Snow Facts: Very Cool

At the start of this journey seven weeks ago we read a lot about the earliest Americans, the native people, and how they learned to survive by living in harmony with the land. With so many modern conveniences today it’s hard for the kids to relate to the dangers and obstacles that young native Americans faced every day. But reading about the brutal cold of Antarctica reminds us how dangerous the natural elements can be and we learn about many explorers who did not survive the Antarctic climate. The scientists who spend time there for research have to be very careful in order to stay safe and warm.

Originally we had planned to make snow globes as our craft project this week, but we quickly learned that very little snow actually falls in Antarctica (with less than 2 inches of precipitation a year, it’s technically a dessert!). The large amounts of ice and snow there are the accumulation of thousands of years of snow that has not been able to melt. From the book Snow Amazing we learn about the stages of snow development, from dust particle in the air, to ice crystal in the clouds, to snow flake as it falls to the ground. Glaciers: Ice on the Move teaches us how that snow flake if it survives one summer without melting and has lost at least half of its air becomes Firn. From there it turns to an Icy Grain and eventually, with less than 20% air it becomes Glacial Ice. According to the book, it can take fern as much as 3,500 years to become glacial ice in Antarctica, because of the extreme cold and lack of snowfall, whereas the process can occur inside of 50 years in Alaska where the temperature varies a lot more.

In place of snow globes we cut out some simple snow flakes. We see several examples of real snow flakes magnified. And think they are so interesting to look at.

While real snowflakes are almost always 6-sided symmetrical shapes, ours are a bit different! We start by folding a square piece of paper twice over into a triangle.

The kids come up with their own patterns as they cut shapes out of the sides.

AZ adds zig zag lines to hers.

CZ finds a mustache in hers!

HZ decides to cut along the inside instead of the outer edge!

The finished project…

Since this is our last installment, CZ has decided  that she would like to write a part of the blog today. (Great job CZ!) Here it is:

We decide to focus on the cold climate of Antarctica for our last week of Globe Scouts. We turn to the book Life Under Ice by Mary M. Cerullo to find out more about Antarctica’s freezing cold water. As we flip through the book we find a topic that grabs our attention, Why Doesn`t The Ocean Freeze? We find out that the temperature of Antarctica`s water is around 29 F and water turns to ice at 32 F, so why doesn’t it freeze?? We start brainstorming ideas of why it doesn`t freeze. After a few ideas AZ thinks it might be because the ocean water is salt water. When we look at the book again we see that FRESH water freezes at 32F and SALT water freezes at 28 F. The salt gets in the way of the water molecules joining to form ice.  After that we think what would it be like to swim in the water there? Then we wonder what it would be like to go to Antarctica? And finally we come up with our creative writing. What Would You Pack If You Went To Antarctica?

My sister says……

1. Coat

2. Candy

3. Hat

4. Mittens

5. A LOT OF FOOD

6. Notebook

7. Swimming Stuff

8. Leg Warmers

9. Phone

10. Blanket

I would pack:

1. American Flag with Long Pole

2. Lots and Lots of Sweatshirts Jackets ETC

3. Tent

4. Sleeping Bag

5. Hot Cocoa

6. Soup, Soup, Soup and Soup

7. Ice Cream

8. Plastic Containers

9. Water

10. Clothes

We also write a journal page from our pretend trip to the South Pole. It would be exciting to go there but I don’t think it would be the top on my list! Paris would 🙂 –CZ

South Pole Sweets: Snow Cap Crunch

For our cooking project this week we know we will have to come up with something frozen. It’s Antarctica after all! So ice cream is the obvious choice and the kids excited to think up a flavor that will reflect the South Pole’s arctic climate. We are also happy to read that ice cream is the perfect choice because it is a favorite treat among the scientists that are stationed in Antarctica, according to the book Continents: Antarctica. Visitors to Antarctica burn a tremendous amount of calories (up to 6000 on average) because their bodies are burning additional calories to stay warm while they work outside. Divers burn even more calories because they are swimming in near freezing water. As a result, scientists consume quite a bit more calories in Antarctica then they would back home, and ice cream is one of the most popular choices when they are back at the research station. Chocolate bars are the meal of choice when they are out on the ice!

We decide to call our ice cream Snow Cap Crunch.Vanilla ice cream with Sno Caps and Andes Candies for that arctic chill. Here’s how we make it:

First we freeze the canister for the ice cream maker over night. We make sure that all of our ingredients are cold and ready to combine.

Add 1-1/2 cups of whole milk, 1-1/8 cups of granulated sugar, 3 cups of heavy cream and 1-1/2 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract to the ice cream maker.

Turn it on and watch it start to mix up the ingredients.

Set the timer for 30 minutes. This is what it looks like a few minutes in…

While it’s mixing get the candy ready…

We sample the Sno Caps. Yum!

