
Are you looking for a way to bring your Alaska studies to life? Are you eager to explore the state’s history, wildlife, culture, and more with your homeschoolers?
Then you have come to the right place—we have compiled a fantastic list of 104 Alaska Unit Study resources to bring your 50 States Studies to life!
Take a virtual tour together and discover what makes this beautiful region uniquely special.
Along your way, we will find fun activities, educational materials, helpful websites and engaging videos; all providing tremendous insight into Alaska’s magnificent landscape.
So prepare for a learning adventure full of discovery—explore these Alaska Unit Study resources in style!
104 Alaska Unit Study Resources

20 Virtual Alaska Unit Study Resources

Bring Alaska into your home with these virtual experiences. For a manageable list, we’ve curated a YouTube list for reference.
- Alaska Sealife Center: Enjoy weekly and pre-recorded virtual lessons for pre-k and elementary-aged students or explore all of the educational information.
- Alaska the Beautiful: Take a virtual 360° tour of several well-known landscapes in Alaska.
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Various live webcams with varying seasonal access.
- Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center: View images and hear a guide present the various species at the center.
- Alutiq Museum: Take a pre-recorded virtual tour or explore individual exhibits.
- Anchorage Museum: Take a virtual tour of the exhibits with background and information.
- Artsandculture.withgoogle.com: Let your kiddos go on a 360° tour through the glaciers of Kenai National Park. (and honestly, explore the other tours, too – so freaking cool!)
- Cultural Connections Northern Lights: The educational resources target grades 4-8, but the videos will entrance any age.
- Denali National Park Webcams: Take a virtual tour of the National Park surrounding North America’s highest peak.
- Explore.org: You’ll discover live webcams and pre-recorded videos of almost every animal you could want to study in Alaska.
- Glacier Bay National Park: Download a worksheet, watch the videos, fill in the answers, and mail it off. Rangers will send your kids their official Glacier Bay Web Ranger badge.
- Husky Homestead: Explore their site, then head to their Facebook page for some fun videos of life in the dog sledding world.
- Ketami National Park and Preserve: Webcams operate seasonally from June through October, or you can view last year’s videos.
- Ketchikan Museums: Virtual tours of museum and area exhibits from totem pole parks to flights and historical events.
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park: Take a virtual tour through the site.
- Polar Bears International: The bears don’t all reside in Alaska, but they’re all beautiful!
- Reindeer Farm: Follow links to the farm’s Facebook page to see video clips of reindeer at play.
- Sitka Museum Virtual Tour: Take a virtual tour through several of Sitka’s historical locations and cultural centers.
- University of Alaska Museum of the North: Explore exhibits, collections, podcasts, and images.
- webcam.taxi: Explore three live webcams, including the polar bears in the zoo!
21 Picture Books to Engage Younger Learners

Although we are avid library fans, we do succumb to the lure of new to us books routinely.
Order through bookshop.org to support independent bookstores. We chose to feature Old Harbor Books in Sitka, Alaska for our Alaska Unit Study whenever titles were available.
- A is for Alaska: What would the kids of Alaska want kids in other places to know about their state? Find out here in this compilation.
- Alaska: People and Places: This non-fiction research book is an excellent resource for younger learners.
- A Thing Called Snow: Beautifully illustrated folk tale style artwork about an arctic fox and hare experiencing their first snow.
- Alaska’s Snow White and Her Seven Sled Dogs: The classic tale with an arctic twist.
- Balto
- Chia and the Fox Man: An Alaskan Dena’ina fable retold with gorgeous illustrations.
- Malcolm the Moose’s Alaskan Vacation
- Mama, Do You Love Me?: Bring your youngest learners along on your virtual trip to Alaska with this classic question reframed in the arctic backdrop.
- Pedro’s Pan: A Gold Rush Story: Follow the story of a prospector from the perspective of his mining pan through Alaska’s gold rush.
- Raven: A Trickster Tale From the Pacific Northwest: This Caldecott Medal-winning book is a traditional Haida fable with beautiful traditional native artwork.
- Shanyaak’utlaax̱ / Salmon Boy: Illustrated by one of our favorite children’s illustrators. Michaela Goade is an enrolled member of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. This book is currently out of print, but there is a beautiful read-aloud in native Tlingit with English subtitles on YouTube.
- Storm Run: The true story of the first woman to win the Iditarod sled dog race.
- Sunrise Summer: Follow the story of a girl who spends the summer helping her parents fish on the Alaskan tundra.
- The Alaska Mother Goose: Classic favorites with a northern twist.
- The Giant Cabbage: A classic fable, this book is a nod to the Russian heritage that is a part of Alaskan history.
- The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit tale about a woman who adopted a polar bear and raised him like her son.
- The Salmon Princess: An Alaskan Cinderella Story: Set in the northern frontier, author Mindy Dwyer brings this story to life with her vivid imagery.
- Three Snow Bears: Jan Brett brings her iconic storytelling and artwork to the arctic with a new twist on Goldilocks.
- Togo: Many know the story of Balto, but this is the true story of the sled dog that traveled almost 300 miles so the life-saving serum could get to Balto in the first place.
- Totem Tale: A Tall Story from Alaska: What happens when a totem pole comes to life at night and has to return in the correct order?
- Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun: Discover how much fun you can have if the sun never sets.
11 Alaska Chapter Books for Grades 3 and Up

