SNOWSCHOOL

An educational program by Winter Wildlands Alliance

INTRODUCING
35,000 KIDS
TO WINTER EVERY SEASON

A bright yellow school bus pulls up to a frozen parking lot in the middle of winter. The doors open. Out come dozens of fifth-graders in puffy jackets, mittens, and hats. Today, these students are going to strap on snowshoes, romp around the snow, dig pits, study snow crystals, and learn about their watershed. Welcome to SnowSchool.

WINTER’S
EDUCATION

SnowSchool is a bridge connecting kids to snow science, watersheds and winter recreation. Designed for kindergarten to high school students, the STEM-based curriculum combines a field trip in the snow with classroom presentations. Students learn about hydrology, winter ecology, wildlife, and snow crystals. They also make a vital connection between the snowpack—source of more than 80% of our water in the West—and the water they drink every day.

WHO WE WORK
WITH

Every year, SnowSchool works with 35,000 students at 70 sites across the country. For many of these students, winter is a new experience. A majority attend Title 1 schools with large populations of low-income families. For more than half, SnowSchool is their first time strapping on a pair of snowshoes. Our educators are volunteers, including many SnowSchool alumni, who want to share their passion for winter and adventure with kids.

“Snow is perfect for kids. You can romp around in it, dig a pit in it, measure it. You can do all of that and collect information that is relevant to science at the highest level.”

– Kerry McClay, National SnowSchool Director

DONATE TO THE SNOWSCHOOL FUND

SNOWSCHOOL
SITES

There are 70 SnowSchool sites located across the country that host students in their winter playgrounds—from Nordic areas to nature centers. Our flagship site is at the Bogus Basin Nordic Center, just 16 miles away from downtown Boise, Idaho. Here, every fifth grader in the Boise School District attends SnowSchool.

FIND A SNOWSCHOOL SITE

A CLASSROOM WITHOUT
CEILINGS

Winter is a powerful learning environment. As students hike into the forest on snowshoes, there are plenty of teachable moments when the natural world presents something exquisite. A group might pass a set of wildlife tracks between the trees. Or maybe they will find pinecones gnawed by a squirrel. Or perhaps they will hear a bird’s distant song.

Every day of SnowSchool includes three essential activities designed for students to explore the snowpack firsthand. Students dig a snowpit to the ground and measure the depth. They take a sample of snow to measure its density—a test known as the Snow-Water Equivalent. Finally, when everyone is sitting in the snow, volunteers ask students to build a snow replica of their watershed. Hands-on experiments like these cement the learning opportunity SnowSchool provides.

SNOWSCHOOL
AND NASA

This year, we are adding a citizen science element to connect students with scientists at NASA who are developing technologies to measure the snowpack remotely. On-the-ground data recorded by the students will be used to compare the results of remote sensors deployed by NASA’s SnowEx program. One day, SnowEx hopes to launch a snow satellite mission that will measure the amount of snow in the mountains globally, all the time.

OUR PARNTERSHIP WITH NASA

HOST A SITE

We’re always looking to grow with new educational groups, grassroots partners, or volunteers who want to establish a new SnowSchool site. Our curriculum is designed to be easily implemented anywhere the snow falls.

SNOWSCHOOL RESOURCES

SNOWSCHOOL STORIES

SnowSchool Mid-Winter Field Update 2025

,
Check out photos and updates from across the snow globe this season!

SnowSchool Reaches Rural Communities

,
SnowSchool is making winter learning come alive for rural students! See how Basin Elementary in Idaho is using snowshoe adventures, citizen science, and a new outdoor yurt to bring hands-on STEM education to life.

Which Way To Snowplay?

,
Snowplay areas provide a gateway to winter fun for families and help connect communities to wild snowscapes.

CONTACT SNOWSCHOOL

CONTACT SNOWSCHOOL

DONATE TO SNOWSCHOOL

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS