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This activity is taken from: https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/blubber-experiment/
Materials
Materials
Large bowl
Ice
Cold water
4 ziplock sandwich bags
Thermometer (optional)
Vegetable shortening ( I have use butter in the past with success)
Spatula
Towel
Step 1
Step 1
Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
Step 2
Step 2
Turn a ziplock bag inside out, place the bag on your hand, and use a spatula to cover both sides of the bag in vegetable shortening.
Place the shortening coated bag inside another bag and seal.
Step 3
Step 3
Turn a clean bag inside out, place it inside another clean bag and seal.
Step 4
Step 4
Place one hand in each bag and place your hands in the ice water.
Step 5
Step 5
Which hand gets cold faster? Observe how your hands feel and then use a thermometer to check the actual temp inside each bag.
The Science
The Science
Whales and Arctic mammals like penguins and polar bears, have a thick layer of fat under their skin called blubber. This fat can be anywhere from a couple of inches to a foot thick!
The blubber keeps them warm and also stores nutrients their body can use when there isn’t much food. Different species of whales have varying amounts of fat, which is why some whales migrate, and some do not.
The Humpback whale migrates out of cold waters but lives mostly off of its blubber until it returns! The Narwhal, Beluga, and Bowhead whales generally stick around the colder temperature waters all year!
What is blubber? Fat!
The fat molecules in the shortening act like an insulator, just like the blubber. Insulation slows the transfer of heat, keeping the whale warm in very low temperatures. Other animals that use this feature are the polar bear, penguin, and seal!
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