To enhance our study of the human body last year we used an excellent, inexpensive resource from Teacher Created Materials. My Body is a book of reproducibles representing each of a child’s body parts. You can also see the full table of contents and a product sample at the above link.
Before beginning the book, kids lay down on butcher paper and have their body traced and cut out. Then throughout the semester the child learns a few things about a particular body part, and then colors in and cuts out the body part. Each body part is fastened to the child’s paper body.
In the end, they have a life size cut out of themselves with all their body parts attached. Of course, the boys couldn’t resist getting a little bit creative with their body drawings!
I first used this book when my 14 year old was in Kindergarten and he loved it. In fact, we still have “his body” in storage and it was fun to pull it out as the other boys were working on their bodies last year. This activity was a hit with all of them. It could be a stand alone science activity for a preschooler or kindergartner, or part of another science program for an older child. We did not go in the order that the My Body book suggests, but instead we tied this in to the lessons we were doing in God’s Design for the Human Body.
I need to do this when we get to that book next fall! We’re doing Animal Kingdom this fall (will start in Sept.), Plant Kingdom in the spring and then Human Body next year…spreading it out a bit more. We tried to do all the Earth Science books last year and it was too much for us with a 2 yo ;)….still finishing up a few lessons in “Our Planet Earth” this month! Great ideas Molly, love it when you share…can’t wait to hear/see you share some other news soon!!!!
Thanks for that! We’re doing Apologia Physiology condensed into a 4.5 month study – and this book would be a great add-on for my youngest! We already have a version of my body drawn up like you have, in preparation!
You have a wonderful blog. I am new to blogger and I’m looking for some blog friends. I am going to add you to my friend’s list. Drop by sometimes if you’d like.
Oh we did this with another family as a unit study a few years ago and the kids LOVED it, and still talk about it. Seeing your pictures makes me want to do it again now that my youngers are old enough to do it. I’ll have to dig out the book again.
oh oh oh! we did this a couple of years ago with the boys and it was so effective and FUN!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Molly, I’ve enjoyed your blog for a long time and it helped me so much when I first started with TOG. I have an award for you on my blog.
http://a-pilgrims-heart.blogspot.com/2010/10/versatile-blogger-award-i-got-award.html
Congratulations on your little one!
Hi! Totally new to your blog. Have been searching the web for days (in my spare time) trying to find this exact project . . . and haven’t found it. Was even crying to my husband tonight that I just could not find it, but know it has to exist! Right before bed, I clicked over to a blog I read even though I knew it wasn’t updated, and I clicked into her comments (which I never do) and then clicked through to another blog (which I rarely do) and then to your blog – randomly . . . all with no purpose in mind – really should have gone to bed 20 minutes ago . . . and the post I see is the EXACT project I have looked for for days. Talks about “God’s Design”. ha! Thanks for this.
Natalie