Happy New Year! We are back and starting 2013 with some "chilling" lessons. Thank you to all our Science Friends for the wonderful Christmas gifts. The break was nice but it is fun to get back in the classroom and back in action with our Science Friends.
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 (blubber)--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 remember that many times scientists work together in partners or teams on a project. Since it is winter, the season of ice, the kids work in "research teams" to collaborate their ideas and 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment