December Nature Calendar Freebie
I’m so happy to share my FREE December 2024 Nature Calendar with you!
December’s calendar was so much fun to make! The holiday season is such a wonderful time of year and I really tried to incorporate the idea of giving to others, being together while slowing down, and noticing changes in the natural world as winter emerges.
The purpose of these nature calendars is to inspire you and your family to get outside more, no matter the weather, and get curious about the natural world. More than that, my goal is to encourage moments of connection through giving back to the community, reading great stories aloud, and doing simple activities (that have purpose) together.
Inside these calendars you will find:
- nature facts with sources to learn more
- read aloud suggestions that fit the season
- weekly poetry tea time ideas that fit the season
- at least one idea for giving back to the community
- simple activities that have purpose (such as making a natural bird feeder)
- ideas to extend time spent outside or on nature walks
- questions to spark curiosity about nature (this can lead to so much learning!)
The Days of December Activity Information
Here is where I’ve broken it all down for you – you’ll find more information about the activities, nature facts and sources, and read aloud choices for each day of the month:
December 1st: Begin reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by the light of the Christmas tree.
This is a read aloud that can be enjoyed every year as an annual holiday tradition in your family. This year is extra exciting, because it was recently made into a movie. I am a big sucker for book-to-movie adaptations and this one actually looks really well done!
December 2nd: The Red Fox grows a thick undercoat of fur. Recreate one with watercolor. (Source)
The Red Fox isn’t the only animal that has special adaptations while braving it out over the winter months. Use today’s topic to spark conversation and good questions about which other animals adapt to the winter cold.
Find a picture of a red fox in a book or online, and have your child recreate these beautiful animals with watercolor. This is my absolute favorite watercolor set for kids and adults – the water pen will change the way you think about doing watercolor with kids.
December 3rd: Woodchucks drop their body temperature into the low 40s, taking only one breath every six minutes. Where do you think they like to sleep? (Source)
Hibernators are incredible! Use this as an opportunity to discuss hibernation. You can pair today’s topic with a stack of picture books about hibernation or jump into a unit study about hibernation.
December 4th: Poetry Tea Time: Read a stack of Jan Brett’s wintery picture books while enjoying a charcuterie snack board.
I love a good poetry tea time – which is why you’ll see them in my calendars every Wednesday! Set out the tea cups, a pretty tablecloth, and maybe light a candle or two. Put together an array of favorite snacks (like sliced fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and crackers) and enjoy good books, good company, and good food!
I listed a bunch of different options for wintery themed books by Jan Brett later on in the post in the booklist section, complete with links, but if you don’t have any in your collection, this one here would be a great addition to start with (keep an eye out for a good sale – snagged mine for around $30.00!).
December 5th: Read How the Grinch Stole Christmas and enjoy Grinch Jell-O while watching the movie.
Check out this post that explains how I started this SUPER easy Grinch-Day Tradition. Mr. 5 already knows it’s a tradition and asks for it every December! To me, traditions are worthwhile when they are doable, enjoyable for the kids, AND enjoyable for mom and dad too. This one checks all the boxes.
Which Grinch movie is your favorite? We are team old school classic! I love it especially for the littles, because it’s actually very short!
December 6th: Once it gets dark, go on a Christmas lights walk.
The kids will think this is the coolest ever! They will probably think they are up way past bedtime and will enjoy walking the neighborhood in the dark, seeking out the beautiful light displays. If you don’t live in a neighborhood, you could find a local display/neighborhood or visit your town center’s display.
December 7th: Some animals will migrate AWAY from your home during winter months, but which animals migrate TO your home?
When we talk about migration, we always seem to lean towards talking about the super common migrators, like butterflies, for example. But we forget that some animals actually do make their way to our very own area and call it home during the winter months.
Do a quick google search if you are unsure, and find out which animals migrate to your area and discuss.
December 8th: Squirrels have mini-hibernations during harsh weather, where they den up for many days and wake to forage for food when conditions are milder. (Source)
Squirrels aren’t the only ones that do this. Use this opportunity to discuss in more detail. You can tie this topic into your hibernation unit study.
