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!