Page 36 - SplashTB A Sample_v2.indd

SAMPLE MATERIAL

• Once the snowmen are complete, encourage the children to cut out their handprint and sing Five little snowmen (variation on One little snowman) bending back each of the snowmen ‘fingers’ as they melt.

Ice cube painting

• Bring a number of ice cubes into class and encourage the children to play with them and talk about how cold they are.

• Make ice cube pictures by dipping the ice cubes into small amounts of paint and sliding them around on a large piece of paper.

• Encourage the children to observe how the ice cubes melt, first in their hands and then on the picture.

Science: Melting snowman

3 balloons, 1 large bowl, 1 medium bowl, 1small bowl, salt, large container, felt facial features

• Fill the balloons with different amounts of water so one will fit into each of the bowls. Freeze until solid (approx. 12–24 hours).

• Now, remove the balloon from the ice balls and place them one on top of the other (largest first, smallest last) inside the plastic container. Use salt on the bottom of the container and between each call to help fuse them together. Finally, add the felt facial features to complete your snowman.

• In class, help the children chart how long it takes the snowman to melt. Encourage them to predict what might make the ice melt faster. Talk about this first in the context of the weather, e.g. sunny, hot, rainy, cold, windy or snowy, and then offer other suggestions such as salt, cold water, hot water, salt water, hot air. As much as possible, test out the children’s theories on the snowman.

Teaching tip  An easier and quicker alternative to this experiment – or a way to test what makes the ice melt faster on multiple ‘snowmen’ – is to use ice cubes rather than ice balls.

Science: Blubber mitten

large re-sealable clear plastic bags, lard or vegetable fat, two bowls of cold water, ice cubes, stop watch

• This experiment will help children to understand what cold feels like, and also how animals in very cold parts of the world (such as penguins) stay warm. Most of this should be done in the children’s L1, but try and exploit as much language the children know in English as possible.

• Ask the children what we wear to keep warm when the weather is cold (sweater, jacket, socks, boots, hat, mittens).

• Ask the children in their L1 how they think penguins stay warm in the cold weather – and especially in the freezing cold water (blubber and thick feathers). Invite the class to dip their hand in a bowl of water filled with ice cubes to help them understand just how cold this water is.

• Explain that you are going to make blubber mittens to explore how penguins keep warm in the water.

• Put a generous amount of the fat into one of the plastic bags. Turn another bag inside out and put your hand inside. Now put this bag into the bag containing the fat and seal the two bags together. Knead the fat around so it fills the whole area.

• Help the children make their own blubber mittens, then encourage them to put their hand in the icy water; first their bare hand and then wearing their blubber mitten. Time how long they can keep their hand in the water in both instances. Chart and discuss the results, making the connection between the blubber glove you have made, and the blubber that penguins have to keep them warm.

6 Goodbye

• If you have a routine clock, move the hand to ‘Goodbye’.

• Sing the Goodbye song. Have the puppets wave goodbye as you put them away.

SAMPLE MATERIAL