And dice up the Andes Candies. We think HZ is going to be a chef one day because he can chop like a pro!

Toss the toppings into the ice cream while it churns (and after at least 30 minutes).

This is what it looks like about 35 minutes in…

Ready for a quick sample! The rest will need to go into a container to freeze overnight.

And here’s what it looks like the next day:

Yum!!! The kids wish they could be scientists on Antarctica and eat ice cream every day too!

Ice Breakers

Almost no creatures are able to live in Antarctica all year long. The largest is an insect that measures less than half an inch. But this wasn’t always the case. Millions of years ago, when the continent is thought to have been attached to Australia, dinosaurs roamed a much warmer Antarctica. We know this because several dinosaur fossils have been uncovered from deep in the ice of Antarctica. In the book Arctic & Antarctic we see some impressive examples of fern and shellfish fossils that also point to a warmer climate at one time. Today, the only plants that can survive are lichens, liverworts and mosses.

We decide to play paleontologist for a day. I start by filling a large plastic container with ice cubes and some small plastic dinosaurs (I put them in upside down so that they will be right side up when we flip the container over).

Cover the dinosaurs with some more ice and fill with cold water. Set inside a freezer for at least a few hours.

Remove the block of ice from the container and flip upside down onto a baking sheet.

Now for the fun part: the kids take turns trying to break the ice.

We know that in Antarctica some of the sheets of ice are 2.5 miles deep! The kids can’t imagine trying to break through that. Chips are flying off but the ice is much harder to break than we thought it would be.

HZ gets a chuck off and spots a dinosaur…

They take turns scraping away at the top layer…

We resort to a kitchen mallet..

Which does the trick! Our first dinosaur uncovered…

Next CZ gives it a try…

Success!

HZ is using all his might!

After lots of whacks! A little T-rex…

Now they are really getting the hang of it and the ice is melting a bit..

AZ and HZ create icebergs and set the dinosaurs off to drift on them!

Scientific Study: Global Warming

Scientists from all over the world have spent time in Antarctica studying the ozone layer and our changing climate. From an interesting book called How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate we learn more about Global Warming and the effect that an increased production of fossil fuels is having on our environment. In the book we read about the ways that children are helping scientists to track the changes in climate and weather patterns. In New York, children track the migration of birds and compared their results to similar data from 50 years ago. They notice that birds are migrating 3 weeks earlier than they once did. Similarly, flowers are blooming several days earlier than they did only a couple of decades ago. In Antarctica, scientists keep track of the warming trends and note that the glaciers are rapidly receding.

After gymnastics today, we decide to make our own global warming experiment and see if we can recreate the greenhouse effect. Here’s how we do it:

We take two clear containers of the same size and fill them with some sand.

Add the same amount of rocks to each container:

Pour water into each container.

And add a little bit of ice.

Measure each container to make sure that they are the same temperature and then cover one container tightly with plastic wrap.

Now let the containers get some sun and wait a little while. The covered container will replicate the effect that an increase in CO2 might have on our climate. An increase in CO2 (from the burning of fossil fuels) warms the earth’s atmosphere by absorbing heat from the sun as it bounces off the earth’s surface. We give it some time and then HZ is anxious to take the temperature of each container. After about 30 minutes we note a one degree difference…

We wait some more and then take another measurement. After 2 hours the uncovered container measures 70 degrees…

And the covered container measures 73 degrees!

After another 2 hours we take the temperature again and find the same 3 degree difference. Very interesting!

Week 7–Antarctica–Brrr!

We can’t believe that it is already here–our last week of continents. The weeks have flown by, and so has our summer. Luckily we saved the coolest continent for last and the kids are excited to learn about life (what little there is) on Antarctica.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest (it’s actually considered a desert), and windiest continent on Earth. From our children’s atlas we learn that 98% of the continent is covered in ice and snow, and each winter the continent doubles in size as the coastal water freezes around it. Because of the extreme weather conditions, and the lack of permanent civilization, we expect it to be challenging to find children’s books on Antarctica, but are happy to come across several at our library. Actually we find more books on Antarctica than we did on many of the countries in Asia and Africa:

From Continents: Antarctica we learn interesting facts about its climate. According to the book, if Antarctica’s ice sheets melted, the oceans of the earth would rise by about 215 feet! (The kids don’t like the sounds of this, as we live so close to the water!) Like Australia, the seasons on Antarctica are opposite ours because it sits in the southern hemisphere. Winter can reach lows of -94 degrees and summers barely makes it above 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes! Nonetheless there is one hot spot and that’s Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s active volcano. We wonder what it would be like for the volcano to erupt and have molten lava pour over the mountains of ice. The kids debate whether the lava would freeze or the ice would melt…

The frigid climate make it impossible for humans to inhabit the continent long term, but there is evidence that our ancestors were aware of the cold land and in 10 AD Ptolemy named it Terra Australis Incognita, which translates to “unknown southern land.” Later it was named Antarctica which means “opposite of the bear” in Greek. The Bear (Ursa Major) is a constellation in the northern hemisphere. In the 17 and 1800’s explorers came close enough to see the icebergs of Antarctica, but it wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that humans successfully reached and travelled across the continent. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first person to step foot on the south pole. He reached it on December 14, 1911 and left a Norwegian flag on the spot.

