No Bones About It...

We have had a great time being

"a skeleton crew!"

As our study of the human body continues, we have focused on bones this week---and learned so much about how we are put together! Mr. Bones was very helpful as we talked about why certain bones are the particular forms that they are and that every bone has a purpose (curved rib cage to protect vital organs, many small phalanges in hands and feet for bendable dexterity, etc.) We also learned that although bones are hard on the outside, they are spongy on the inside because that is where blood cells are made. As you take a jog through the blog, you'll see more related activities we did this week!

Indeed, we gathered a skeleton crew for a photo op with Mr. Bones!

We also presented our "Earth Week" wild animal research projects that we ran out of time to finish last week.

Our youngest class member taught us about her favorite animal, otters.

We learned about vampire bats, too!

Many members of our class community brought their notes, which were as fun to see as their presentations! Some were handwritten with invented spelling, others dictated in crayon, or highlighter, and traced. One was printed into a book with downloaded photos... Everyone did a FABULOUS job, and each child was so proud to be the "expert" on his/her chosen animal!

"It's a strong flyer but it can run on four arms and legs. It uses echolocation to know its obstacles. It's the only mammal that flies. People make laws to protect them."

Polar Bears




We were good listeners...

and after each presentation, we asked questions, which each expert answered.

Elephants,

Pandas and

Tigers!

With Mr. Bones as our guide, we made "skeleton pictures" of ourselves using our unique skin tone body cut out, with dried pasta representing bones. Before we placed each "bone," we walked over to Mr. Bones to inspect size, shape, number and placement to be as aware as we could in the creative process.

Each child's "skeleton self portrait" was different, yet they all understood the idea behind it. We discussed the various bones, and shapes of pasta to represent them, as each was carefully chosen and placed.

Just as we have a shape defined by our skeleton,

we can build our ideas using a "skeleton" that defines the shape of our construction.

This was a thought provoking exploration and extension for the children,

and lots of fun when they discovered that their bodies provided the "mass" of their massive creation!

In P.E., we practiced independence, motor planning, problem solving, jumping, hopping, balancing and other types of body movement as we followed a pattern across the floor of the multi-purpose room...

When a star was in a space, the child had to jump past it!

At the end, there was a choice... How will you move to get down this padded incline?

There were as many creative ideas as there were imaginative children!

Coming up next week--- the spinal cord and central nervous system.

Happy May Day!

Judith