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Animals Stay
Warm With Blubbrrrrrrr

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Let children listen to and sing along with Raffi's song, Baby Beluga (see video, see lyric and arrangement). Explain that this whale swims in the icy cold waters of the Arctic. Ask students how animals such as whales, seals, and penguins might stay warm in the cold Artic or Antarctic waters. Introduce the word "blubber" and explain that it is a thick layer of fat that helps keep these animals warm.

Invite students to try this experiment:

  • Have each student put a plastic glove on one hand and insert that hand into another plastic glove filled with solid vegetable shortening (fat).
  • Knead the shortening to distribute it evenly around the hand.
  • Cover each student's other hand with two plastic gloves.
  • Invite students to place both hands in a bucket of ice-cold water.

Ask Which hand gets cold faster? Explain that the shortening acts like the blubber in Arctic/Antarctic animals; it helps to keep them warm.


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ABOUT SUE LaBELLA

Sue LaBella, Education World's early childhood editor, is a former teacher who loves writing activities and poems for young children. She lives in Connecticut with her family and her bulldog named Daisy.

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05/18/2009