| Growing Penguins | |
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| Learning Objectives/Lesson Goals | Students will learn what camouflage is and how an animal adapts to its changing environments in order to survive. |
| WHERE | Hallway |
| WHO | Classroom Volunteers |
| MATERIALS |
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| ACTIVITIES |
Possible extensions:
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| RESOURCES | Photos - located here Growing Penguins Descriptions Day 0 - (2 months after the egg was laid) This egg has started to hatch! Do you see the crack in the shell? It will take about twenty minutes for the tiny Adelie penguin to break out of this shell. Day 1 The first Adelie chick of the season has hatched. Do you see how tiny it is next to its parent? The chick has only downy black feathers which are no match against the cold Antarctic winds so it will spend a few weeks under its parents keeping warm. Day 8 These two chicks have almost doubled in size. They are snuggled up together and are having trouble fitting in the parent's incubation pouch which is their only defense against the cold. They cannot stand on their own or walk yet Day 14 This chick is two weeks old and can stand on its own! Only one chick at a time can now fit within the parent’s incubation pouch, so this chick is stuck outside while the other is under its parent. Soon both parents will be foraging for food to meet the demands of these chicks, and they will be left alone! Day 20 These chicks are getting large, but still have their downy grey feathers. When they stretch their beaks up high, like the one on the right, they are nearly as tall as the parents! They need a huge amount of food to grow this fast. At this point they are big enough to fend off attacks by birds of prey called Skuas, although some Skuas will attack them anyway. Day 26 These four chicks huddle to stay warm. The huddle is called a crèche. Staying in a crèche also protects them from birds called Skuas when their parents are away looking for food. Today it is particularly cold and windy, so the chicks have packed themselves closely and shove each other to get towards the middle where it is warmer. Day 29 The wings of this Adelie penguin have grown so long that they touch the ground when he is standing. Soon his body will grow into that wing. The chick in the right picture isn't dead; it's sleeping. He's just tired from all the eating and growing. The chicks spend much of their time sleeping. 5 ½ weeks These two Adelie penguins are about in the awkward stage between a chick and an adult. They are shedding the grey downy feathers that they had as chicks and growing the sturdy waterproof feathers that they will need as adults. Some have started in the front, some have started on their backs, Some start around their heads, and other on their wings. 8 weeks Now it is time for the Adelie chicks to test the strength of their wings in the water. The waves catch the chicks and carry them out to sea. Sometimes the chicks come swimming back, not quite ready to take the plunge; others do not return. They have made the transition to adulthood and swim out to sea. |
| NGSS | Life Science LS1.A Structure and function LS1.B Growth and development of organisms LS2.D Social interactions and group behavior LS4.C Adaptation |