How My Body Stays Warm: A 3rd Grade Science Experiment

Not all materials are created equal. Some contain heat better than others. Help your students determine which materials hold the most heat with this science experiment made for 3rd graders.

Items you will need for this project:

1. A jar
2. T-shirt
3. Towel
4. Baby Blanket
5. Socks
6. Watch
7. Water
8. Notebook
9. Pencil
10. Yarn
11. Thermometer
12. Scissors

Follow the steps below to complete the experiment and learn about insulation:

1. You need to begin by getting a jar and filling it with water that is the same temperature as your body. To do this you will need to play around with the hot and cold spickets on your faucet. Use your thermometer to determine when the water reaches your body temperature. Body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Add the water to your jar and leave the thermometer in it.
2. Think about what clothes you use in the winter to keep yourself warm. Pick one and wrap it around the jar. Tie the item around the top of the jar, but allow the thermometer to stick out. You can use some yarn to tie the item.
3. Use your notebook to write down which item of clothing you are testing. Write the name such as sock, then write the temperature reading every five minutes. Do this for about 20 minutes.
4. Dump the water out and start over. Get your water back to 98.6 degrees and try a different piece of clothing. Do this again and again until you have tested all the pieces of clothing that you need for this experiment. Record all of your information in your notebook.
5. Write a written report based on your findings. It should include Which pieces of clothing kept the water warm for the longest? Which piece of clothing warmed up the water the fastest? What was the clothing made out of? Based on these findings what can we assume will heat up our bodies the most?
6. Add a personal touch to your report. What did you think would happen and then what actually happened. Were you surprised by anything you learned?