The Twelve Months of Endangered Animals Songs- Cool & Hot Zebra Socks

On the eighth day of August

we saved eight elegant zebras.

Black and white stripes.

The skin helps to keep the zebra cool.

So the answer to a lot of problems may be "zebra"!

The pattern of the black and white stripes may be correlated to the climate where the zebras are living. The black and white stripes help creates variations in air temperature just above the surface of the skin. These variations create an air current and naturally cool down the zebra.

"Skins" are used in architecture. The skins help to regulate the temperature, provide a surface that can clean itself, collect water and harvest energy.

Modern skyscrapers often use glass but

What if a skyscraper could have a breathable skin that adapts for different weather conditions without using air-conditioning or central heating.

So we invented a "skin" for a school. A school with a zebra inspired ecoskin could be built by using a structural frame with a self-cleaning surface. The school would use little energy and be perfectly warm on a cold morning and cool and a hot day.

Wonder Question

Are zebras horses?

A zebra looks like a sturdy horse, but it is a horse?

Some things that we noticed

• Like horses, zebras walk, trot, canter and gallop.
• Zebras do not have a hairy tail like a horse.
• The mane of a zebra always stands straight up but it does not on a horse.
• Most horses have longer legs than body but a zebra looks more like a pony.

A zebra is a species of wild horse that lives in Africa. But zebras are not merely striped horses, they are a different species from the horse. The Equidae family includes zebras, horse and asses.

Zebras look like horses but are not horses.

This question led to a discussion about appearances and school uniforms.

School uniforms are designed to be unique just like the stripes on the zebras are unique.

But they are not designed to be warm and cool at the same time. Here we identified the problem with school uniforms to help us get new ideas.

What if we could design the perfect school uniform?

A unique school uniform that does not look like a school uniform and that protects school children from the heat and the cold.

But, then we identified a problem School uniforms are filled with traditions and it would indeed be difficult ot pursuade head mistresses and master about changing to a cool school uniform.

This thought made a frame for our problem. We needed to think about a way to make a school uniform that protects from the heat as well as the cold but it does not really stand out.

What if we could design something small. Like a pair of school socks?

MIT researchers have invented a new type of workout material that can breathe. Go here to read more about the "breathable workout suit" covered in small flaps.

Mind Map