Since then many scientists have spent time on Antarctica studying the earth’s atmosphere and our Great Uncle is one of them. In fact he has a mountain named after him! It is located between the lower David Valley and Bartley Glacier in the Asgard Range of Victoria Land. We look it up on the internet and find a Norwegian weather website that gives us today’s weather on the mountain: current temp. Brrrr!

The kids spend some time reading through some of the books we’ve taken out of Antarctica and we think about crafts and projects we can do for the week ahead. We will have to get a little creative for Antarctica, which is always fun!

Aussie Eats: Shrimp on the Barbie

Our cooking project this week is an obvious choice for Australia–shrimp on the barbie! The kids think it’s cool to say barbie and I think it’s cool that they going to give shrimp a try. This is a simple recipe and since HZ didn’t get to participate in the word search activity yesterday he’s going to help prepare the shrimp without the girls today.

We start with 16 shrimp…

HZ chops some parsley into small pieces and sprinkles some (about 2 tablespoons) over the shrimp. We also add about a tablespoon of minced garlic and toss them together in a bowl.

Next some fresh black pepper…

1/8 cup of olive oil…

And a good squeeze of lemon…

Mix it all up…

And carefully skewer four shrimp at a time

Now they are “barbie”-ready and while they cook and cool we read some great storybooks set in Australia. Who’s Upside Down is new to us but it’s written by Crockett Johnson, the author of Harold and the Purple Crayon, and had a similar quality. For a simple story it’s quite clever and thought-provoking. A good one!

CZ says the Biggest Frog in Australia is her favorite so far and Rainbow Bird tells a great Aborigine folktake that reminds us how important fire was to the Australian Aboriginals. They used fire to prepare the land for farming, to communicate with each other over distances (smoke signals), to clear paths, to kill poisonous snakes, and to cook their food…And this bring us back to the BBQ and our shrimp…Served with a squeeze of fresh lemon…

The girls love them! Great job HZ!

Animals of the Outback

To the kids, the most famous Australians are the koala bears and kangaroos! We learn some cool things about them and all the other animals of the outback from the fact-filled book Australia’s Amazing Birds and Animals.

We decide to have some fun with the book and make it into a game.

First the girls take turns reading sections to each other.

And then each pick a type of word game to make for the other.

AZ picks her 10 favorite animals and hides them in a word search.

CZ decides to make a crossword puzzle and uses her favorite animal fun facts as clues. The finished product:

And AZ’s:

Now for the fun part! Solving each others!

HZ wants to get in on the fun.

Both puzzles are actually pretty challenging! Good job girls!

Here are some cool things that we learned about Australian animals:
-Koalas are marsupials just like kangaroos and they also carry their babies in a pouch but their pouch opens backwards to protect the baby from tree branches, since koalas spend almost all of their time in eucalyptus trees.

-A platypus is a monotreme, a rare form of mammal that lays eggs. The male platypus has a poison spur in each of his hind legs.

-The frogmouth bird is nocturnal and camouflages itself to look like a tree stump during the day as protection.

-There are over 100 types of snakes in Australia but the longest is the pipe on that can grow to over 20 feet in length.

-The flying fox is actually a bat that gets its name from its pointy ears and nose.

-Small wallabies and padmelon can look like rats but hop upright on their hind legs like kangaroos.

-While the Australian marsupials rear one baby a season, estuarine crocodile can lay up to eighty eggs at a time!

Aboriginal Arts and Crafts

Australian aboriginals made beautiful beaded jewelry by stringing together shells, bones or painted rocks. They used ochre, in varying tones, mixed with water to paint the rocks, and also to paint their skin. We see some great examples of this in Festivals of the World: Australia. We decide to make our own necklaces out of shells and head to the beach to find some pretty ones…

It’s a great day for the beach…

And the little islands in the distance remind us a bit of the islands of Australia…

HZ puts his Mickey glasses on to help him spot some good shells…

The tide is low so many of the shells we find still have someone living them!

Check out all of these clams…

And one horseshoe crab in the rocks!

We find lots of good shells in the marsh…

And some smooth rocks to save for painting another day

After dinner and a long day at the beach we pour out our shells and give them a good wash…

Out of the soapy water crawls a little crab!!

