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How do polar animals survive the cold?

Adaptations & Habitats

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Lesson narration:

English Spanish

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DISCUSS:

How do you think polar animals stay warm?

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Step
01/23

Get your supplies.

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Step
02/23

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half the short way. Then fold it in
half again. Unfold it. You’ve made 4 boxes where you can draw.

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Step
03/23

Number the boxes, like this. In boxes 1, 2, and 3, you’ll draw ideas you
get from each sister. In box 4, you’ll think about all the possibilities
and draw your final idea.

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Step
04/23

The first sister shows you pictures of triangular cabins, round
domes, tiny houses on stilts, and more. Look at her pictures.
Draw or write down an idea you really like in box 1.

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Step
05/23

From above, you just see a hole going into the snow. Think about
building a house under the snow, like these lemmings, foxes, and
squirrels. Draw or write your ideas in box 2.

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Step
06/23

Sister #3 shows you materials they have lots of. Think about using
cardboard, blankets, bubble wrap, or snow to keep your home warm.
Draw or write your ideas in box 3.

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Step
07/23

In box 4, draw your plan for your perfect winter home.
Give your home a name if you like.

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Step
08/23

Discuss:

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Step
09/23

If you’d like, make a big picture of your winter home. Write a sentence
that tells people why this home is a great home to stay when it’s cold
outside.

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Step
10/23

We suggest that younger students stop here. Older students can
extend this activity by thinking about how to test their ideas by
experimenting.

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Step
11/23

You don’t know if the home that you drew will keep you warm!
You could build it in a very cold place and then test it. Discuss:

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Step
12/23

We’d have one person spend the night in the house and another
spend the night outside. Then they can compare the temperatures
inside and outside. Discuss:

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Step
13/23

When engineers want to test their ideas, they make a small copy of
the big thing they want to build. Then they test the copy to see if it
works! Discuss:

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Step
14/23

Here’s what we thought. Our freezer gets freezing cold. We could fit
a small model of our winter home in there—between the ice cream
and the ice cubes.

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Step
15/23

Here’s a drawing of our winter home—the Bubble House. We built a
model using cardboard, waterproof tape, a wool sock, and bubble
wrap. Discuss:

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Step
16/23

If we had a full-sized Bubble House, people could do our testing.
The people are warm, and we want the Bubble House to keep
them warm. Discuss:

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Step
17/23

We made two tiny people: Zippy 1 and Zippy 2. Each one is a ziplock
bag filled with warm water. Zippy 1 will stay in the Bubble House.
Zippy 2 will sleep outside.

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Step
18/23

We filled Zippy 1 & 2 with water at 100° F (38° C)—as warm as a
person. We put Zippy 1 in the Bubble House and Zippy 2 in the
freezer with no protection. Discuss:

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Step
19/23

First, we checked Zippy 2, who was not in the Bubble House.
We opened the bag and found that Zippy 2 was frozen! Instead
of water, there was ice! Poor Zippy 2!

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