KidsSoup KidsSoup Membership ABC Twiggles
728x90 Banner

Polar Bears Kids Activities

Activities

Help Save the Polar Bear
Save the polar bear activity

Objectives

Children will use the scientific skills of observation, prediction, and evaluation.
Children will learn that climate change is causing ice caps to melt and makes it harder for the polar bears to find food.

Materials

 

Global Warming is reducing the amount of pack ice in the Arctic, which polar bears depend on for survival. Scientists predict that American polar bears could face extinction in the next 50 years if urgent actions aren't taken to help them survive.

Directions:

Show children on a map or a globe the North Pole. Explain that the North Pole is always frozen with ice, but because of something called “carbon emissions,” temperatures around the world are getting warmer, which is causing the polar ice cap to melt. Give each person an ice cube to hold in his/her or hands, and let them see what happens when it gets warmer. Explain that as the ice is melting it turns into water. When the ice at the North Pole melts, the water goes into the sea, and it is starting to raise the level of the sea.
 
To demonstrate what happens when the ice melts, have children pretend to be polar bears. Explain that polar bears live on the ice. When they hunt for food (seals), they travel across the ice floes. They swim from ice floe to ice floe. Polar bears are facing a big problem. Because the ice floes are melting, the bears must swim further distances to get from ice floe to another, which is very exhausting. The bears tire out easily before they can find food for themselves and their cubs. Use pages of newspaper or construction paper to represent ice floes. Play some music and have children move around, jumping from one ice floe to another. Stop the music periodically. Each time remove one ice floe— explain that the “ice” is disappearing because the temperature is getting warmer. As you remove the “ice floes,” it will get harder and harder to find somewhere to stand. Players are out if they cannot get on a piece of ice. Explain to children that polar bears are experiencing the same problem.

Extension:

Talk with children that we all can do one simple thing to help save the polar bear. Save energy. Discuss how we can save energy: turning off lights and electronic equipment like TVs, video players, stereos, and computers when you aren't using them; plant trees; and use less hot water. Show an old light bulb to children. Ask if they have these light bulbs at home. Explain to children that we can save a lot of energy if we replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb. Show a new compact fluorescent light bulb. Explain that we all can do our part to help save the polar bear by replacing at least one light bulb.

Recite the following rhyme together:

If you change five light bulbs, five light bulbs did I say?

You will save energy, on a cold winter’s day!

Give me a hand and show our world you care.

Save energy, to save the polar bear!

Let children color the Save the Polar Bear rhyme printout and let them take it home. Hand out the parent letter to each child. Make the light bulb polar bear craft with the collected old light bulbs and hand out the "I Help Save the Polar Bear Awards."

Discuss other activities to help cut down on carbon emissions such as recycling aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic, and cardboard.

For more ideas go to http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/

 

Click here to print this page

Additional Resources

Newsletter
2013

Polar Bear Puppet Craft

Polar Bear
Puppet Craft

polar bear craft


Recycled Light Bulb
Craft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change Your Light Bulbs

Regular (“incandescent”) light bulbs waste a lot of energy producing heat, not light. “Compact fluorescent” bulbs use one-quarter to one-third the energy that regular bulbs do, to produce the same amount of light.

How about a Hybrid Car?

Cars are one of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide. If your family is getting a new car soon, consider a “hybrid.” These cars run on both gas and electricity, so they get much better gas mileage, and create much less air pollution, than regular cars do.

Unplug

Cell phone and camera chargers use up almost 10 percent of the electricity in your house—even when they aren’t being used! So keep them unplugged until you need them.

Recycle-Reduce-Reuse

Recycle old, used items to make new products. Examples of things that you can recycle are glass, plastic, newspapers, aluminum cans, used motor oil, and batteries. Reduce what you use by using only what is needed, and looking for alternatives that will lessen use. Reuse an item rather than discarding or throwing it away.

Movement Activities

picture of Lilly jumping rope

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, Turn Around

With your child, recite this fun rhyme and make the movements together:

Polar bear, polar bear,
Twirl around.
Polar bear, polar bear,
Make no sound.

Polar bear, polar bear,
Dance on your toes.
Polar bear, polar bear,
Touch your nose.

Click here for more movement activities

polar bear activity

Polar Bear, Polar Bear Turn Around ...
online story

 

Polar Bear Rhyme

Marco the Polar Bear

Marco the Polar Bear, (Make circle in front of body with arms.)
White as the snow, (Extend arms out proudly.)
Sat down on the ice (Sit down.)
Near the cold water’s flow. (Shiver.)
“Lunch! I need lunch,” he said. (Rub stomach.)
“I’ll make a wish.” (Put hands together to make wish.)
He stuck in his paw (Put right hand down.)
And up it came with a fish! (Hold up right hand and smile.)
~Author Unknown