep snow, elk conserve energy, owls hunt silently in frozen forests, and bears disappear into hibernation.

But instead of passively observing, we anchored the experience with a focused lesson:

How do animals actually survive winter?

Discover It: Sparking Curiosity

We began with a simple but powerful question:

“What challenges do animals face in winter?”

The responses came quickly: cold, hunger, snow, darkness—but then we pushed deeper:

“How would YOU survive if you had to live outside all winter?”

Students paused. Thought. Imagined.

If I were a wolf, I would stay with my pack to keep warm.
If I were a bear, I would eat a lot before winter so I could sleep.

Right away, they were stepping into the perspective of wildlife, an essential piece of real world, place-based learning. 

Dig Into It: Learning by Doing

Then came the experiment: Students tested how insulation works using ice cubes, wrapping them in materials like cotton, strips of coffee filters, and dough. One cube was left bare as a control.

It was simple. It was hands-on. And it was powerful.

They weren’t just hearing about “blubber” or “fur”—they were seeing insulation in action.

As they observed which ice cube melted slowest, the connections started clicking:

• Cotton = fur
• Coffee filter strips = feathers
• Dough = blubber

Make Sense of It: From Activity to Understanding

We gathered to make sense of what we saw.Students explained, in their own words, why some “animals” stayed colder longer. They began distinguishing between:

• Physical adaptations → fur, feathers, fat
• Behavioral adaptations → migration, hibernation, storing food

Connect It: Making It Personal

We ended by bringing it back to their world.

“How are our winter traditions similar to animal survival strategies?”

Students made connections like:

• Wearing coats = fur and feathers
• Drinking hot cocoa = maintaining body warmth
• Gathering with family = staying safe and supported

One student said:
“Animals and humans both survive winter by finding ways to stay warm and using what they have to help them.”

This wasn’t just a science lesson. It was:

• Place-based learning → connecting students to real national parks
• Real-world application → understanding survival, adaptation, and environment
• Student-centered exploration → questioning, experimenting, reflecting

And maybe most importantly…

It made learning feel real.

And for a moment, thanks to a livestream and a thoughtfully designed lesson, they weren’t just learning about national parks… They were part of them.

By: Becky Bodenchak

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