Once we have washed all the shells and carefully poked a hole through them with a nail and hammer (and set the crab up in a temporary home!) we’re ready to make some necklaces…

We use a mixture of shells and beads.

CZ pays tribute to Australia with hers..

It’s tricky to string the shells without breaking them so the kids take their time…

The finished product..Ready to wear!

Dreamtime: A Dreamy beginning

The Aborigines are thought to have arrived in Australia by boat some 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. From the interesting book The First Peoples of Australia: The Aboriginal Peoples we learn a lot about their history and culture. The term ab origine is latin for “from the beginning” and the Aboriginies in Australia are known to be the first inhabitants of the country. These native Australians were grouped into about 250 tribes with different names and languages. The Koori people came from Koori lands, for example, and the Murri people lived in what is now Queensland.The name Aborigine was given to the natives by the British when they first settled in Australia in the late 1700’s.

When the British arrived in Australia they quickly found conflict with the natives and using more sophisticated weapons (guns vs boomerangs and spears!) were able to defeat the Aborigines with ease. Within 50 years of the British invasion, the Aborigine population was reduced to one tenth of what it had been. By the 19th century, English settlers had established their own rules, religion and social practices, just like they had when they settled in North America.

The Aboriginal people were not treated as equals and were only allowed to live in certain areas. It was not until 1967 that they were considered to be Australian citizens. To recognize the unfair treatment of the Aborigines since the British arrival, a national annual holiday called Sorry Day was established in 1998 and is celebrated every May 26th. (We like the idea of Sorry Day and think we should adopt it!) Today there are about 250,000 Aborigines living throughout Australia and Tasmania, although many of them live a modern lifestyle and only some have kept to the traditional bark huts and living off the land.

From Exploration in Australia we learn more about the Aborigine beliefs. We read about Dreamtime, the beginning of time, according to the Aborigines, when the spirits of their ancestors came from the sky and created the mountains, rivers, and the people and animals of the land. Once the spirits had brought life to the earth they returned to the sky and the Aborigines paid tribute to these spirits as the basis for their religion through stories, song and dance. They also took special care of the natural elements they found especially sacred, like the mountains. Over the last several weeks we have read about many different religious beliefs but the kids especially like the idea of Dreamtime!

Because the climate varies throughout the country different Aborigine tribes needed different types of clothes–some wearing only small cloths or skirts made of leaves, while others wearing warmer outfits made of animal skins. Many of the tribes adorned themselves with jewelry made of feathers or sea shells. The girls think this sounds pretty and it inspires our craft for tomorrow!

Australia–Week 6–G’day Mate!

We start week 6 feeling a bit of relief that we are on to Australia — with so many fewer counties and cultures than Asia, Africa and Europe, we think it will be a bit more manageable to learn about in a week! Afterall, we share the same language and much the same traditions and cuisine. But things take a bit of turn when we pull out the atlases and globe…

We know that Australia is both a country and a continent, but learn that the continent is sometimes called Sahul, Australinea or Meganesia, to include the neighboring islands, which were once a part of the main island of Australia (Officially called the Commonwealth of Australia), until the land broke away thousands of years ago. From The Children’s World Atlas we learn that New Zealand and some of the nearby islands technically sit on a mainly submerged continent called Zealandia. Zealandia and the greater area of Australia combine into a region called Oceania or Australasia. Getting a bit more complicated than we thought!

For now we keep it simple and focus on the country of Australia. And actually the country itself keeps things straightforward by dividing along straight lines of longitude and latitude into 6 states–Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the island of Tasmania. The terrain and culture are similar to America’s in many ways. There are dry areas in the center of the country (called the outback), and warmer areas by the coast. There are modern cities and smaller suburbs and towns, and lots of farming area. Just like in America, the British claimed and settled in Australia several hundred years ago and brought with them their traditions and religion. Although in Australia, it wasn’t until the early 1900’s that the six British colonies federated and became one nation, with the colonies officially becoming the states of the Commonwealth of Australia.

While there are many similarities between the US and Australia, it’s easy to spot some differences. From a fun book called Top to Bottom Down Under we read about some of them. As we already know, the water swirls the opposite direction when you flush the toilet in Australia. This, the kids think, is a little bit cool, but they think it’s a lot more cool to read about the trees that lose their bark each winter instead of their leaves. And then there are the birds that live in underground holes, like moles, and can swim under water like fish, but can not fly. And the seasons, which are completely reversed from ours. Christmas is celebrated at the beach! Since December is so cold for us in the northeast, this is starting to sound a bit like a Dr Seuss world to the kids!

We also learn that the English in Australia has many words that we might not be familiar with. Like hooroo means good-bye, jumbuck means sheep, and oldies means parents! We decide to say hooroo to Australia for the night and look forward to learning more about it tomorrow 🙂