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Learn with Santa

Discover real facts about the North Pole and how Santa could race the clock.

Make North Pole Explorer Tap anything in the village to learn a real North Pole fact.
Game Santa’s Route Planner Put ten countries in the order midnight reaches them.

Learning is more fun when it is part of a story. These Christmas activities for kids use Santa's village to teach real science, in a way that is simple, warm and quick to try. They are free, need no sign-up and work on phones, so they are ideal for curious children at home or in the classroom.

In North Pole Explorer, you tap anything in the village to get a real fact. You might learn about the polar night, when the sun stays below the horizon for weeks, or about the cold, or about why reindeer antlers matter. Tap the lamp, the sleigh, the reindeer or the snow and see what you can discover.

Santa's Route Planner is a puzzle about time zones. You are given ten countries and you must put them in the order that midnight reaches them. It sounds tricky, but it makes you think about how the Earth turns. Midnight arrives in different places at different times, because the world spins and the sun shines on one side at a time.

That is the real science of time zones. When it is evening in one country, it can already be the next morning in another. The polar night is real science too. Near the North Pole, the sun can stay hidden for a long stretch of winter, then shine all day and night in summer. The village shows both, so children can see how the seasons look from the top of the world.

These activities work well for a rainy afternoon, a geography lesson or a family chat about the planet. Children can play alone, or read the facts aloud with a grown-up. Try Explorer first, then use what you have learned to put the countries in the right order. Teachers and parents can use these activities as a starting point for questions, such as why it is dark in one country while it is light in another, or why animals in the cold have special coats and antlers. Children often come away with new words and ideas to share.

Questions

Are the facts in North Pole Explorer real?

Yes. The facts are real ones about things like the polar night, the cold and reindeer antlers.

What do I do in Santa's Route Planner?

You put ten countries in the order that midnight reaches them. It is a fun way to learn about time zones.

Is it free for schools and families?

Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and works on phones, tablets and computers.