Animals
Weather and Climate
Behaviors
Plants and Trees
Survival
100
Name 2 animals that hibernate during the winter
Bears, bumblebees, box turtles, chipmunks...
100
What winter storm is defined by reduced visibility, strong winds, and a duration of at least 3 hours?
A blizzard!
100
What is the term for the regular seasonal movement of birds, typically occurring twice a year, from breeding areas to wintering grounds and back. This phenomenon is driven by the need for food, suitable nesting sites, and favorable environmental conditions.
Migration
100
What trees stay green during the winter?
Evergreens.
As the name suggests, that means their leaves are green all the time and they don’t fall off. The reason for this is trees such as firs have a thick, waxy coating called a resin that protects their leaves. This means they don’t freeze and rupture like other trees’ leaves would when they get cold, so they don’t need all of them to fall off and regrow in time for summer. Some do fall off sporadically throughout the year though, and some trees called semi-evergreens only shed all their leaves when it’s cold enough. If the winter months are mild, they stay green.
100
What is it called when skin and underlying tissue freeze – most often on fingers, toes, ears, and nose.
Frostbite.
200
What large mammals are excellent swimmers and can swim for several hours in icy waters?
Polar bears!
For centuries, Arctic Indigenous communities have coexisted with polar bears, relying on them for sustenance and incorporating them into their cultural traditions.
200
Right now, it is winter in Boston... Name somewhere in the world where it's currently summer.
(Multiple answers) Countries in the Southern Hemisphere have summer months in December, January, and February
200
True or false: hibernation means that animals are sleeping for an extended period of time, usually during a specific season, like winter.
False!
Hibernation is a state where animals significantly reduce their metabolic rate, body temperature, heart rate and breathing to conserve energy during periods when food is scarce.
Unlike sleep, which is primarily a mental change, hibernation involves drastic physiological changes, and waking a hibernating animal can be fatal due to the high energy cost of rewarming.
Hibernation is triggered by various factors, including temperature, food availability and photoperiod, and is controlled by the endocrine system through hormones like melatonin and insulin.
200
What three-letter tree is the most common for Christmas trees?
Fir
200
What is the condition where our body starts losing heat faster than it can produce it.
Hypothermia.
300
In the song "Rudolph the red nose Reindeer" what are the name of the nine Reindeer?
Dasher
Dancer
Prancer
Vixen
Comet
Cupid
Donner
Blitzen
Rudolph
300
In order to skate on a pond, what is the minimum thickness (in inches) that it is safe to skate on?
4 inches.
Other things to consider:
- Look for clear, blue ice: This is the strongest type of ice. Avoid areas with white, opaque, or slushy ice.
- Be wary of cracks and seams: Cracks and seams indicate weaknesses in the ice. Avoid skating near these areas.
- Consider the weather: Recent temperature fluctuations can affect ice strength. Warm spells can weaken the ice, while sudden cold snaps may not be sufficient to solidify previously weakened areas.
300
Provide an example of how an animal might change during the winter to be better at camouflage.
Example: Snowshoe hare, arctic fox
300
What is one way you can identify a tree when it doesn't have leaves?
-Bark
-Buds
-Branch Structure
300
In the winter, what survival skill should you focus on first before anything else?
Shelter!
In freezing conditions, shelter is your first line of defense against exposure. Without it, your body loses heat rapidly, increasing the risk of hypothermia.
400
What is the name of the dogsled race that goes from Anchorage to Nome?
The Iditarod!
A race covering 1000 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod.
400
In inches, what is the largest recorded snowfall in Boston History? (closest wins)
The Blizzard of 1978 struck New England on February 6, 1978, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. The storm brought record-breaking snowfall, with Boston receiving 27.1 inches (~2.25 feet)
400
What happens to bumble bees during the winter?
As winter approaches, bumblebee colonies prepare for the cold months. The queen bumblebee is the only member of the colony that survives the winter. She stores food in the form of nectar and pollen, which she consumes during hibernation.
Bumblebees typically nest underground or bury themselves under leaves. We also know that they need to be in this state of hibernation in order to survive the winter months. The queen’s energy stores won’t keep her alive until spring if she is awake.
400
What is the category of trees that lose their leaves during the winter?
Deciduous trees.
Deciduous trees mostly come from places where winter gets cold and snowy. When it is very cold, the water in the tree can freeze – the leaves stop working and can even be damaged by the ice crystals. These trees know to prepare for this, and start taking nutrients out of the leaves when the days get shorter in autumn
400
How do you most safely get out of a body of water after falling through the ice?
500
What animal made these tracks?
Rabbit!
500
What causes the seasons?
Bonus: When during this cycle does winter happen?
The tilt of Earth's axis
500
What is the only insect that migrates to a warmer climate (that is 2,500 miles away) each year?
Monarch butterflies- They fly to Mexico for the winter.
Researchers are still investigating what directional aids monarchs use to find their overwintering location. It appears to be a combination of directional aids such as the magnetic pull of the earth and the position of the sun among others, not one in particular.
500
Why do trees lose their leaves during the winter?
The short answer is that leaves fall off trees when they aren’t doing their job anymore. A leaf's job is to turn sunlight into food for the tree. As the weather gets colder, the days get darker, and there is less sunlight for them to munch on, the rest of the tree starts to absorb these useful parts of the leaves. It then stores them for winter in its roots. When the leaf is empty, the tree stops holding onto it and it falls to the ground, or blows away in a gust of wind.
500
What is one cause of an avalanche?
"Our World: Avalanches" by Adventure Academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5D9LbrQ7VU
-Angle of the mountain
-Layers and type of snow
-Disturbances to the snow