January's unit of study was Arctic animals (we threw penguins in too, even though they're actually Antarctic animals ...) and we had lots of fun as we learned how God made them specifically to live in these cold climates. In one such experiment, we demonstrated how penguins' feathers are designed to repel the water (as opposed to absorbing it). We took identical paper penguins and colored one completely with crayons, then we sprayed each one with water and compared the results. The wax from the crayons kept the water from soaking into the penguin!
Any day you get to squirt water is a good day, right? The following week, as we studied polar bears, we learned how blubber keeps polar bears, whales, and other arctic animals warm. We made a "blubber glove" of sorts, using ziplock bags and crisco shortening. The students stuck both of their hands into a bowl of ice, but one hand was protected by the glove. The ice was COLD, and it was amazing how warm the protected hand felt, even when immersed into ice!
We also played a literacy game with polar bear paws ... aka white tube socks! While the kids were in library one afternoon, I put pieces of paper in a big circle, each paper with a letter of the alphabet written on it. We put on our polar bear paws then marched in a circle to music. When the music stopped, we had to pick up the paper, say the letter, and then say a word that started with that letter. While the academic exercise was pretty easy for most of our kiddos, picking up paper with tube socks on their hands wasn't!
There were also a few fish on the floor ... these were just "freebie" spots, but the students loved it when they landed on a fish instead of a letter!
Best answer of the day -- H and V ... for Hickory Valley!
Love these kiddos and their love for learning!
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