Daisy, Brownie, Junior World Thinking Day Award Activity
Find Out About Melting Glaciers
Explore how glaciers are affected by climate change and create a model to show what happens when glaciers melt.
Activity Details
Time needed: 30-45 minutes
Materials needed:
- Clay
- Measuring cup
- Butter knife
- Two clear plastic or glass containers (approximately 2¼ cups in size)
- Colored tape
- Tap water
- Ice cubes
Setup: Twenty thousand years ago, much of the United States was covered in glaciers. A glacier is a large area of ice that covers land and remains frozen for many years. Can you imagine our country being mostly ice? Well, it was.
But because of climate change, we have a warmer climate and far fewer glaciers. That might seem okay, but our entire planet is heating up too much and too fast. This creates problems for plants, animals, and humans, and it makes our weather more extreme. For example, our seasons' highs and lows are more intense than we’re used to, and we also have more hurricanes and floods.
Many things we do as humans create greenhouse gases that warm the Earth. This is mainly caused by activities like using gas to drive cars, burning forests to farm on or to build cities, and burning coal for electricity. All that burning creates gases that trap heat from the sun.
We can start to help only if we make changes to the way we live. Some of these helpful changes might include refilling water from a tap into a reusable cup instead of drinking from disposable water bottles, turning off lights when you are not using them, walking or riding a bike instead of driving, reducing your food waste, and using fewer plastic and paper products.
Scientists tell us that we’re seeing a rise in the temperature of the ocean’s surface that’s caused by more heat trapped in Earth’s atmosphere. As Earth’s average temperature increases, the ice in the North and South Poles begins to melt. Let’s do an activity to learn more about these melting glaciers!
Activity:
For this activity, you’ll need at least one friend to help you learn about melting glaciers. If you are earning your World Thinking Day Award with your troop or group, you can split into two smaller groups. You’ll need clay, a measuring cup, a butter knife, two clear plastic or glass containers (approximately 2¼ cups in size), colored tape, tap water, and ice cubes.
Group 1: You’ll create a model of the South Pole with your container. Place one cup of clay in the container. The clay represents the continent of Antarctica. Leave space around the clay so you can pour water in later. Use the butter knife to smooth out the top of the clay. Carefully add 1/4 cup of water. The water is the ocean. Place two ice cubes on top of the clay and press down lightly. The ice cubes represent the polar ice sheets. Right away, mark the water level on the side of the container with the colored tape.
Group 2: You’ll create a model of the North Pole. Fill your container to about 1/3 to 1/2 with water. That water is the ocean. Add two ice cubes to the container. The cubes are the floating polar ice cap. Mark the water level on the side of the container with the colored tape.
Both groups should then wait for the ice to melt. Then measure the difference in either container.
With both groups, or with your friends or family, talk about these questions:
Has the water level risen in either container?
What do you think happened to the land—Antarctica in the South Pole—and the polar ice cap in the North Pole?
In the North Pole, as floating ice melts, the water level should not increase because the ice absorbs into the water. In the South Pole, when an ice sheet is on a landmass, the water level should rise. Even the smallest rise in sea levels could cause flooding in our coastal areas. How do you think melting ice might affect the area where you live (or not)?
