At-Home Activities: Polar Quest - Special Equipment
November 2-6
Workshop Class Activities
Craft - Igloo
Key Points – Polar Survival
Collaborative – Magnetic North
Language Arts – Drinkable Snow - writing instructions
Math/Logic – Map Scale
Prepare for Adventure – Fire Safety
Big Activity - What Makes Seasons?
Movement - Acting
At-Home Activities
Materials
• Various fiction and non-fiction books that relate to the poles
• notebook or lined paper
• pencil
• paper map
• large paper
• measuring tape
• ruler
• blank game board
• game pieces such as Legos or coins
• game cards (included, or make your own)
Reading
Various fiction and non-fiction books that relate to the poles
Writing
Copywork
"Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has yet been devised." - Cherry-Garrard
“If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it.” - Andrew Denton
Language arts lesson
Ordinal number words are words representing position or rank in a sequential order. These are words like, “first”, “second”, and "third". They may be written with numerals and letter suffixes: 1st, 2nd or 2d, 3rd or 3d, 4th, 11th, 21st, 101st, 477th, etc. See more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinal_numeral
Writing Activity
Write instructions on how to do something such as going trick-or-treating, wrapping a present, or making a sandwich. Use ordinal numbers and include illustrations.
Journaling
Journal prompt: “My favorite cartoon character is… I like him/her because...”
Math
Math Concept
Maps are compressed versions of the real world. This means that a large piece of land is recreated onto a smaller piece of paper. The relationship between the real world size of a geographic feature and its representative feature on a map is known as scale. Scale is often represented as a ratio between the real world size and the size in units on the map. More about map scale: https://www.geographyrealm.com/map-scale/
Math Project
Use a paper map to figure out the distance between points of interest. For example, with a map of your city (usually free at your city’s Chamber of Commerce), figure out how far it is to the library or a park.
Math Project
Make a map of your bedroom or your whole house. Use ¼ inch to represent one foot. Include a map scale.
Mental math
Make up some poems to help you remember math facts. For example, you can use “Six and Eight went out to skate; when they came back they were Forty-Eight.” to memorize 6 x 8 = 48. Draw pictures that can help you visualize and memorize these poems and facts.
Math games
Make a game board from scratch or print one like this one: https://assets.fellowes.com/documents/IdeaCenter/us/en/home/crafts-games/board-game-template/Fellowes_IdeaCenter-Games.pdf
Add features such as. “Lose a turn”, “Move ahead three spaces”, and “Move back two spaces”. Use the included game cards or make your own, either harder or easier than the provided cards. To play, pick a card and solve the math problem. The answer to the math problem indicates how many spaces you take on your turn. The first player to the finish wins.
Projects
Research and Report
Find the following facts and features about both Antarctica to your state:
Highest elevation
Lowest elevation
Highest temperature
Lowest temperature
Mountain ranges
Lakes or rivers
Types of vegetation
Types of animals
Largest population centers
Wilderness areas
Use the gathered information to create Facebook-type profiles for the Antarctica and your state.
Themed Fireworks Project
Draw your home escape plan on graph paper. Can you find two ways out of each room?
6-week project
Investigate, research and observe the topic you chose last week. Collect interesting information into a notebook or binder. Work on your display.
Other Ideas
Make an igloo out of sugar cubes: https://thecraftyclassroom.com/crafts/native-american-crafts-for-kids/inuit-crafts-for-kids/sugar-cube-igloo-project/
Learn hot to treat hypothermia, frostbite, and snow blindness.
Experience Denali for kids: http://pbskids.org/nova/denali/index.html
Explore magnetic north: http://www.windows2universe.org/physical_science/magnetism/north_mag_pole_interactive.html
Create an alphabet book about the tundra.
Learn more about fire safety: http://www.sparky.org/
Find the camouflaged animals: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/animals/camouflage/search/
Go to the CalFire Website for resources on how to prepare for and prevent wildfires: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/
Go to CelebrationEducation.com to find out more about:
• field trips
• in-person classes
• online classes
