This half term our topic in Reception is “Teddies and Bears”.
Children in RL became scientists and carried out an experiment. They wanted to know how polar bears keep warm living in Arctic.
Children had various suggestions, for example that their thick fur keeps them warm. But how about if they put on a woolen glove and put their hand in icy water? Does it keep them warm?
They noticed that the gloves get wet and their hands start to get cold.
They tried out a different idea. The children filled 2 zipper storage bags with vegetable oil and sealed them. They put those 2 bags inside another small bag and each child had a chance to put their hand inside between the two bags of oil. They then put both hands in the bowl of ice to see the comparison in temperature. The children noticed that one hand was really cold, but the other was warm and they could not even feel the low temperature.
RL came to a surprising conclusion: Polar bears stay warm when it’s dry with their thick fur coats. When it’s wet, they have a layer of fat, called blubber, that insulates their bodies from the cold and keeps them warm. How interesting!