Hands-on classroom themed activities;
Animals in the Cold;
How do aanimals keep warm in the cold?
Engage the children in the lesson by asking what kind of weather are we familiar with? Discuss warm, wet, windy, cold, snowy weather etc. Explain to the children that certain weather is more prevalent in some areas i.e. warm hot deserts, the Poles having cold snowy weather. Ask the children do they know of any places or have they seen any films that have a lot of cold snowy weather etc, perhaps Christmas films or films about penguins / polar bears etc. Read ‘The Snowman’ by Raymond Briggs. Show a clip from the film ‘Happy Feet’ that has a lot of penguins.
Ask the children would they like to go to the South Pole or a very very cold place that has a lot of snow. Ask the children would we be able to survive on an iceberg. How would we keep ourselves warm? Add scarves, coats, hats etc. Would adding extra layers of clothing be sufficient? Can animals add extra layers of clothing? Show photos of a penguin and a polar bear. How do they keep warm if they can’t add layers of clothing.
Explain that the animals have a thick layer of fat under their skin to help them keep warm. However, this layer isn’t enough for such cold conditions so polar bears have a thick coat of fur and penguins have a thick coat of feathers. The fur and feathers are covered in a layer of grease to repel water.
To explain how this layer of grease repels water, add some vaseline to the childrens hand and sprinkle some water over it, watch how the water rolls off the greasy layer, this is how it works for the animals too.
Encourage the children to try that at home too (with supervision).