Summary Activities to explore the functions of fur and feathers: for keeping warm, for floating, for staying waterproof, for camouflage. Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Activities in this lesson Fur for keeping warm Buoyancy, sinking and floating - free experimentation Fur study Feather study Paper airplanes Procedure Fur and feathers keep animals warm, help them float, keep them dry and can be coloured to help them hide in their environment. Feathers also make flight in birds possible. Choose activity stations to explore these properties of fur and feathers. Fur and feathers for warmth. Hold the bottle of iced water. Feel how cold it is. Wrap it in one of the cloths. Can you feel the cold through the cloth? Discussion: Fur traps air which stops warmth from leaving, and keeps an animal warm. Fur study and Feather study. Use a magnifier to look closely at real fur and feathers. Underfur and downy feathers keep animals warm. Long guard hairs and stiff feathers keep the snow and rain away from an animal's skin, and keep the fluffy underfur and feathers dry so that they can insulate. Discussion: Air trapped in fluffy fur and feathers stops warmth from leaving, and keep animals warm. Fur and feathers for floating Which materials float? Which materials sink? Which materials float when they are dry, but sink when they are wet? How can you combine them to float the ones that sink? Discussion: Objects can float if they have air in them. Dense fur and feathers trap air, and help animals float and swim at the surface of the water (otter, beaver, duck). Feathers for flying Paper airplanes fly for the same reason that birds fly. Make bends in paper airplane wings to show how this can change the flight path. Birds move their feathers to change their flight path. Fur and feathers for camouflage Look at pictures of animals with fur and feathers that camouflage them in their surroundings. Try these weblinks: https://www.bbcearth.com/news/8-creatures-that-are-masters-of-disguise https://www.bbcearth.com/news/meet-the-fakers-of-nature https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/wacky-weekend/article/hidden-animals Discussion: As well as keeping an animal warm and dry, fur and feathers can be coloured to help an animal hide. Fur and feathers for waterproofing Make a wax crayon drawing of an animal with fur that lives in water, Then paint over with the (water-based) paints. Watch how the watery paint runs off the waxy crayons. Discussion: Many animals oil their fur or feathers to make the water run off them. (Otter and beaver, water birds such as ducks.) Grades taught Gr K Gr 1 Gr 2