December 9th: It’s Christmas Card Day. Make Christmas cards for everyone you love and send them in the mail.
Is there anything sweeter than a handmade card from a loved one? Bust out the art supplies, glitter, and glue and have fun sending good cheer to those you love.
You could take it a step further and make a small outing to the post office (instead of using your mailbox) to discuss sending mail and how very important this job is.
December 10th: Read The Nutcracker and listen to Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music afterward.
There are a bunch of different versions of this book, so check out a few and find one that is a favorite for your family.
You can take this a few steps further: you can snag tickets to The Nutcracker – I highly recommend searching for a local performance – these tend to be a little shorter and a lot more kid friendly, not to mention way more affordable.
Another option, is to search for a recorded version of the ballet on YouTube – even if you don’t watch all of it, you can watch clips of it and discuss what ballet is!
We did this last year when Mr. 5 was 4, prior to seeing it in person so he knew a little bit about what to expect (and to explain the mouse fight in advance so he wasn’t afraid – a good idea if you’ve got sensitive kiddos).
December 11th: Poetry Tea Time: Read “December” from A Year of Poetry and “Gingerbread Man” from Ring-a-Ring O’ Roses. Bake Gingerbread cookies.
I am in love with the book: A Year of Poetry. It’s short and sweet – one simple poem per month of the year, but the illustrations are beautiful and there’s just something so whimsical about the book that draws me in. I will include one of the poems in every month’s calendar.
Ring-a-Ring O’ Roses is a good classic children’s poetry book, filled with all of the old favorites.
December 12th: Decorate a backyard tree with natural bird feeders: Pinecones + Bird Seed, Bird Seed Ornaments, Stringed Food, etc.
The idea is that you’re going to ‘decorate’ a backyard tree to make it look festive for Christmas – but in a natural way that feeds the birds. This is part 1 of 2 (part 2 is tomorrow).
Here are some examples of each:
Pinecones + Bird Seed by OneLittleProject.com using pinecones, peanut butter, twine, and bird seed.
Bird Seed Ornaments by OneLittleProject.com using cookie cutters, bird seed, unflavored gelatin, and more.
Stringed Food by RedTedArt.com using cheerios, ribbon, and pipe cleaners.
I’m so excited to try these out and I just know the backyard birds will appreciate our efforts.
December 13th: Create ice ornaments to add to your backyard bird seed ornament tree.
(This is part 2 of your festive backyard tree decorating activity).
Here is an example of ice ornaments by FoxFarmHome.com
I stumbled upon this while browsing Pinterest and I’m so glad that I did. It looks like so much fun and like exactly the kind of activity my kids love – anything with water, right? Ha! I cannot wait to try this.
December 14th: Enjoy hot cocoa and cookies around a campfire while singing Christmas carols together or sharing favorite Christmas memories.
Can this activity be any more hygge? It sounds lovely. If your kids are younger, like mine are, than you may skip the singing and just share favorite memories and reminisce. You can do this alone with your kids, meet up with friends, or gather more family members.
I love that it is an activity that allows everyone to just hit pause during such a busy season and truly reflect on the good times.
December 15th: Look for the full moon, called a cold moon this month. Recreate it with watercolor.
Recreating the moon with watercolor is always fun, because it can look so different all the time. You can use moody grays, gray-blues, and whites or even had some pale yellows in there with darker gray craters. Kids can take it a step further and paint the night sky and some stars too.
Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming for kids to have a blank white paper and freely paint. If they need some inspiration to get them going, don’t be afraid to search some images of the moon as reference.
December 16th: Buy used books, wrap them in brown paper, and donate them to a local Little Free Library.
As a steward to two little free libraries, I just had to add this one in! Have you ever heard of a ‘blind date with a book’? This is essentially what you are creating here.
Head to the thrift store, pick out a handful of books together and then let your kids practice cutting brown paper, wrapping, and taping up books.
Afterward, drop them off at your favorite local little free library (here’s a little free library map). You can write on the outside of the paper a quick one sentence summary of the book (like if it was “The Nutcracker”, you’d write ‘children’s picture book, ballet, Christmas time’ or something like that!)
