• Home
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Almost Supermom

Able to Leap Piles of Laundry in a Single Bound

  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Crafts
  • Sewing
  • Parenting

Blubber Glove

Pin32
Share
Tweet
32 Shares

Yesterday we learned how blubber keeps animals warm in cold places especially the arctic ocean. We learned the difference between keeping warm with fur and keeping warm with blubber. It was a very educational day and the kids loved it!

blubber2

We started by watching the Magic School Bus in the Arctic.  Arnold discovers that his cocoa is cold, he demands to know where the hot went. In response, Ms. Frizzle whisks the class to the Arctic. What’s the freezing Arctic got to do with heat? While the kids try to find out, the bus’s engine freezes and the bus floats away on an ice floe with Ralphie and Phoebe inside! As the bus moves away, so does the heat from everyone’s bodies. How can Ms. Frizzle’s kids insulate their bodies to keep the heat in? Can they rescue Ralphie and Phoebe before they all become the Ice Cube Kids?

Then we pulled out our worksheets that I made (these are my very first ones, so please no laughing) and got to work on our experiment.

I took a sandwich bag and put it on Abby’s hand and then covered it in shortening to simulate the blubber that arctic animals have on them. We talked about what blubber was and why it was important. I had 2 bowls of ice water I had Abby dip both her hands in the bowls and see how long she could leave each one there. She pulled the bare hand out of the ice water in less than a minute, but she was able to keep the hand covered in shortening in the water much longer, in fact she probably could have kept it in there all night and never felt the cold, but she got bored and the other kids wanted a go. They each took turns with the blubber glove and were fascinated that they couldn’t feel a thing.

blubber collage

We also filled a sandwich bag with cotton and placed it on the kids hand, then I put an ice pack on each of their hands (one protected by cotton, one without). Not surprisingly they tolerated the cold much better with the cotton insulation. The last test we did was to place our hand inside the cotton baggie and then stick it in the water to see if it would protect from the cold water as much as the blubber had. They were very surprised that even thought the cotton kept them warm from the ice pack, when they were submerged in water they could feel the cold much faster than with the shortening. They came to the conclusion that fur was good for cold weather as long as you didn’t get wet.

Awesome experiment and so educational, my kids know pretty much everything there is to know about blubber LOL! Love Pinterest!!

You Might Also Like:

  • Double Chocolate Cashew Milk Popsicles
    Double Chocolate Cashew Milk Popsicles
  • Learn to Ski & Snowboard in Beech Mountain, NC
    Learn to Ski & Snowboard in Beech Mountain, NC
  • Skinny Gluten Free Avocado Flatbread
    Skinny Gluten Free Avocado Flatbread
  • Strange Magic Cookie Bar Recipe and Other Fun Strange Magic Activities!
    Strange Magic Cookie Bar Recipe and Other Fun Strange Magic…
  • Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
    Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
  • A Visit to the Georgia Aquarium
    A Visit to the Georgia Aquarium
Pin32
Share
Tweet
32 Shares

Filed Under: Science Projects 41 Comments

« Previous post
Next post »

Lovely comments

  1. Feather Story says

    August 17, 2013 at 3:36 pm

    That is a really great idea...I think we'll be doing this soon with my kids!
    Reply
    • Almost Supermom says

      August 23, 2013 at 3:24 am

      It really was a lot of fun, I bet your kids will love it :)
      Reply
  2. Rachel M says

    August 17, 2013 at 6:06 pm

    This is so cool! I can NOT wait to try this with my kids! Thanks for sharing!! : )
    Reply
  3. doublethelaundry.com says

    August 17, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    LOVE this!
    Reply
  4. Olivia @ This West Coast Mommy says

    August 17, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    What a cool idea! We were just at the aquarium last week, and we talked about how blubber on the beluga whales helps keep them warm, but I think this would help my 3 year old really get it.
    Reply
  5. Danialle B. says

    August 17, 2013 at 11:42 pm

    Occasionally I read a little about homeschooling, although I have years before I'll make the decision, but things like this little experiment are making me lean towards homeschooling! This looks like it would be fun, not only for the kids, but for me as well! :)
    Reply
  6. Danielle says

    August 20, 2013 at 8:33 am

    Wow! Oh my gosh, that's wild. My kids would love this!
    Reply
  7. Victoria says

    August 20, 2013 at 10:18 am

    This looks like it was very fun and educational. I hope you don't mind if I borrow the idea with my boys.
    Reply
    • Almost Supermom says

      August 23, 2013 at 3:26 am

      Please do! They will have a blast for sure :)
      Reply
  8. lalitha prakash says

