Making a skeleton can help children learn about anatomy.
Even though kindergartners are young, they use their bodies daily and are old enough to learn about them. Simple crafts, experiments or class-facilitated conversations can help children learn about anatomy. Students can also reinforce what they learn by sharing some of their projects with their class.
Anatomy Diagram
Introduce kindergarten children to the basic parts of the body by reading a book that introduces the body parts or how body parts function. For example, "Learning About my Body," by Jo Ellen Moore, or "Fun with My Five Senses: Activities to Build Learning Readiness," by Sarah Williamson and Loretta Trezzo Braren, can introduce children to concepts of anatomy. Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a diagram of the body with a word bank. Let students draw arrows from the word bank to the body part. More advanced students can copy the word next to the body part.
Sensitive Skin
Talk to students about the different layers of skin. Explain that skin is sensitive and items feel differently against it. Divide students into groups. Give each group a bag of items. A picture of each item should be on a poster. Have children describe each item they touch. Provide students with different items that they can associate with items they feel. Have students glue cotton next to the picture of an item that feels soft, burlap next to an item that feels rough and a piece of cardboard next to a pictured item that feels hard.
Skeleton
Show students a model of a skeleton. Encourage students to identify different bones. Use self-sticking paper notes to label the bones. Then give students a piece of construction paper, glue and ear swabs. Cut some of the ear swabs different sizes and leave one whole for the spine. Ask students to glue the ear swabs on the paper to create skeletons. Provide students with a small circle of paper that they can use as the face.
Anatomy Uses
Talk about the different parts of the body with students. Discuss how hands, feet, arms and other parts of the body help humans move. Then divide children into groups. Give them a small task and ask them to draw the parts of the body that help them do it. For example, tell them to walk across the room. Kids might find they swing their arms and move their feet, knees and legs. This activity heightens the students' awareness that parts of the body are connected and work together.
Class Anatomy Project
Provide each student with a picture of a body part or facial feature. He should color or decorate his body part. Punch a whole in each piece and use yarn to attach the pieces. Glue facial features to a circle. Encourage students to tell you which pieces you should attach to each other. Consider using a rectangular cardboard piece as the body. Children will enjoy sharing their creations with the class.
Tags: parts body, body part, groups Give, item that, item that feels, learn about, that feels
