Hot and Cold in the Canadian Wilds
Guide Book
Grade 2 – Hot and Cold Temperatures
What: 60 – 90 min tour of Penguin Plunge and the Canadian Wilds discussing hot and cold
adaptations
When: can be done year-round
Backpack contents:
Program background information and tour for teachers
Biofacts and props for use on the tour
Zoo map – with recommended stops
Item checklist
Evaluation of the program to give in with backpack
To help you find the bits you want in the information look out for the following:
Questions or activities are highlighted green.
Biofact/prop use is highlighted yellow.
Background information is highlighted blue.
Biofact Checklist
Item
Thermometers
Number of
10
Duck foot
1
Penguin feathers
Several in container
Mountain goat fur
1 piece
Mountain goat horn
1
Big horn sheep fur
1 piece
Big horn sheep horn
1
Musk ox fur
1 piece
Grizzly bear fur
1 piece
Grizzly bear claw
1
Black bear fur
2 pieces of different
colour
1
Black bear claw
notes
Grade 2 – Hot and Cold Temperatures – Zoo tour
Welcome to the Zoo! Thank you so much for trying out one of our “Backpack tours”. Everything you
need for this program should be in this bag. Hopefully, you have time to look through this before you
take the kids out on tour. We have included quite a bit of information and activity ideas. Feel free to
pick and choose the ones that fit best for your group and your timeframe. We have highlighted the
major stops if you are short on time. You must return ALL of these materials including this
paperwork when you hand this backpack back at the end of the day.
STOP “A” – Outside Penguin Plunge
Questioning:
Using thermometers in the backpack – take the outside temperature.
What type of penguin is in the outside yard today?
Where is that penguin from? (Antarctica area or Chile/Peru?) Do they like
the temperature today? Why can they be outside today?
When we go inside the building – think about how the Zoo keeps it cold in
here – all year round…
ACTIVITY – take out the giant thermometer picture and show the numbers of what each
penguin likes. Ask the kids what temperature the zoo should make the building so all the
animals are happy… (5-6 degrees Celsius)
Background Information
1.
The Zoo has 5 species of penguins
a. King Penguins – Antarctica
b. Gentoo Penguins – Antarctica and sub Antarctic islands
c. Northern and Southern Rockhopper Penguins – sub-Antarctica islands
d. Humboldt Penguins – Chile and Peru
2. Not all penguins are cold weather lovers. Humboldts don’t like temperatures colder than
5 degrees Celsius and the kings don’t like temperatures warmer than about 8 degrees
Celsius. Gentoos and rockhoppers are a bit more flexible with what temperatures they
like.
King Penguin
Gentoo Penguin
Rockhopper Penguin
Humboldt Penguin
STOP “B” – Inside Penguin Plunge
This building can be super busy and exciting – don’t spend much time talking – observe and
then return outside to discuss.
Questioning:
Take inside temperature
What types of penguins are inside today? Where are they from? Why do they like the
inside temperature?
How do they stay warm? How do the humboldts stay cool in the warm weather –Look
closely at the humboldts – do they have more or less feathers and in the same places
as the other penguins?
BIOFACTS – while kids are observing – take out the penguin feathers and duck foot to
show around and let kids touch. Get a parent or two to help so everyone can touch.
Background Information:
1.
Building is kept at 5-6 degrees Celsius year round.
a. Refrigeration unit just like a home heater to keep it cool
b. Have rotating doors so we don’t let the cool out (or warm in winter)
c. No windows so don’t let in sunlight (heat)
d. Ceiling is white to keep cool and not heat up
e. Water is kept 5-6 degrees Celsius too so doesn’t change room temperature
STOP “C” – Outside Penguin Plunge
Questioning:
So how do penguins in cold places stay warm?
How can Humboldts live in a warm place – wouldn’t they be too hot?
