Awesome Antarctica

Antarctica, its icy landscapes, its cool colours, its dramatic scenery and stunning wildlife, is one of the most beautiful and wild places in the world. But this polar world is changing and we need to do something now to prevent that change from going too far. At a very simple level, it is about reducing how much we pollute and take from our world and trying to live more sustainably.

This section is all about the awesome sights of Antarctica, and what we can do to help stop them disappearing forever.

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Lesson 1: Frozen Senses
Literacy & ICT
This activity is about appreciating how extreme cold might feel, how it might affect our senses and how we might, like the emperor penguins, survive.    

Lesson 2: Following in the footsteps of Scott
Maths
Antarctica is a huge continent, bigger than Australia, the United States and even Europe. Walking from the edge to the centre takes an extremely long time and is a journey fraught with dangers with deep crevasses and extreme weather conditions to overcome.    

Lesson 3: Rising Tides
Science
The Antarctic and the Arctic are different. The Antarctic is a frozen continent with a land mass under the ice. The Arctic is a frozen sea with water under the ice. The word Arctic comes from the ‘arktos’, meaning ‘bear’ because polar bears live there. The word Antarctic means ‘the opposite of the land of the bear’ because no polar bears live there …although lots of penguins do! The Antarctic Ocean is full of beautiful, silent shapes in the form of icebergs. 80% or more of icebergs are hidden below the water’s surface. Where does all this ice come from?    

Lesson 4: The Last True Wilderness
Geography
Relatively unexplored as it is, there are still plenty of places to get to know in and around Antarctica. Many of these places have been named after famous explorers. This lesson introduces the different places in Antarctica and where they are on this frozen continent.    

Lesson 5: The 3 Rs of Respect
Inspire to Action
In this section we will explore the meaning of the value of Respect. Use the questions below to stimulate discussion and reflection on this value.