International Polar Bear Day is February 27th

International Polar Bear Day is February 27th. It is also called National Polar Bear Day. Polar bears are in great trouble. With the warming of the Arctic waters, there are less ice sheets for polar bears to use to  hunt seals. On this day, people are asked to try and reduce their carbon footprint. 

In the News: Polar Bears Come to Town!

Last week, residents of Guba, Siberia,had a group of unwelcome visitors. The community of 2000 had 52 polar bears come to town. The huge polar bears were searching open garbage dumps for food. With global warming, there is less ice for the polar bears to use to search for food, their favorite being seals, so the bears migrated into Guba. The polar bears have gotten into several office buildings pushing doors and windows to gain entrance. The polar bears have also been spotted near the local schools. Noise and dogs are being used to try and scare the large group of polar bears. The residents are also trying stun grenades. Thus, far, nothing has worked. A Russian law forbids the killing of polar bears.

Photograph from scmp.com. 

Your Turn:
1. What might be a way to get rid of the polar bears?
2. What would you do if you came upon a polar bear?
3. What are TWO facts you know about polar bears(not found in the paragraph above)?
4. Draw a picture of a polar bear and write a paragraph pretending to be a polar beard tell about what you see, hear, smell, etc. as you walk around Guba, Siberia.
5. Use a world map and locate the country of Russia and specifically the area called Siberia. Write 4 facts learned about Russia from the world map.

Fun Facts about Polar Bears:
1. Ursus maritimus is the correct term for polar bears. They are carnivores and the world's largest LAND carnivores? What does this mean?
2. Greenland, Norway, Canada, the United States and Russia are countries which have polar bears.
3.  Polar bears have 42 VERY sharp teeth!
4.  Very intelligent, polar bears can smell food 20 miles away! 
5. Polar bears are very good swimmers and spend much of their time in the water.
6. Underneath their white fur, a polar bear has BLACK skin which helps absorb heat and helps them stay warm.
7. A male polar bear can stand 10 ft. tall!  Polar bear, which can weigh over 1200 pounds, can also run 25 mph.
8. A polar bear can stay underwater for about 1 minute.
9. Polar bears can swim up to. six miles per hours.
10. Polar bears do NOT hibernate like other bears. 

Learn about polar bears with this internet activity: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Polar-Bears-A-Webquest-604797