Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment

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T. Gillespie and Sharon Moore
Insulation
Experiments:
Cardboard Boxes/
Snow-Fenced Houses

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Square bullet Activities

• Experiment with insulated cardboard boxes:

  set up the boxes so that the bottom is open to the snow or ground; cut a hole in the top of each box; place a thermometer attached to a piece of wood or string inside each box, so that the bulb does not touch the ground

  insulate the boxes with different materials (newspaper, fabric scraps, other available materials); use one box with no insulation at all for a control

  paint the outside of some boxes black to absorb light; pile snow or dirt around some boxes; place larger boxes over others to make an air space for insulation

  chart temperatures in the different boxes for a week or more; record temperatures at least twice a day, once around midday and a second time when temperatures are lower

  discuss temperature differences; compare the boxes to houses; how does insulation affect the cost of heating a house?

• Control natural snow drifts for home insulation:

  map the community; include a record of prevalent snow drifts; talk to the elders to gather information about the history of snow drifting

  build snow fences covered with turkey wire or wood lathing

  select four village houses which are in the same general area, the same general size, construction, with the same size family inhabiting the house, and choose two to be protected by snow fences

  follow weather forecasts; maintain the snow fences to provide protection from the wind on all sides

  compute the percent of change in fuel oil usage after the fences; discuss why the change occurred.

Square bullet Resources

• Wyoming Department of Highways, for specifics on snow fences
• scrap lumber and turkey wire
• local history of drifting patterns
• local weather station
• state library for weather pattern histories
• Snow Ecology Guide, Ted Major and Home Ecological Institute, 4860 Riverbend Road, Boulder, CO 80301
• Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Weller, Gunter (Ed.). (1979). Alaska Weather and Climate. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute

Variations

• Use school trailers instead of village houses, or construct two small buildings or sheds; protect one with snow fencing and measure the temperature difference between the two over a period of times.
  
• Consult with the city administration about areas with drift problems and erect fencing to direct the drifting.

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