Human Body- Skeletal and Digestive Systems

We've had some crazy weeks, so I haven't been blogging about our human body unit, although we have been doing things. So today I'm combining our last two weeks into one post...hope you don't mind. This year I've been using Lesson Pathways as a guide for my science units, so I'll just hit some of our favorite things.

Skeletal System:

Skeleton Assembly - online game
Bone Basics
Skeleton Image- cool coloring matching sheet on the skeleton

I wish I had more things on the skeletal system but I had a hard time finding experiments and such. But since we had visitors that week, it all worked out great anyway. We dissected owl pellets with some friends and went to the mountains for a nature time.

Digestive System:
Some great experiments for the digestive system.
The Body Digests- online interactive that shows the entire digestive process from mouth to anus with a variety of different foods. Animated, of course, with sound effects little boys really enjoy.
Human Digestion Model
Breaking Down Food- Experiment to show how some foods are easier to digest than others.
Digestion Video with Mr. Brain

How Teeth Aid in Digestion Experiment:Chopped Potatoes vs. Grated Potatoes


Put potatoes in different containers, add water and shake for 10 minutes. Make goofy faces for the first 3 minutes until you start getting tired, then check the timer and complain for the next 7 minutes.

Conclusion: Teeth help break down food so that the stomach has an easier job. I was happy the kids were able to come up with this conclusion without me coaxing or interrogating them.
The Small Intestine experiment- Mix pepper and water in one cup then drain through a paper towel. This show how small particles have to be broken down to be taken out by the villi in the small intestine.
Models of the Digestive System

We also drew pictures of the digestive system today. I was announcing the activity when I hear Daniel say "BORING". That is totally unacceptable in our house. I told him if he wanted to be really bored instead of that activity, he now had to copy the page in his science book about the digestive system. He cried through the first paragraph and continued to sniffle as Tera finished her "boring" drawing and got to go play. But he learned about the digestive system and I don't think I'll hear that complaint again. I really don't like using this kind of consequence but in this case, it fit the crime.