DISCOVERY DAY 1-10-12

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 ARCTIC ANIMALS~To begin our Discovery activity, we read a story and looked at a poster about animals that live in the Arctic, where the weather is like Winter year-round.  We discussed how these animals keep warm in the Winter.  Student answers included fur, hair, and blubber!  Another child was able to explain what blubber is.

For students to understand how blubber keeps Arctic animals warm, we did an experiment using ice water in bowls and shortening in a plastic bag.  Children put on a plastic glove on one hand.   Each child took a turn putting one bare hand in a bowl of ice water and the hand with the glove in a bag filled with shortening and then putting it in another bowl of ice water.  Obviously, the bare hand was very cold, while the hand in the bag with shortening did not get cold.