This week in iSTEAM, students explored how arctic animals stayed warm even though temperatures are often below freezing. We learned that some arctic animals have blubber to keep warm in the water, others have multiple layers of fur and fat, and some huddle together to protect themselves from the icy arctic wind. For this experiment, we focused on animal blubber. First, we made predictions about how long we could keep our fingers in ice water. Then, we tested out our theories and recorded the results and observations. Students lasted between 10 seconds and 1 minute. Then, we predicted how long our fingers would last in the ice water with a layer of blubber – we used baking shortening. Then, we covered our fingers in a thick layer of blubber and put them back in the water. Most of us lasted longer than 4 minutes! It was so cool to see how we couldn’t feel the cold water through the thick layer of blubber! Take a look at some photos below.

Source:: Grade 2 & 3 Blog