Snow sledding and shoeing, ice skating and cross-country skiing aren’t the only winter activities to get people up and moving during the chilly months.
Winterfest, at the Evanston Ecology Center, will offer families an opportunity to shake their cabin fever and revel in winter’s charms. The open house will feature five to seven different winter-themed activities including games, arts and crafts and animal tracking.
“It’s a way to get people out of the house in winter,” said Karen Taira, an environmental educator at the center. “We think winter gets a bad rap. There are lots of fun things to do this time of year.”
One of the programs to be offered is called snow snake, a game originally played by Native American children where players give a 4-foot-long tree branch a big push to see how far they can make it travel down a track made in the snow.
Although snow snake may be fun to play, the game also had another purpose for Native Americans.
“It was a skill-building activity,” said environmental educator Ellen Fierer. “It developed strength and hand-eye coordination.”
Animal tracking also will be offered. Children can look at a model of the paw of a polar bear to see how it helps the animal walk on ice and snow and they can try walking with a bean bag balanced on their feet to imitate male penguins who carry eggs on their feet. Kids also will be able to make a pair of sun goggles for themselves patterned after those worn by the Inuits to cut down the glare of the sun.
Although Inuits made their eyewear out of bone or bark, the children will make cardboard sunglasses that can be worn during the Winter Riddle Walk. The walk will reveal the details of the lives of plants and animals during the cold months.
“Our biggest goal is to get people to go outside and enjoy winter,” Fierer said.
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Winterfest runs from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., Evanston. Admission is free, but registration is required. 847-864-5181.
