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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

An Artist in Antartica

Spanish Translation

Great fields of snow. Fuzzy gray penguin chicks. A curious humpback whale coming up for air. These are just some of the sights that artist Kim Baranowski is enjoying in Antarctica.

Baranowski has lived on the icy continent for three months. As part of a National Science Foundation program, she works with polar scientists. She goes with them into the field, and draws and photographs what she sees. Then she creates art based on the plants, animals and other sights she has observed during the day.

Adventures on Ice and Snow

Baranowski is living at the United States Antarctic Program's Palmer Station. Palmer's hardworking teams are busy gathering data. Some dive in the frigid waters, studying the sea life. Others are researching krill, an important species in the Antarctic food chain. These scientists want to know more about the incredible animals at the bottom of the world.

"Each day brings a new adventure," Baranowski told TFK. One day, she took a boat to Humble Island with bird researcher Jen Blum. They trekked through rough terrain in search of giant-petrel nests. Blum measured and weighed a downy white petrel chick. The birds are considered vulnerable to extinction.

Baranowski traveled to Antarctica to get a closer look at polar animals for her artwork. She has seen tiny AdÈlie penguin chicks and large leopard seals. She has even taken a dip in the icy waters. Along the way, she has fallen in love with the landscape and its animals. Now the artist hopes her drawings and experiences will inspire others to help save these creatures and their environment.

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