Minds On
Let’s warm up!
Don’t forget to do your safety check!
Warm up
Warm up
Find a comfortable spot. Let’s take a big breath in and then out. Try breathing five times. Ready? Let’s go!
- Get in a comfortable position whether it is lying down or sitting.
- Close your eyes.
- Slowly inhale through your nose.
- Then hold the breath for a few seconds.
- Slowly exhale through your mouth.
- Repeat the breathing for five breaths.
Access this audio recording entitled “Breathing Warm up” to experience a guided warm up.
Breathing Warm up
Let’s get started!
In the story Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk, the animals all come to visit Kulu. They bring gifts for Kulu and play with Kulu.
Some of these animals are:
- caribou
- beluga whale
- arctic fox
- arctic hare
- polar bears
These are called Arctic animals, which live in the region called the Inuit Nunangat. They all have their homes in different parts of the Inuit Nunangat. It is important to remember that not all Inuit homelands are in the Arctic.
Did You Know?
Did you know
In Canada, the Inuit homeland is called Inuit Nunangat, which includes Nunavut, Inuvialuit (the coasts of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon), Nunavik (Northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut (Newfoundland and Labrador).
The Inuit are original people from the Arctic and northern regions of Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Greenland.
Inuktitut is a language spoken by the Inuit.
As we work towards Truth and Reconciliation, information about lands and territories is constantly being updated. This map was created using information available as of March 2022 from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
A map of the Inuit Nunangat across the provinces and territories of Canada. The Inuvialuit territory covers a small portion of northern Yukon and the islands in the northern half of the Northwest territory. The Nunavut territory is in Nunavut. The Nunavik territory covers northern Quebec. The Nunatsiavut territory is found in northern Labrador.
Do you know any facts about Arctic animals? Which animal would you like to know more about?
Share your ideas with a partner, if possible.
Action
Get ready, get set…
Arctic animals have different types of fur and feathers to help them stay warm and camouflage themselves. Press ‘Camouflage’ to learn its definition.
Camouflage is the use of colours or patterns in fur or feathers to hide in the environment.
Go!
Which animal would you like to learn more about?
Choose an animal from the list below. Learn one fact about the animal you chose. You may record your fact using a method of your choice. Try to use your own words to record your fact.
Press the following tabs to learn about Arctic animals and camouflage.
Snow buntings are a type of bird. Their feathers change in the winter to white with some grey and black on their back and tail. This helps snow buntings hide in the snow and ice.
Snow buntings eat seeds and plant buds and insects on the ground.
They build their nests in between rocks with grass and moss, fur, and feathers.
The Arctic hare is bigger than a rabbit and it has longer back legs and longer ears. They are very fast. They can run up to 40 miles an hour!
In the winter, they have thick white fur that helps them to hide and keep them warm. In the spring, their fur changes to a blue-gray to blend into rocks and plants.
They eat plants, moss, and lichen in the winter. They eat plant buds, berries, leaves, roots, and bark in the summer.
Arctic foxes have white coats, which help them hide against the ice and snow.
Check out this video of an Arctic fox running around in the snowy winter landscape.
When the snow melts, their fur changes into a brown or gray to help it hide against the rocks and plants.
The Arctic fox has furry bottomed paws, short ears, and a short snout.
Arctic foxes dig into the snow to make their homes. These are called burrows.
Arctic char are usually dark brown with a silver back and some light spots. On their belly, they can be white, red, pink, or orange. They can change their colour when the weather changes.
Arctic char can live for as long as 40 years.
Arctic char eat shrimp and small insects when they are young. When they are adults, they eat plankton and small fish.
Seals can stay underwater for 15 minutes before they come back up for air.
They eat fish, lobsters, crabs, and shrimp.
Harp seals have sharp teeth and strong flippers to help them swim.
Young seals have fluffy white fur. When they get older, they grow a dark mark on their back and sides and their fur turns yellow and/or gray.
Harp seals can live up to 20 years.
The narwhal has a tooth that grows out of its head. This is called a tusk. The tusk can grow to almost three metres for male narwhals!
Narwals eat other animals like fish, shrimp, and squid.
Narwhals like to travel in large groups. Groups of hundreds or even thousands have been seen swimming together!
The beluga is one of the smallest kinds of whales.
Belugas live together in small groups called “pods.”
Belugas speak to each other with clicks, whistles, and clangs. Belugas can also copy different kinds of sounds.
They eat fish, shrimp, lobsters, and crabs.
Musk oxen have lived in the Arctic for many thousands of years. They have two layers of hair that helps keep them warm. The outside hairs are called “guard hairs.” The inside hair is the “undercoat.”
When the weather changes and gets warm, this undercoat falls out so that the musk oxen don’t get too hot.
Musk oxen eat roots, mosses, and lichen.
Musk oxen travel in groups called herds.
Caribou eat grasses and plants in the summer and lichen and mushrooms in the winter.
Their hooves look like a big scoop on the bottom, which helps them dig for food.
Caribou travel in groups called herds. They travel north in the summer and then south in the winter.
Adult caribou can eat about 5 kilograms of food every day!
Polar bears can swim fast using their big front paws.
They spend a lot of time in the water, but also travel using floating sheets of ice.
They eat seals and hunt by waiting for a seal to come out of the water. They also hunt by swimming underneath the ice.
Their fat or blubber keeps them warm in the icy water.
The Inuit and Arctic animals
Many of the Arctic animals are a source of food, vitamins, and minerals for the Inuit. The Inuit show love and care for the animals, each living on the land together.
When the Inuit hunt an animal, they use every part of the animal. This is a way of showing the animal respect.
The animals give the Inuit food, clothing, tools, and instruments.
Explore the following illustrations to learn how the Inuit use parts of the caribou.
A caribou with arrows pointing to parts of the body that can be turned into many different things. The antlers can be used as sled anchor, thimble, and bow and arrow. The body can be used for artiggi & koolitak, fish lines, harpoon lines, thread, pants, socks, tattooing, kayak, lamp fat, scraper, tent, hunting bag, gun case, bucket, clothes bag, sleeping bag & skins, boots, mitts, drum, lashings, dog packs, and dog traces and harness.
What are some of the different ways the Inuit use parts of the caribou?
Consolidation
Putting it all together
Select your animal and draw a picture of the animal. Write a few words to describe, or decide what the animal might try and tell you.
Complete All About My Animal Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.
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My animal is a (Blank) |
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My animal looks like… |
My animal is interesting because… |
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My animal might try and tell me… |
My animal might is important to the Inuit because… |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the All About My Animal Chart.
Portfolio
Drama portfolio
Consider adding the answers to the following reflection questions to your drama portfolio.
- What have you learned about the animal you chose?
- What else would you like to know about your Arctic animal?
Share your thoughts with a partner, record your ideas using pictures or words, or create an audio clip.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.