LI: To explore how animals are adapted to survive in their natural environments, with a focus on how blubber helps polar animals stay warm in extremely cold conditions.
Our learning question for this activity was: How do polar animals survive in such cold conditions? To explore this, the children began by talking about what blubber is and why certain animals have it. We learned that blubber is a thick layer of fat found under the skin of animals such as polar bears, seals, whales and walruses. This layer helps to keep these animals warm, even when they live or swim in freezing environments.
To help us understand how blubber works, we carried out a hands-on experiment. First, the children placed one of their bare hands into a bowl of icy water. They immediately noticed how cold it felt, and many described it as freezing, tingly or cold. After this, we created a “blubber glove” by covering a bag (glove) in a thick layer of butter, which represented the layer of fat found on polar animals. The children then placed their other hand inside the glove and tested it in the same icy water.
The results were surprising and exciting for the children. With the blubber glove on, many reported that their hand felt warm, protected, or that they couldn’t feel the cold water at all. They quickly recognised that the layer of fat stopped the icy water from reaching their skin, keeping the heat inside and the cold outside.
Through this experiment, the children learned that blubber acts as an excellent insulator. It helps animals survive in extreme polar conditions by trapping body heat and preventing it from escaping into the cold environment. Our blubber glove model showed clearly why polar animals are able to stay warm even in icy oceans and freezing air.
This investigation helped the children understand an important survival adaptation and gave them a memorable, hands-on experience that brought the concept of blubber to life.