Background Information:
1
How do penguins stay warm?
a. Fat – a layer of fat under their skin to insulate them from the cold.
b. LOTS of feathers – form a shield from the cold weather and water. Penguins
have 10x more feathers per square inch than other birds
c. They waterproof their feathers – using oils in their body – keeping cold water
away. Did you know that when they moult or are babies they aren’t’ waterproof
and can’t go in the water or they would freeze to death?
d. Short legs - they have short legs and can tuck their feet into their tummy feathers
to keep warm.
e. Color Black – they have a black back they can face to the sun and absorb the
warmth. Black absorbs more warmth than White.
f. HUDDLE – Emperor and King penguins live in the coldest part of Antarctica and
will huddle together to stay warm.
2.
Humboldts stay cool many ways
a. They hide in burrows when really hot.
b. They have less feathers on face and feet/legs so they can release heat.
c. They swim in the ocean – which off the coast of Chile and Peru is really cold
water!
ACTIVITY – HUDDLE (CRECHE)
-
Everyone huddle together as tight as possible. Imagine it is really cold out so no
air between you.
Who is the warmest in the huddle? Who is the coldest?
What would you do to make sure everyone stays warm through the winter?
Emperor penguins will rotate in and out of the huddle constantly to keep
everyone safe. TRY IT!
This is called a crèche
STOP “D” – Big Horn Sheep / Mountain Goats
Questioning:
Which animal do you think lives in a colder place? Why?
Do they live in different parts of the World – or just different heights? Is it
colder high up in the mountains or down in the valleys?
BIOFACTS :
show fur samples of each and horns of each.
Background Information:
1. All Horns are made of keratin. The same thing as your fingernails and hair. Look
closely you can see the hairs.
2. Animals in colder climates have smaller horns – closer together than animals in
warmer climates. Look at mountain goat and big horn sheep and compare.
3. Animals that live in very snowy areas tend to be white – why? Camouflage!
STOP “E” – Musk Oxen by Cequel Energy Lodge
Questioning:
Where do you think these animals live?
Is it warm where they live or cold? Why do you guess that?
What would an animal that lives in a really HOT place look like?
Show picture of African Water buffalo – what differences do you see
BIOFACTS – show muskox fur - qiviut.
Show picture of musk ox in huddle. Show some
pictures of animals and have kids guess if from hot or cold climate.
Background Information:
1. Musk Oxen have an outer coat made of long, brown hairs and an inner coat called qiviut
which consists of wool. This is a special adaptation that helps the musk ox survive the
freezing temperatures of the tundra.
2. People collect the shed hair and make hats and scarves from it – as it is one of the
warmest materials you can get!
3. Musk ox will shed large amount of hair in summer to cool down.
4. Musk ox will huddle up in winter to keep each other warm.
5. Musk ox will fatten up in fall so that they can survive off their fat stores in winter as there
is little food. Extra fatty bodies stay warmer in winter too.
6. An animal in a really hot place might have little or no hair, might hide from the heat in
burrows or only come out in the night, they might have thick or special skin to protect
from sunburn, they might not be dark colors because that attracts heat, they might have
ways to give off heat like sweating or panting.
STOP “F” - Grizzly Bears in the Canadian Wilds
Questioning:
Do you think bears are built for hot or cold weather? Why?
How do they stay warm in winter?
How do they stay cool in summer?
BIOFACTS – show the grizzly bear fur piece with 2 different types of hair.
Pass around
grizzly bear claw – very large for digging. Show Black bear fur and claws – their claws are for
climbing
Black bear vs Grizzly
Background Information:
1. Bears are typically cold weather animals – hence the large volume of fur on their
bodies. They have two layers of fur. The short fluffy stuff to keep warm and the
long grizzled hair to keep off snow, rain and dirt.
2. Bears will shed much of their thick fur in summer to “thin out” and be cooler
3. Bears will find ways to escape extreme weather – they hide in dens in winter –
they stay warm and don’t waste energy being up and about. Not all bears will den
– depends on the type of bear. Tropical bears do not.
4. Grizzly bears will also dig out areas of dirt to sit it – keeps nice cool ground on
their stomachs. Do you see depressions around the enclosure?
5. Bears will go into water to cool down – see we have a little pool for them.