This is a curated list, but we have not read all these books. Please ensure they align with your child’s reading and content level.
- Balto of the Blue Dawn: The Magic Treehouse series rides along with Balto on the historic serum run of 1925.
- Boxcar Children #12: The Mystery of the Black Raven: A mysterious disappearance follows the Alden children to Alaska.
- Dog Diaries #4: Togo: Unsung hero of the Serum run, Togo sets the record straight in this book told from the dog’s point of view.
- Julie of the Wolves: When a teenager escapes into the Alaskan wilderness and adopts the ways of a wolf pack, can she assimilate back into human society?
- Polar Bears Past Bedtime: #12 in the Magic Treehouse series sees our young heroes traveling to Alaska and the arctic circle. The non-fiction companion is a great addition.
- Running Wild: A middle-grade adventure story about a girl and her brother’s wild trip through the Yukon wilderness.
- Sweet Home Alaska: An exciting pioneering story based on real-life events around the settling of Alaska.
- The Call of the Wild: The classic novel by Jack London is about a dog’s journey back to its wild routes.
- The Mystery of the Icy Paw Prints: If your students are moving into chapter books, this winter mystery set in Alaska is a great fit!
- The Year of Miss Agnes: Will this school teacher survive in the one-room schoolhouse in remote Alaska?
- Thea Stilton and the Ice Adventure: Any Geronimo Stilton fans? Follow his sister Thea through the wilds of Alaska to protect the ice caves.
25 Art and Crafts Alaska Unit Study Resources

- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Download five free wildlife coloring pages created by Alaskan artists to support education and conservation.
- Deep Space Sparkle: Polar Bear project based on the magic of Ted Harrison’s artwork.
- Northern Lights Igloo Art: Gorgeous watercolor art projects from the Crafty Classroom.
- PBS Kids: Create a Yup’ik Dance Fan
- University of Alaska Museum of the North: Discover an archive of online activities and lesson plans for preschool and elementary-aged children.

- We Are Water Protectors Art Project: Explore the gorgeous artwork of Tlingit and Haida tribal member Michaela Goode throughout this rich art project.
- 200 Winter Activities for Preschoolers: Fun list of activities to get your littlest learners involved.
- Ice Ornament Craft: Combine science and art to add a hands-on element to your studies.
- Northern Lights Art for Kids: Using chalk and white paint, create a beautiful piece of art that brings the Northern Lights to life.
- Arctic Animal Crafts for Kids: Teach your students the elements of art with this fun textured painting.
- Craft Stick Arctic Animals: Cute activity to engage the crafters in your homeschool. The craft requires a glue gun, so you’ll need to assist.

- Popsicle Stick Snowflakes: Looking for something a bit more long-term you can hang on the wall? Try these popsicle stick snowflakes with older kiddos, or use a different glue.
- Wooden Peg Arctic Animals: If you lean toward Nordic or Montessori learning styles, you’ll love these easy wooden peg animals.
- Snowstorm in a Jar: Add a touch of science to your unit as you create a mini weather system.
- Arctic Sensory Tub: Don’t count sensory tubs out too early. You might be surprised how much older kids love them too!
- Paper Bag Bear Den: Make this sweet paper bag den to explore bears’ hibernation-denning habits. Or even their lack of hibernation.
- Winter Steam Challenge: Bring hands-on learning and engineering to life with this STEAM challenge.
- Polar Bear Hand Craft: Appropriate for several ages, this fun art is an easy way to include the little siblings.

