It's good to be back at school! We hope your Christmas was filled with blessings. Thanks so much to our Science Fun kids for all the gifts and goodies. You are so nice to us.
This week we look at animals living in cold climates, focusing on the polar bear. We learn its physical characteristics that allow him to live in minus-30-degree temperatures. The children will discover the insulating properties of fat--holding an ice cube with their bare hands, then slipping on a "blubber glove" to hold the ice. Polar bears have thick padded paws and lots of body fat to insulate. They also have black skin to absorb the sun's heat, along with thick underfur for warmth, and a top layer of hollow white guard hairs which trap air and make him "waterproof" when swimming in the Arctic Ocean.
We learn that when scientists are working on a project, they often work with partners and teams of scientists so many minds can work together to solve a problem or answer questions. Since it is winter, the season of ice, we group the kids into "research teams" to collaborate their ideas to make ice castle creations using various shapes of colored ice. Team work!
Books we Read: Polar Bears (Gail Gibbons); Do Penguins Get Frostbite? (Scholastic)
Next Week: The Water Cycle--Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation
Saturday, January 1, 2011
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