Young children LOVE to learn about their bodies. Especially when we talk about what is INSIDE our body, and what is going on that we don't even think about. I prepare about 3 days worth of activities centered around the Human Body.
I start out this unit by helping each child trace their OWN body with butcher paper.
Have each child color their face. Get some hair on that body! Some eyes, noes, mouth, and make sure that body is smiling...because YOU HAVE ONE SPECTACULAR BODY!
As you continue through this Knowledge About Your Body unit you will introduce various parts of their body. At those times you will be able to place that paper part INTO the body!
HEART:
The heart is so important it is located close to the center of the body, and protected by some ribs. I tell them the size of the heart is about the size of their fist. I demonstrate how the heart works by using a bike pump. {yes, I get the hand bike pump out :)}
What is a pump? Have you ever used a bicycle pump to inflate a flat tire on your bicycle? Well, a bicycle pump actually pushes air into your tires until they are full ─ making your bike ready to go. The heart is essentially a pump, but instead of air, it pushes blood through your body in blood vessels. Cool huh?? Pumps can break down with use, and in thinking about the heart as a pump, it too can become clogged or break down ─ just like any other pump. Sometimes when we eat too many fatty foods, the heart can become clogged with fat. If the heart stops pumping, our body is in big trouble!
use a heart like this one to put into your body
{I got this heart from here}
A really good idea when teaching this unit is to show your children a short video clip from the intranet on how an organ works. Sometimes we fail to use this great tool, and the kids love to learn from the experts! Here is a link about how the heart works...
{how the heart works}
BLADDER:
When I talk about the bladder I use a balloon. I explain that your bladder is a little like a floppy balloon. Slowly your bladder fills up with all the extra liquid your body needs to get rid of. When you go to the bathroom your bladder shrinks back down again. Aren't our bodies AMAZING!
This is a picture of the kidneys and the bladder.
You can use the picture or have them color something like this on their body
KIDNEYS:
Okay, I know the picture above totally spoil our next organ, but I can't talk about one without the other!
When I talk about the kidneys I get out my kitchen pasta strainer. I explain that your kidneys are like the strainer because they strain off, or filter, the the things our bodies need, and get rid of other things that we don't need. The kidneys also do many other things that help our body to live. PLUS they look like a kidney bean and I love when things look like little beans ;)!
STOMACH:
First off...the word stomach is spelled SO weird! Okay, just throwing it out there...but it is!
Most children have some knowledge of their stomachs and have heard them growl when they're hungry, or ache when they're sick. When we talk about the stomach I get some colored cup-cake
sprinkles and glue them onto the body in the stomach area using kayo syrup as the glue. (so they can eat the sprinkles after, because I promise, they lick off every one!) I explain that the stomach takes all the food you eat and breaks it apart into small pieces like colorful sprinkles!
BONES:
I briefly talk about bones and how they help give our boy shape, and they also protect the organs we talked about. You could add these two pictures and put them in their proper place.
Ta-Da! Now they have so much new Knowledge about our body! My kids can't wait to take these home to show their families. When you stop to think about it our human bodies are so AMAZING!
