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Norm of the North.

What happens when a polar bear and his three Lemming friends decide to go to New York City to stop a land developer from destroying their home?  Coming January 15th, 2016, Norm of the North movie is showing in theatres nationwide and our kids are excited to view it.  As movie goers, we usually do crafts or something fun related to the topic at hand.  This time we are doing a Polar Bear science experiment and a Polar Bear drawing. Continue reading to find fun activities that will inspire you to love Polar Bears.

Norm of the North

We drew our best "polar bear" art! We used crayons, pencils and our imagination to make our best Polar Bear pictures!  We discussed polar bear facts and made a fun educational game out of it.  

Did you know that Polar Bears: 
  1. In the wild, polar bears live an average of 15 to 18 years, although biologists have tagged a few bears in their early 30s. In captivity, some long-lived bears reach their mid- to late 30s. Debby, a captive bear in Canada, lived to be 42 years old. 
  2. Polar bears live across the Arctic. There are five nations with polar bears: U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia,Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark), and Norway (Svalbard). Polar bears do not live in Antarctica.
  3. Polar bears have black skin and although their fur appears white, it is actually transparent. 
  4. The largest carnivore (meat eater) that lives on land. 
  5. Polar bears use sea ice as a platform to hunt seals. 
  6. Polar bears diet is mostly eating seals. 
  7. Male polar bears can weigh up to 680 kg (1500 lb). 
  8. Female polar bears are thinner than the males by half. 
  9. Polar bears spend most of their time at sea. 
  10. Scientists estimate that there are around 20,000 polar bears. 
  11. Polar bears have 42 teeth. 
  12. The scientific name for the polar bear is ‘ursus maritimus’. 
  13. Polar bears keep warm thanks to nearly 10 cm of blubber under the skin. 
  14. Polar bears have an excellent sense of smell, with the ability to detect seals nearly a mile away.Polar Bear Science
We also had a little fun with a Polar Bear Science experiment.  The goal was to find out how a Polar Bear Paw experiences the cold.  First, we filled a bowl with ice and cold water.  We put our hands in the cold bowl of ice water and counted up to 20.  We all had freezing hands after this step.  Next, we used a Ziploc bag and placed Lard (Crisco) inside.  Then, we placed another Ziploc bag inside the first by flipping it inside out and zipping the two bags together.   You should have a sealed pouch with the lard in between the two bags.  For an extra layer, we wore a plastic glove as well however this is not required.  We put our hands inside the Ziploc bag and placed it into the cold, ice water.  Each person took turns dunking our gloved hand into the ice water with the lard being used as a layer.  The temperature was very different with the layer of Lard.  It was much warmer and we could weather the cold far easier.  We all had a good laugh about the blubber.


We hope that you go and watch Norm of the North and enjoy a great movie adventure. The activities above are meant to capture your inner Polar Bear spirit. See you at the movies!!!


Disclaimer: Media post. We have been invited to view the movie a few days before it opens. Visit the Norm of the North website. No polar bears were injured in the making of this post. 

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