KS1 – Science – Icy Habitats

Download Our Key Stage 1 – Science – Icy Habitats Worksheet Here

Learning Objective

- To perform simple tests

- To identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited (from KS1 Science curriculum: Living Things and their Habitats)

Resources

- Pictures of polar bears and penguins in the Arctic (try to include some of the animals swimming)

- Bucket full of very cold water

- X2 washing up gloves

- Cling film

- Shortening or lard

Introduction Activity

- Ask children what winter weather is like? Is it cold or hot?

- Show children pictures of polar bears and penguins in the Arctic.

- Ask children whether they think it is colder in the Arctic than where they are. How do they know? What are the clues?

- Explain that animals who live in the Arctic have special ways of dealing with the cold and that their bodies are different to ours.

- They live in a habitat to which they are suited.

- Explain that polar bears and fat have thick layers of fat which keep them warm.

Freezing Hands

1- Tell children that they are going to do an experiment to show how fat can keep bodies warm.

2- Show children the large bucket of freezing water and ask for a volunteer to see how long they can keep their hand in it before it gets too cold!

3- Ask another child to come and be a polar bear. Ask them to make a fist and pop a large washing up glove over the top of their fist. Then completely cover the glove with loads of lard/shortening. After that wrap it up in cling film to keep it in place.

4- Child with glove covered in fat to then submerge their gloved hand in the water.

5- As before, ask children to count how long they can keep it submerged and then compare results.