Fun With Blubber
Winter is
always a fun time to talk about artic animals and what do they do in extremely
cold temperatures. Animals like
walruses, seals and polar bears all live in icy weather. They have special
tactics for surviving such environments. Blubber is the main source of
insulation from the cold water and fur is used as insulation for cold air.
Want to see
if blubber can really kept you warm in freezing temperatures? Try this fun
experiment with the kiddos and see for yourself!
You will
need a bowl of icy water, a latex glove, Crisco/vegetable shortening and
plastic wrap. Encourage your child to place their hands in the cold water and
see how long they can keep their hands submerged. Next, have your child make a
fist and slip a glove over their hand; it’s easier if they don’t put their
fingers in the holes. Cover their hand with a good amount of the vegetable
shortening, then wrap the hand with the plastic wrap. Now that their hand has
“grown” blubber, have them dunk it into the water. They will have fun seeing
how they can’t feel the cold, just like a seal or polar bear.
Here is some
pictures of families that have tried the experiment:
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