How does a bear stay warm?

A fat experiment: children find out why a layer of fat protects against the cold.

Steps

1. Chat: where the polar bear lives and how it copes with the freezing cold.
2. Prepare a bowl of water and ice.
3. Children put on a disposable glove and dip a finger into the cold water.
4. Then they put on a glove filled with lard or butter (a glove inside a glove) and try again.
5. Children compare how it felt and draw a bear with a layer of fat under its fur.

Tip: You can show the same effect by wrapping a finger in a sponge if you would rather not use fat.

Materials needed

• Disposable gloves (1 pack)
• Plastic bowl (1 per group)