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Just the Bear Facts

  • Polar bears live on shores and the sea ice up near the arctic circle.

  • In 1973, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia signed an agreement to help protect the bears.

  • The polar bears’ preferred meal to eat is seals, but as the climate is rapidly changing and the ice is remelting earlier and refreezing later, they are being forced to search for less nutritious food. (Nat Geo Kids)

  • Male bears can weigh up to 1400 pounds and be around 10 feet long. Females weigh in at around 650 pounds and are around 7 feet long.

  • Polar bears live to be around 25 years old in the wild.

  • Their feet are slightly webbed to help them swim better.

  • Their hair is not white, although that is how it looks to us! Their hair is actually clear, hollow tubes that reflect the light and make them appear white.

  • Their skin is actually black and this, along with their hair, traps the sun’s heat and helps keep them warm.

  • Below the skin, is a 4 inch layer of fat that helps keep them warm, as well.

  • If you were to look at a Polar Bear with an infrared camera, you would not see them as they don’t lose any heat… invisible bears anyone (kidzone)?

Web sites Used in Blog

Make Your Own Paper Plate Polar Bear

Supplies:

  • White Paper Plate

  • Elmer’s Glue

  • Googly Eyes

  • White Paper

  • White Glitter

  • Scissors

  • Black Marker

  • Plastic Cup

  • Small Paint Brush

Directions:

Step 1: Glue the googly eyes on the bottom of the paper plate (the side you don’t eat on).

Helpful Hint: I used a glue stick for this part!

Step 2: Using the bottom of the plastic cup, trace 2 circles on the white paper and cut them out; these are the bear’s ears.

Step 3: Glue the ears to the back of the paper plate at the top.

Helpful Hint: I used a glue stick for this step as well.

Step 4: With the marker, draw a nose and mouth.

Step 5: In the cup, mix 3 parts glue with one part water, and then stir.

Step 6: Using a brush, paint the plate and ears with the glue mixture.

Step 7: Sprinkle glitter over the areas where you painted with the glue.

Helpful Hint: You may also want to add silver or blue glitter.

Step 8: Tap off the extra glitter over a trash can and let dry!

Polar Bear Books in CCPL Catalog:

Polar Bears by Hugh Roome

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World by Isabella, Juliana and Craig Hatkoff

Polar Bears by Molly Kolpin

It’s a Polar Bear by Kerry Dinmont