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How does cold weather affect daily life?

Cold weather conditions can affect our lives in many different ways.

In this article you can learn:

  • Why cold weather can make it difficult for us to get about
  • What we can do to stop ice being a problem on roads and pavements
  • How cold weather affects plants and trees
  • How we can keep our home warm in winter

This resource is suitable for studying weather topics in primary school.

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Video - Cold weather and the world around us

Watch this video to learn how cold weather, like heavy snow, can affect people, plants and animals.

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How does cold weather affect our lives?

Cold weather can happen in lots of different ways - icy days, stormy days and days with lots of snow.

Transport

  • We have to be careful on icy days not to slip on the ice that forms on roads and pavements.
  • Grit which is spread on the roads by gritting lorries and shovelled on to icy pavements helps when it's slippy. The grit melts the ice and breaks it up.
  • When it's been snowing heavily, snowploughs will push snow off the roads helping us to drive to school and to work.
Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, A van, a car and a bus stuck in heavy snow., Travel challenges When there's heavy snow, it can be difficult getting to school or to work. (Image: Kay Roxby/Alamy)

Clothing

People running around in the snow and sledging
Image caption,
If we wrap up warm and run about when it's cold, we can make our own heat! (Image: kevin wheal surrey / Alamy)

When it's cold outside, we need to wear warm clothes. Being active and moving around can also warm you up when the temperature is low

People running around in the snow and sledging
Image caption,
If we wrap up warm and run about when it's cold, we can make our own heat! (Image: kevin wheal surrey / Alamy)

At home

Foam insulation in between two walls
Image caption,
We can keep our homes warm with insultation. (Image: kevin wheal surrey / Alamy)
  • We keep our homes warm in cold weather by turning on the heating. A lot of energy is used to heat our homes and often this energy is wasted when the heat is lost to the air outside. There are lots of ways we can reduce the amount of energy that gets wasted.
  • Gaps around doors and windows cause drafts and let warm air escape. We can look for spaces where drafts are being let in. For example, draft excluders can cover up gaps between a door and the floor. This is a simple way to keep a room warmer without turning the heating up.
  • We can keep our homes warm with insultation. Lots of buildings have cavity walls that are actually two walls with an air gap between them. This can be filled with insulating foam.
  • Buildings without insulation lose one quarter of their heat through the roof. Adding loft and roof insulation can save heat and money.

Learn more ways to keep our homes warm without wasting energy here: Learning for sustainability: Saving energy

Foam insulation in between two walls
Image caption,
We can keep our homes warm with insultation. (Image: kevin wheal surrey / Alamy)
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Wildlife

Some plants and animals have to survive or thrive in very cold weather conditions.

Trees

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, Fir trees covered in snow, Coniferous trees Coniferous trees, like pine and fir, have leaves like thin needles. Their needles don't lose a lot of heat or water even in cold weather. (Findlay / Alamy Stock Photo)

Learn more about trees and forests here: Landscapes - Forests

Animals

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, Close up of a robin in a forest, Robins Robins live in the UK all year round but we often think of them as winter birds. Many robins migrate to the UK from Scandinavia in the winter. (Karen van der Zijden / Alamy Stock Photo)
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Key words

Key words about cold weather

  • germinate - When seeds begin to grow.
  • snowplough - A large lorry with a large metal scoop at the front, like a large shovel, made to push the snow from the road
  • insulation - A way to keep our homes warm in winter by keeping the heat in. The same way we might put on a jumper when it's cold, by putting foam or wool in the loft, or in the spaces between the walls of a house, the heat will be kept in.
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Test your knowledge

Quiz

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Challenge

Challenge

Write a report about an animal that lives in a very cold climate.

Research an animal who lives in a very cold place and write a report about them.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Where does the animal live? What is the average temperature there?
  • How does the animal adapt to the cold temperatures? For example, do they have a thick fur coat to keep them warm?
  • Is the animal a or ?
  • Some examples of animals who live in very cold climates are: penguins, polar bears, arctic foxes and snow leopards

If you need help creating your report, here is a guide to help: How to write a report

How animals control their body temperature. revision-guide

Find out how animal behaviour helps them maintain their body temperature.

How animals control their body temperature

Spotting birds in winter with Rory Crawford. video

Rory Crawford goes on a winter walk to show us what birds we can spot during the winter months.

Spotting birds in winter with Rory Crawford
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