    August 20, 2013 at 10:40 am

    This is so interesting. Kids will surely love this.
    Reply
  9. Debra Rutt says

    August 20, 2013 at 11:56 am

    My kids love blubber and making it...and that they make it with me makes them feel like mad scientists!
    Reply
  10. Smarty Pants Mama says

    August 20, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    What a great science project! Putting this on our list!
    Reply
  11. Mariana says

    August 20, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    That looks so fun! The last picture is priceless :)
    Reply
  12. Alicia says

    August 20, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    What a fascinating homeschool opportunity. Magic school bus is such a fun show :)
    Reply
  13. Malia says

    August 20, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    What a great experiment! It's a fun way to teach the kids at home!
    Reply
  14. Beth says

    August 20, 2013 at 9:14 pm

    I love this! There are so many fun things I want to try on Pinterest. I love that you actually took the leap and tried something out!
    Reply
  15. Liz says

    August 20, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    That was really interesting. I feel like I learned right along with you because of the post. Cool way to teach!
    Reply
  16. Coupon Friendly says

    August 21, 2013 at 3:57 pm

    Haha love the pictures! I've gotta try this with my kids!
    Reply
  17. Healy Harpster says

    August 21, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    I would love to try this too with my 6 year old. She likes Science.
    Reply
  18. Just Married with Coupons says

    August 21, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Oh my goodness... how much fun is that! My son would love this!
    Reply
  19. Melanie a/k/a Crazy Mom says

    August 21, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    this looks like a ton of fun... I love it... the pictures are funny, too. Thanks for sharing.. soo want to try it now with the kids.
    Reply
  20. Jenny says

    August 21, 2013 at 7:16 pm

    haha lookit their faces. priceless. awesome stuff though.
    Reply
  21. Stacey Myers says

    August 21, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    What a great experiment! The joys of homeschooling!
    Reply
  22. Janeane Davis says

    August 21, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Reply
  23. Janeane Davis says

    August 21, 2013 at 11:41 pm

    This post reminds me of Moby Dick and all the things I learned about blubber and whales.
    Reply
  24. Have Kids Will Coupon says

    August 22, 2013 at 4:03 pm

    Oh my boys would have a blast with this!
    Reply
  25. Ashley says

    August 22, 2013 at 5:46 pm

    Great experiment, I love the photos!
    Reply
  26. Danielle @ We Have It All says

    August 22, 2013 at 6:58 pm

    OMGosh I LOVE that experiment, and the kids would love it too! What a great idea.
    Reply
  27. Ronnie E. says

    August 22, 2013 at 10:02 pm

    Awesome DIY learning experiment. LOVED it. It's one of the most creative I have seen.
    Reply
  28. Regina Malloy says

    August 22, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    cool idea i bet my grandson would love this!
    Reply
  29. Ave says

    August 22, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    Wow, what a great way to learn about how animals survive in hard climates! Looks like your kids had a lot of fun!
    Reply
  30. Heather Lawrence says

    August 23, 2013 at 12:04 am

    So I opened the page and my kids were sitting in the room.
    They think this looks totally awesome and now are wanting to try this experiment!
    LOL!!

    Reply
  31. Carmen Uballe says

    August 23, 2013 at 12:15 am

    I now my daughter would love this experiment I will have to wait tell she has to do a project for school to do this for her and get credit for it lol


    Reply
  32. Cyndie says

    August 23, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    this is a great experiment and a great teaching tool
    Reply
  33. Elizabeth Towns says

    August 23, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    Science project idea 3 - putting it on our list! We are experimenting and trying to find our project for this year and this will be a great experiment for my son and I. We just did an experiment with how much fat is in your burger with crisco, so we have some at home!
    Reply
  34. Amy Desroisers says

    August 23, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    Wow, what a cool experiment. No wonder I am always so warm..must be all my blubber.
    Reply
  35. Sierra Lorenzo says

    August 23, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    This is great! Now the kids will know why I say I'm putting on my winter coat after I gain the holiday weight! Kidding - this is fun and educational, perfect!
    Reply
  36. Emmy Barnes says

    August 23, 2013 at 6:01 pm

    lol love the last picture pure terror
    Reply
  37. QueenB says

    August 24, 2013 at 2:29 am

    REALLY flipping cool idea. my kids would LOVE this!!
    Reply
  38. Sophie says

    August 24, 2013 at 5:20 am

    What a fun and smart science experiment! Going to have to do this with the kiddos!
    Reply
  39. Shanna says

    August 26, 2013 at 2:15 am

    Such a fun experiment! I wanna try this with my little one!
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Connect with us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Return to top