Little Scientist - Blubber Fun!

Polar animals have been on our minds at momstown this February. So, our Little Scientists got to explore how polar animals keep warm! We decided it would be pretty silly if polar bears and walruses wore jackets and mittens, so they must keep warm some other way. How? Blubber! We talked about blubber and how the fat insulates the animal from the cold. Then, we did a little experiment to show our little scientists just how that works. First, we filled a plastic bag with Crisco (any oil or lard would work here!). 

Then, we put a second bag inside that bag to make a sort of glove. The kids squished around the Crisco so that it covered their hand completely. The Crisco simulated a polar animal’s fat! Each kid then placed their hand in ice water (a benefit of being in cold Edmonton is that there was plenty of snow around to use!). Some of our scientists were brave and put both hands in the water—one in the “blubber glove” and one bare hand. They quickly found out that the fat keeps their hand much warmer than without it! It was so neat to see their faces as they each made this discovery!

Want to join these fun experiments? Check out momstown Edmonton for your free trial!