Cuyahoga County Extension -

Meet Some Polar Pals

Plan a club expedition to the poles to discover how people and animals survive in the extremely cold temperatures of the Arctic and Antarctic. On your journey, club members will learn about arctic habitats and polar animals while practicing basic skills.

This Place is Cold!

Begin your study of arctic habitats with a geography lesson. To create some arctic excitement, pack your bags for an imaginary expedition to Alaska . Dress in a parka and boots and bring along a backpack with items such as mittens, a flashlight, a stuffed toy polar bear, a book about Alaska , a map showing the Arctic , and a club supply of Eskimo Pie ice cream treats for energy. Unpack your backpack and ask youths if they can guess your destination. When they have guessed correctly, pull out your map to pinpoint some polar places. Next pass out the Eskimo Pie ice cream provisions to munch as you read This Place is Cold by Vicki Cobb. After reading have youths share fascinating facts they learned from the book. Then have them name artic plants and animals.

Polar Animals	Polar Plants
Lemming	Reindeer Moss
Musk Ox	Blueberries
Caribou	Lichens
Polar Bears	Algae
Snowy Owl	Poppies
Arctic Tern	Bluebells
Arctic Hare
Walrus
Seal
Reindeer
Arctic Fox
Sled Dog
Arctic Wolf

Frigid Facts to Share

• In Alaska , temperatures can drop to lower than 50 degrees below zero.

• People's breath turns to ice crystals, and their eyelashes, eyebrows and skin can freeze if they are outside for only a few minutes.

• To keep car engines from freezing, people plug their cars into electrical outlets that keep engine-block heaters running.

• Frozen firewood can shatter with a tap from an ax.

• In some places, the frozen ground, or permafrost, does not thaw, even in the summer. Homes build on this land may sink as the heat from the houses causes the ice to melt and the ground shifts. People jack up crooked floors and doorways.

• Bush pilots bring food, medicine, and mail to remote settlements. In Alaska , one out of every 45 people has a pilot's license.

A Parade of Penguins

Grab your parks and head for the Antarctic for a parade of perky penguin ideas. Urge your club members to “chill out” with wintry, penguin-related literature and activities.

Introduce your club members to penguins by reading the story Solo by Paul Geraghty. The main character, Solo, leads children on an Antarctic adventure. The story describes an amazing penguin quality – the ability to locate a chick or mate by recognizing its distinctive voice.

Fascinating Penguin Facts

• Penguins are speedy swimmers, averaging speeds between 4 and 6 miles per hour.

• Penguins can stretch their mouths, throats, and stomachs to swallow their prey whole.

• Penguins are known to walk in lines – as if playing Follow the Leader.

• Penguins eat seafood such as fish, krill, and squid.

• The largest penguin, the emperor penguin, can be as tall as four feet high and may weigh up to 100 pounds.

Penguin Participation

Have club members review some remarkable penguin features with these creative activities. Share each unusual penguin fact below, and then engage in the accompanying activity.

• Fact: Penguins can jump out of the water and land on their feet. The height reached in this leap may be three times the penguin's own height.

• Activity: Measure the distance each child can leap after he takes a running start.

• Fact: Penguins frequently follow one another in straight lines.

• Activity: Involve members in a game of Follow the Leader.

• Fact: A male emperor penguin can move about with an egg balancing atop his feet.

• Activity: Have each child try to walk a distance while balancing a clay filled plastic egg on their feet.

• Fact: Penguin's short legs cause them to waddle when they walk. Their flippers often stand out slightly because they cannot bend.

• Activity: Have children model a penguin and compete in a relay race. In turn, each child waddles with a rubber ball between his knees and keeps his arms very stiff.

• Fact: When penguins dive for fish, they can hold their breath for up to three minutes.

• Activity: Time each student while he completes a physical activity such as hopping, jumping rope, running etc. Discover how many children can continue their activity for the entire three minutes.