Use igloos to teach about the letter "i" and its short sound. You can start by showing a picture of an igloo along with the word and ask students to identify the "i". Give examples of other words with the short "i" sound like pick or list. Have students join in and suggest words, now emphasizing "i" words that have to do with igloos, the arctic, cold weather or homes. You can suggest Inuit, the name of one tribe who traditionally uses igloos. You can also have the class try to make a sentence about the igloo using as many words with the short "i" in them as possible. Write your igloo words and sentences next to the its picture for everyone to see.
Give your students an experience similar to living in an igloo by creating one in your classroom. Create one from a large refrigerator box painted white, or drape a white sheet over a table, then place a large box with the front and back cut out in front for the entrance. Students crawl in through the entrance and set up house. Ask the class what you need to live in a house, and use items in the classroom to represent those items -- bedding, clothing and a food prep area, for instance.
Focus on teaching your students about not only the igloo structure itself, but also the culture of the people who use it. Prepare a short interactive presentation on what igloos are, how they're made and what it's like to stay in one. Provide pictures and video clips if possible. You can also use action songs like "My Igloo," which work well for kindergarten. Students sing about their round igloo, its tiny door and inside covered with blankets and fur.
Give your kindergartners an exciting igloo-themed art project to work on. It can reinforce concepts you introduced earlier, and it gives you another chance to teach how people live in different types of home. Have students color, paint or glue cotton balls onto construction paper for their igloos. Students may draw pictures of themselves and their own family in the igloo, as if they lived there, or have them draw items they think they might find in the igloo based on what they've learned. Discuss each student's piece and display them in the classroom.