Arctic Animals and Blubber Gloves

As part of our Non-Fiction focus this week we read and learned all about Arctic Animals and how they stay warm in such cold temperatures.  We loved learning about how Emperor Penguins can live in such a cold area by doing a blubber observation/experiment.  It was neat to watch the students associate Blubber to a Human's fat layer.  To understand how an Arctic Animal's blubber protects them we did an experiment where I used Vegetable Shortening and Ziploc bags to make Blubber Gloves. 

In a sandwich bag I put shortening and then inside that bag was another baggie so that they could stick their hand into the bag without getting shortening on it.  Then, Students put their hands into very cold ice water (first without the blubber gloves and then with the blubber gloves).  My little scientists discovered that their hand was not cold at all when they had the blubber glove on!  The shortening was acting like the blubber for an Arctic Animal and is able to keep them warm (or at least warmer) in cold water/cold climates.

 

 We had so much fun!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and staying warm! 

Penguins and Polar Weather

We have been working really hard this week with Polar Animals and Polar Weather, specifically Penguins!  It amazes me how much my little scientist retain!  Tomorrow (Friday) we are going to do an experiment with Blubber and discovering how it protects the Polar Animals from the cold temperatures!  Our new bulletin board is covered with the most adorable Penguins I have ever seen!  

 Some important penguin facts we learned about Penguins from one of our non-fiction penguin books.

 

 

 

I hope everyone stays warm and safe in the projected "polar" weather that is in Asheville's weather forecast this weekend!

Twitter

I have finally caved into the social/teacher media world and made a Teacher Twitter Account for any parents that are on Twitter that might want to follow me to see what's going on in class.  I am new to the Twitter world and I am still learning, but I think I basically have it down!  I will use this as a quick way to get information out like reminders of events in our classroom, pictures from any of our school events, and new blog posts.  I will still send home paper/hard copy reminders for parents that do not use Twitter, but I thought this would be a quick and easy way to communicate with Parents that do use it!  

My Twitter account handle is:  missjoneskinder

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!    

Happy 2015

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year in 2015!!!  I was so happy to see all of my students beautiful faces this morning!  I truly missed them over the break!  Just a reminder the Rocky's Readers Bookmarks are due TOMORROW (TUESDAY) if you have them to turn in!  Students were asked to read 5 books over the break, and their reward for doing so is tickets to a UNCA Women's Basketball Game!  Today we reviewed all our daily expectations and routines, and my little group of genus students didn't skip a beat!  They did awesome!  Here's to a wonderful 2015!!!

 We got right back in the swing of things!