Hey there! It’s almost winter where Squeaks and I live, and it’s starting to get really cold outside. That means it’s time to wear our jackets, mittens, and hats. Have you ever noticed that when you get too cold, you start to shiver? It happens to me too! Shivering might not feel great, but it’s actually an important way for our bodies to stay warm.
No matter how hot or cold it is outside, the inside of our bodies needs to stay at about the same temperature. This helps our bodies work properly. Our bodies have special ways to keep our temperature just right. For example, when we get too hot, we sweat, which cools us down. Shivering is the opposite of sweating; it helps warm us up when we’re cold.
Heat is always leaving our bodies, even if we don’t notice it. Think about a hot bowl of soup. Sometimes, you can see steam rising from it. That’s heat leaving the soup. Our bodies don’t give off steam, but heat still escapes. When we wear a jacket, it traps the heat between our body and the clothing, keeping us warm. If we’re outside without a jacket, the heat escapes into the air, and our body temperature drops.
When our body gets too cold, a special part of our brain notices and sends a message to our muscles to start shivering. Shivering is a reflex, which means our body does it without us having to think about it. Just like when you duck if a ball is thrown at you, shivering happens automatically.
When we shiver, our muscles move in a special way. They tighten and loosen quickly, over and over again. This movement makes our bodies shake, which is what we feel as shivering. Moving muscles produce heat, which helps warm us up. We also do other things to get warm, like putting on more clothes or wrapping up in a blanket.
The best way to avoid shivering is to wear warm clothes. Wearing layers is a great idea because each layer traps more heat. Mittens and hats are also important because they keep heat from escaping from our hands and heads.
All this talk about staying warm reminds me that it’s time to get our warm jackets out of the closet! Thanks for joining us on SciShow Kids! If you have any questions, feel free to ask a grownup to help you leave a comment or send us an email at [email protected]. See you next time!
Experiment with Layers: Gather different types of clothing like a t-shirt, sweater, and jacket. Have the children wear each layer one by one and go outside or stand in front of a fan. Ask them to notice how their body feels with each layer. Discuss how each layer traps more heat and keeps them warmer. Encourage them to think about why wearing layers is better than just one thick coat.
Shiver Simulation: Have the children do a quick exercise, like jumping jacks or running in place, for one minute. Then, ask them to stop and notice how their body feels warmer. Explain that this is similar to how shivering works, as both involve muscle movement to generate heat. Ask them to think about other activities that make them feel warm and why.
Observation Walk: Take the children on a short walk outside and ask them to observe what people are wearing. Are they wearing hats, scarves, or gloves? Discuss why these items are important for keeping warm. Encourage the children to think about how they can stay warm in different weather conditions and what they might wear to keep their body heat from escaping.
