Our current Science focus is on seasonal changes in Winter! We've been learning how some animals migrate, some animals hibernate, and others adapt. Today we were exploring how some animals survive the cold.
Do you think it is warmer under the snow or on top? This generated an enormous amount of really thoughtful discussion and the students made predictions. Then, off to experiment!
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| Waiting for Mrs. Beliveau to start the experiment outside ... while staying warm inside! |
The experiment was simple: bury one thermometer in a snowbank, and leave the other sitting on top of the snow. To protect the thermometers, each was encased in a cracker box. (Honorable mention to the Beliveau children for eating so many crackers for the sake of Science).
Before lunch, we hustled back to check on our experiment:
Mrs. Beliveau checked the box sitting on top of the snow .....
The thermometer read -21 degrees C. Chilly!
Then Mrs. Beliveau dug out the buried box ...
The thermometer read -9 degrees C.
What?!?!
It was much warmer under the snow!
We hurried back to class, and working with a giant paper thermometer, spent time exploring what this meant.
Many animals have a better chance of surviving the cold winter when there is a lot of snow. This snow acts like a blanket. It traps heat from the earth, as well as an animal's body heat when an animal burrows deep. Turns out that winters with little snow are harder for plants and animals to survive!
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