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Activity set: weather
To identify prior knowledge I would ask children if they know any animals that live in the cold and what they look like.
Then I would play the video How do Arctic Animals survive in cold weather? as a spark with the children to engage them and to get them thinking and talking about how these animals have adapted to the cold.
Show the pictures of the penguin and polar bear. Tell the children that the areas where the polar bears and the penguins live are so cold that this thick layer of fat is not enough. That’s why the polar bear also has a thick coat of fur and the penguin has a thick layer of feathers.
Brainstorm in pairs – what do people do when they feel very cold.
Discuss with the children that the penguin’s feathers and the polar bear’s fur are also covered in a layer of grease to repel water. Rub Vaseline on one of each child’s hands. Now the children also have a greasy layer on their skin. Drip some water on this hand. What happens to the water? Come to the conclusion that the water rolls off the hand with the greasy layer
Show the children the picture of the polar bear and penguin again. What do you notice? When they point out colour explain that the animals that live at the North and South Poles are often white, like the polar bear. This means they don’t stand out in the snow which helps them to hunt unseen. Penguins have a black back and a white front. So when they are swimming in the dark water they cannot be seen from above. And looking from underneath their white front blends in with the colour of the sky. This makes it harder to catch them.
Read the Rain, Wind and Storm story from What Clothes to Wear activity and get the children to do the actions.
STEM: design a coat that you could wear in Ireland. Consider different factors such as
-what season is it?
-what material will they use
-how can they make it practical
-first plan and draw the coat then create it by collage on card.
Experiment: do the Hot and Cold ice-cube experiment and record the results