Below Zero Activities

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Ready, Set, Snow!

Age: Grades 1 - 6.
Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies.
Skills: analysis, classification, comparison, discussion, interpretation, listing, observation, research, letter writing
Duration: one 40 minute period
Group Size: class size or less
Setting: indoors and outdoors
Conceptual Framework References: 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c,
Key Vocabulary: adaptation, dormancy, hibernation,

Objective

Students will be able to identify, list, and compare ways in which people and wildlife prepare and adapt for winter.

Method

Students will list and compare the ways people and animals adapt to cold weather.

Background

Winter forces people and animals to change the way they live. Humans wear warmer clothing, use specialized transportation such as skidoos, insulate and heat their homes, gather and burn firewood, preserve and store food.

Wildlife also makes changes so they can survive harsh weather. Many animals become dormant as winter deepens by dramatically lowering their body temperature, heart and breathing rates. In hibernation, woodchucks and other marmots, for instance, slow their heartbeat from 100 to 15 beats per minute, as well as breathing only once every five or six minutes! Knee High Nature In Winter.) Since large animals cool slowly and have greater stores of energy, they can stay idle, or hibernate, for long periods. Smaller animals, like chipmunks, can't put on enough fat to hibernate. Instead, they stash food in their underground dens and snooze for about six months, but wake up frequently for snacks. This lighter sleep is known as torpor.

Some mammals and many plants boost their chances of reproductive success through delayed embryo implantation. This means that although the animal breeds in the fall, the embryo will not develop for several months. Then the young can be born during warmer spring weather. Most animals that live in cold environments grow dense, long coats of hair as winter approaches. Birds, too, will develop thicker feather layers, sometimes even on their legs. Some mammals, such as muskox, and birds like ptarmigan, will group together to keep warm. Lots of small mammals that usually hang out by themselves in summer, huddle together in nests under the snow. In fact, these cosy nests can be as much as 25 degrees warmer than the temperature above the snow! -- (Life In The Cold: An Introduction to Winter Ecology by Peter J. Marchand.) Even bees will huddle in a ball in the middle of their hive to keep warm. The colder it gets, the tighter the ball of bees becomes! -- (Where Do They Go? Insects In Winter by Millicent E. Selsam.)

The longer, cooler nights of fall are a signal for many animals to change colour. Hares, ptarmigan, arctic fox, and weasels, all replace their brown coats with a white winter one, perfect camouflage against the snow.

In winter, some animals are forced to find new kinds of food. Moose, for example, spend much of the summer grazing on shallow lake bottoms, but after freeze up they turn to willow shoots. During the fall, hibernators gobble lots of high energy food to build up fat reserves for the long winter sleep ahead. Chipmunks and squirrels get busy storing seeds and nuts to snack on till spring.

Some furry cold-weather creatures have evolved smaller extremities, such as ears. This means less energy is required for those areas, and they are less like to be frostbitten.

Materials

chalkboard or chart paper, and markers

Procedure

1. Write these headings on the chalkboard or on chart paper:

• Ways of Keeping Warm
• Food
• Shelter
• Movement
• Other Activities

2. For each heading, students are asked: how do we change as the weather gets colder? Their responses are listed under the appropriate headings.
   
   
3. Next, ask students to think of ways that wildlife adapts to cold. A similar list is made with the animals' names listed down the left-hand side. (Choose species found locally).
   
   
4. Finally, discuss the similarities and differences in how wildlife and humans get ready for winter.

Variation

1. Older students can each choose an animal and research its adaptations.
   
   
2. Create a classroom file with information gathered from the research.
   
   
3. Students can write government departments or wildlife organizations requesting information on specific species.
   
   
4. Interview community members (naturalists, biologists) to find out what animals are found locally. A class display of photos, furs, and brochures could be set up.

Extensions

1. Students can draw pictures to illustrate winter adaptations of humans and wildlife.
   
   
2. Arrange an excursion to a nearby woods during winter. Students should observe what wildlife foods are no longer available, such as berries and leaves, as well as any alternate foods like bark and buds. Students can also look for telltale wildlife clues, such as tracks, chewed branches, or droppings.

Evaluation

1. List four ways people and animals prepare for or adapt to winter.
   
   
2. Discuss some similarities in how humans and wildlife get ready for winter.

Copyright 1998 by the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
All rights reserved.