7 Amazing Activities for Kids Exploring Antarctica

Although it can be overlooked as a family travel destination, Antarctica offers endless snowy—and unforgettable—fun. Multiple species of penguins waddle around the White Continent, where kids can also spot whales, seals, and other birds they will never encounter at home. Because the Antarctic Peninsula is the focus of so much scientific research, there are countless learning opportunities for curious, young explorers.

To help you and your family make the most of this extraordinary experience, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has brought our exclusive National Geographic Global Explorers program to Antarctica on our Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent departures, as well as our new Quest for the Antarctic Circle voyage and all of our new Antarctica Direct itineraries which fly the Drake Passage. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic certified field educators will help our youngest travelers understand this fascinating part of the world.

Here are some of the activities in store for kids and teens on an Antarctica expedition:

Identify Incredible Seabirds

Sea birds often accompany our ships through the Drake Passage, buoyed in flight by our air cushion. After learning to identify birds like the giant Wandering Albatross with its 11-foot wingspan and the beautiful Pintado (Cape) Petrel, kids will creatively demonstrate the sizes of these pelagic birds for guests during evening Recap.

Create the Ultimate Antarctic Mammal

Picture being a creature that has to survive in the coldest place in the world. Would you prefer to have the blubber of a humpback whale, the teeth of a leopard seal, antifreeze like an icefish, or the ability to swim like a penguin? In this activity to create the Ultimate Antarctic Mammal, kids can choose from all these adaptations—their imaginations are the only limit.

Do a Plankton Tow

Kids might assume that nothing could live in the frigid Antarctic water, but they will learn about the undersea life including types of fish and even coral that have adapted to this icy environment. Young scientists will drop a net over the side of a Zodiac to collect plankton, the microscopic organisms that are the foundation for all marine life. They’ll view it under a microscope and find out why this tiny organism is so crucial to the Antarctic ecosystem.

Make Sense of Penguin Colony Chaos

Penguin colonies are busy and fun, but also noisy places. Adults are coming and going. Eggs or young need tending. Neighbor penguins steal nesting materials. Skuas are looking for lunch. All of this happens against a constant soundtrack of the chattering of thousands of penguins. Kids will make naturalist observations and learn what all these sounds and actions mean!

Keep a Naturalist’s Journal

Each National Geographic Global Explorer will receive a specially designed Antarctica Field Notebook to help them create long-lasting memories. It has species checklists, maps to chart our course, ideas for creative photos, a storytelling challenge, fascinating information about Antarctica, as well as a place to keep their own notes and drawings.