MWOBS Arctic Wednesdays 2026: Week 4 Pre-Trip Blog

 With my trip to the summit quickly approaching, I am filled with anticipation and curiosity. I have traveled extensively yet never visited the highest peak in my own state. As an educator of young children, I have learned that flexibility and preparedness are essential, and I am tackling this experience with that same mindset. Given Mount Washington’s well-documented and unpredictable weather, the planning process alone has proven to be a powerful learning experience—one that has rivaled many formal professional development opportunities over my 23 years in education.

At Moultonborough Central School, kindergarteners have been actively studying weather systems, global weather patterns, and strategies for preparing for diverse environmental conditions. One particularly meaningful component has been the collection and analysis of daily video weather reports submitted by family members and friends from around the world. These reports have come from locations as varied as Africa, Indonesia, Austria, and our own local community. While we have previously explored weather on a global scale, preparing for this experience has prompted a deeper examination of the weather patterns within our own state. This Arctic Wednesday opportunity has already strengthened play-based learning and student engagement well before the journey has begun.

This opportunity has naturally fostered interdisciplinary collaboration within our school community. Classroom learning has been enriched through partnerships with in-house and local specialists who have intentionally connected their curriculum to the upcoming trip. Our art educator guided students through a summit-inspired painting project. Our outdoor specialist is designing a winter hiking simulation to help students understand the physical demands of climbing a mountain. Our library specialists have curated and shared a range of texts and resources to support inquiry and background knowledge. A classroom parent and former weather observer on the mountain joined us to read Eric Pinder’s Cat in the Clouds and share a slideshow highlighting his experiences on the mountain alongside Nin the cat. This authentic connection between lived experience and curriculum further deepened student interest and understanding.

Preparation for the journey has involved careful gear selection, ongoing observation of summit weather conditions, and intentional planning around instructional goals. Students have generated questions for our upcoming virtual Zoom session, compared snow samples collected from different environments (Mt. Washington will soon be included), documented temperature changes across elevations, and tracked weather data over time. Brian Fitzgerald and the entire Mt. Washington team have been incredibly supportive in planning for our Zoom meeting, tailoring it to accommodate the needs of young learners and the questions they have about the weather. These experiences are helping students develop inquiry skills, scientific thinking, and a deeper appreciation for learning that extends beyond the classroom.  

Miranda Ruel
Kindergarten Teacher
Moultonborough Central School
Moultonborough, NH