- Walrus Tissue Paper Craft: Sharpen fine-motor skills with this project that’s part art, part craft.
- Sponge-Painted Snowy Owl: Add textured art to your unit—an easy lesson for any age.
- Walrus Craft for Kids: Engage younger learners with an easy cut-and-paste art project.
- Totem Pole Craft: An essential part of the cultures of the Native People of SE Alaska, this is an excellent way to explore Totem Poles more closely.
- Polar Bear Plate: Looking to engage your preschooler? This is an easy craft addition.
- Polar Bear Craft: Add texture and teach fine-motor skills to your preschoolers.
- Polar Bear Cookies: Cookie crafts. Does it need more explanation?
20 Rabbit Trail Alaska Study Resources
Alaska is a BIG subject. Let your kids take the lead when choosing supplementary topics. Follow interests with the following rabbit trail ideas to branch off of your Alaska Unit Study.
Use this Alaska Unit Study-themed Pinterest board for inspiration.
- Alaska Transportation (Ferrries, Planes, Trains, Dog Sleds)
- Amazing Alaska Wildlife
- Arctic Animals
- Commercial Fishing
- Compare Boreal Forests to Temperate Rainforests
- Compare and Contrast Native Cultures
- Domestic Reindeer
- Glaciers
- Gold Rush
- Homesteading
- Icebergs
- Iditarod
- Inuit Study
- Marine Sea Life
- National Parks of Alaska
- Polar Bears vs. Kodiak Bears
- Russian History in Alaska
- Sled Dog Studies
- Togo & Balto’s Life Saving Serum Run of 1925
- Unique Daylight/Night-Time Patterns
18 Educational Websites to Deepen Your Alaska Unit Study
- 50 States/ Mr. Donn: Massive resource for online social study resources.
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Find a wealth of educational resources for your Alaska Unit Study and conservation/science in general.
- Alaska Kids: Official kids corner of the Alaska State Website.
- Alaska Marine Highway: The ferry is a major mode of transportation for coastal Alaska. Have older kids map out a trip and calculate the cost and length of trip.
- Alaska Native Heritage Center: Hear members of native tribes share a word of the week along with the translation.
- Alaska Railroad History: Learn the history of one of the best ways to explore our most northern state.
- Alaskan Coastal Resources: Honestly, more for you than the kids, but full of educational curriculum ideas and resources.
- Alaskan Raptor Center: If you have kids eager to learn more about the big birds that call Alaska home, this is the place to go.
- Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center: Access free Wood Bison and Grizzly Bear STEAM lesson plans and activities.
- AlaskaKids: University of Alaska Anchorage fun facts and links to studies and crafts.
- America’s Library: From the Library of Congress
- Awesome America: Full of resources for learning about every state.
- Eight Stars of Gold: Download Worksheets and learn more about the 14-year old Benny Benson who made history with his winning flag design.
- Iditarod.com: A website devoted to everything Iditarod. Find video clips along with lesson ideas.
- Inupiat National Heritage Center: Learn more about the most northern indigenous culture and get your JR ranger badge.
- Katami National Park: Visit for Fat Bear Week and stay for the jr ranger program.
- Roadside America: Curious about fun and unique roadside attractions you might find on an Alaskan road trip?
- SE Alaska Heritage: The website is abundant with lesson plans and resources for teaching various ages about the native cultures of SE Alaska.

The Ultimate List of 104 Resources for Your Alaska Unit Study
There are 104 ways to bring your Alaska unit study to life. Hopefully, you’ve discovered some excellent educational resources to deepen your learning.
If you’re looking for more Alaska resources, make sure you check out our other resources:
- Rediscover Wonder: A K-3rd Grade Alaska Unit Study
- We Are Water Protectors Art Project
- Create Glow in the Dark Salt to Bring Your Unit Studies to Life
- Exploring Alaska Wildlife From Home for Your Unit Study