December 17th: Begin reading Little Christmas Carol. Watch the movie afterward.
As soon as I saw the cover of Little Christmas Carol, I just knew it was a matter of time before our little home library had it’s very own copy. When you know, you know. HA!
It is beautifully illustrated and I’ve heard reviews mention that their kids were scared of the original, but were able to enjoy this version and understand it based on the illustrations that go with it.
I think I’ll find a cartoon version like, Mickey’s Christmas Carol to watch after we read this.
December 18th: Poetry Tea Time: Read The Sweet Smell of Christmas and make Christmas Tree shaped Hand Pies.
I bought this book years and years ago after reading reviews from people saying they remember it from their childhoods (it was first written in 1970!)
It’s a sweet book following a bear family as they celebrate the holiday season. What makes it extra special is that it is a scratch and sniff book (cue 90’s nostalgia)! All the lovely, nostalgic Christmas smells – like apple pie, hot cocoa, pine, and more are in there.
I recommend scratch and sniff books around age 2.5 at the youngest – the closer to 3 years old, the more they will ‘get it’ and be able to actually scratch and sniff and understand better.
Fun Fact: there are actually resources that sell replacement scratch and sniff stickers! Ours is over 3 years old and still going strong, but good to know for future reference.
Here is an example of the Christmas Tree shaped Hand Pies by TheCountryCook.net. Hand pies are about the easiest dessert you can make and are always a big hit.
December 19th: Owls choose to hunt when the weather is mild and food is abundant. They can even thaw frozen food by sitting on it, similar to incubating eggs. (Source)
How cool is that? Use this as an opportunity to discuss these amazing birds. Pair the discussion with a big stack of picture books about owls or begin a unit study about owls.
December 20th: The Snowshoe Hare’s coat transforms to white to provide warmth and camouflage. (Source)
This is another good conversation starter about adaptations animals use for survival during winter. You can take this a step further by comparing a picture of the Snowshoe Hare during summer and winter – there is a good example from Wikipedia here.
December 21st: Winter Solstice. Gather sprigs of evergreen and berries for decorating your wrapped presents.
I love wrapping presents in brown paper, using a little bit of twine, string, or ribbon, and then adding some beautiful touches found in nature – like berries and evergreen.
Use this as an opportunity to get outside and go on a little nature scavenger hunt searching for evergreen and berries.
Because today is winter solstice, you can also consider reading a stack of picture books about winter solstice or doing a little unit study on it.
December 22nd: National Cookie Exchange Day. Invite friends on a wintery hike. Afterward, rest at the Pavilion for a cookie exchange and hot cocoa.
Bake some cookies over the weekend in preparation for this (or better yet, start doubling your cookie dough batches every time you bake, and freezing dough – that way you can just pop dough right into the oven anytime you need to, like today!)
Find a park with a nature trail and a pavilion that has a fireplace. We’ve been trying to scope these places out during the year and making note which have fireplaces or firepits to use when fall and winter arrive.
We are fortunate to have a bunch of parks like these where we live. If you have none, find out which friends have a fireplace in their home, and head there after your hike instead!
Another option is to see if your town center has an open fireplace area. One of our outdoor shopping center areas has this in the winter with seating around it.
December 23rd: Lay underneath an evergreen tree and observe. Later on, recreate what you saw in watercolor.
I highly recommend using kid’s cameras during nature hikes / outdoor time. For us, it ALWAYS helps extend the hike because they get really into taking photographs of the cool things they find.
I’ve always modeled this, by doing it myself. I get really excited about something I notice, like a nest or a fallen log even and talk excitedly about how cool it is and take a few pictures. They always join right in the excitement.
What I really love about this, is for one, they are connecting to nature but two, they are able to use the photographs later on as reference for other aspects of learning – whether it’s asking questions, finding books about our discoveries and later reading more about them, or recreating our images in watercolor.
