Arctic Animals!
2/7/2020
The Arctic is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It is known for its extreme temperatures and harsh environment. Despite the cold, many species like the beluga, orca, polar bear, walrus, and the arctic fox live here. We had an exciting week learning about these amazing animals! We played several literacy games to practice letter recognition and letter sounds. In the ice-berg game, the students were instructed to say the letter on the card and place a stone or 'ice-berg' on the alphabet chart. We also practiced writing the letter P using shaving cream! Both activities strengthened fine motor skills. During math centers, the students played the roll and cover game. Each player rolled a dice, counted the dots and placed a blue pebble on the corresponding number. After playing this game, students were able to recognize numbers and count with understanding. We also sorted arctic animals that can fly in the air, swim in the ocean and walk on tundra. Our sensory table was filled with snow and Arctic animals. The students made dens with snow for the polar bears. Our driving question this week was, "How do polar bears and many other arctic animals stay warm in freezing temperatures and icy water?" To find answers, the students conducted the blubber experiment. We talked about how blubber is an important adaptation for many marine animals. It is a thick, insulating layer of fat that helps conserve body heat. To help the students understand how blubber works, I filled a tub with snow and filled a zip lock bag with Crisco shortening. The shortening represented the blubber. When we conduct experiments in EK, we often organize our information using the scientific method. The children hypothesized that the bag of “blubber” would help keep their hand warm. They placed one hand in the snow and the other hand inside the blubber/fat filled bag. The students noticed that their bare hand was cold but the hand covered in shortening was warm. We concluded that blubber acts as an insulator and protects many arctic animals from the cold. The blubber on polar bears and walrus is spread evenly. The students realized that their hand was only warm when the shortening was evenly distributed around their hand. They used fluffy slime to coat their hands with blubber. We ended the week with Show and Tell! The students brought in arctic related items. Each child shared a fact about an Arctic animal during their presentation.
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April 2021
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