Antarctic Midwinter celebrations were started over a century ago by Captain Scott and his team. 21 June is the turning point of the Antarctic winter and people working there celebrate as they look forward to the lengthening of the days and the return of sunlight.
Modern Midwinter celebrations still include a special meal, speeches, the awarding of prizes, entertainments, and the giving and receiving of presents. Modern technology also allows for the exchanging of messages with friends and family via the radio and internet.
Head out to collect some plants and then follow the instructions to make your own wild weaving.
For this activity, you will need:
To help conserve plants, it’s important we learn about them – especially those that grow in our gardens and near where we live.
In this activity, you can make a mini flower press, which you can use to start your own pressed plant collection.
Let us know how you get on by getting in touch on Facebook or Twitter @CUBGlearning #CUBGfamily
Making your own pots and watching seeds germinate is great fun.
Download this activity for ideas about what you can grow and how you can make your pots extra fancy.
Share your creations with us on Facebook and Twitter @CUBGlearning #CUBGfamily
Flowers are nature’s artists. Blues, purples, yellows and reds - they come in an amazing rainbow of colours and shades.
Download this activity to find out the science behind petal colour, make your own petal paint and create a beautiful bouquet of paper flowers.
For this activity, you will need:
It’s estimated that there are about 20 million penguins in Antarctica. When it’s really cold they huddle together to keep warm. The most extreme huddle ever recorded was 19 Emperor penguins within a square metre!
Have a go at making your own penguin. All you need is some paper, and a pen for drawing on the eyes.
A series of activities inspired by the barrel organ in our collection at the Polar Museum. Enjoy learning about music on board ship, finding out how music affects us and have a go at making some of your own.
Look
Let’s have a look at the totem pole, it’s very big at over 13 metres tall.
What faces can you see?
Can you see any animals?
How many animals can you find?
Copy
Using the tree illustration, draw what you can see on the totem pole, into the tree trunk. If you don’t have a printer, you could draw the tree as well.
Make!
Leaves do a very important job for plants - they capture energy from the sun and use it to make food. They're also very beautiful and come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and sizes.
In this activity, find out how to create a shimmering leaf artwork.
You will need:
The narwhal is a relative of the beluga whale. Both types of whale are medium sized and live in Arctic waters all year round. They are sometimes called unicorns of the sea because of their long spiralled tusk.
This pack includes a pattern to download and step by step instructions for making your own narwhal.