For this activity, I would have them practice taking a photo while laying down under the tree and use that photo to create their watercolor picture. It’s a good lesson that sometimes, to be a nature photographer, you’ve gotta get down and up close in nature to get the best shot.
December 24th: Christmas Eve. Read The Night Before Christmas and bake cookies for Santa.
I love this version of the book – it feels nostalgic and the illustrations are beautiful and captivating. This is a super easy tradition (and another example where having frozen dough from previous cookie batches comes in handy!)
December 25th: Christmas Day.
Be with the ones you love and focus on being present. I highly recommend setting up your phone or video camera to just record so you can be hands-free, screen-free and totally present and in the moment instead of viewing the day through a lens. Bonus: you will actually be in the videos!
December 26th: Mice can temporarily occupy empty bird nests from migratory birds and will vacate by spring when the birds return. Can you spot tracks in the snow? (Source)
Searching for tracks in the snow is always a fun outdoor activity. You can look for tracks, scat, and nests, feathers and so much more!
December 27th: Read “The Secret Staircase” from The Complete Brambly Hedge.
This book will forever be one of my favorites. It’s one of those that feel familiar, even if it’s the first time you’ve read it. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous.
I promise, this is one to add to your collection that you will read over and over again.
December 28th: Go on a candy cane hunt. Collect candy canes hidden in your backyard or at the park.
Have you ever heard of an outdoor candy cane hunt? Think of it as the Christmas-y version of the Easter Egg Hunt. Just grab a box or two of candy canes, and hide them around your yard – in trees and shrubs, and all around. Have the kids go around collecting them and playing outside. Any excuse to get outside, right? Ha!
December 29th: Rather than foraging for worms on the ground, American Robins are likely to be seen in the trees foraging for berries this time of year. (Source)
Use this as a conversation starter for introducing different types of birds that tough it out in the winter versus migrating.
December 30th: Eastern Cottontails swap out green vegetation, fruits, and vegetables for twigs and bark. (Source)
Can you spot signs of rabbits in your backyard? I know much to my dog’s displeasure, we sure can! Ha!
December 31st: New Year’s Eve. Tally up your 1000 Hours Outside hours. Celebrate all the memories you’ve made this year.
If you are new to the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge – check out this website here with all the details.
Essentially, it’s a way to motivate families to get outside more. I definitely recommend the 1000 Hours Outside app (and I’m a person that never likes to pay for apps, even if they are super cheap); otherwise, you’ll probably forget to log your hours on paper each day.
December Nature Calendar Booklist
Here is the booklist associated with this month’s calendar. Most (if not all) titles should be able to be found in your local library. I provided links if you’d like to buy your own copy of any of the titles, which I greatly appreciate you using, as it helps with the costs associated with maintaining my website. Thank you!
Disclaimer: The ABCs of Motherhood is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps me run my website. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
Here are the books in order of how they are presented in the calendar:
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Jan Brett Winter Collection ideas:
Winter Collection Box Set – Jan Brett (includes The Snowy Nap, The Hat, Cozy, and The Three Snow Bears)
Annie and the Wild Animals – Jan Brett
The Wild Christmas Reindeer – Jan Brett
Trouble with Trolls – Jan Brett
The Animals’ Santa – Jan Brett
The Three Snow Bears – Jan Brett
Home for Christmas – Jan Brett
How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Dr. Seuss
The Nutcracker – New York City Ballet and Valeria Docampo
A Year of Poetry – Anne Grahame Johnstone for “December” poem
Ring-a-Ring O’ Roses – Justin Todd for “Gingerbread Man” story
Little Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens, illustrated by Joe Sutphin
The Sweet Smell of Christmas – Patricia M. Scarry
The Night Before Christmas – Clement Moore, illustrated by Charles Santore
The Complete Brambly Hedge – Jill Barklem for “The Secret Staircase”
Enjoy your December Nature Calendar
Grab your FREE copy of the December Nature Calendar by clicking here. You can print your own copy. I suggest printing in color, laminating, and hanging it up on your fridge within eyesight!
I hope this calendar is a blessing for your family! Please let me know how you like it by following me on Instagram and sending me a message!
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
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