X-Ray Hands

We actually did this last week when we learned about the letter X, but it goes with our theme this week (How Our Bodies Work) so I'm sharing it now. It's very simple. I had the kids trace their hand with a white crayon onto black paper.

Then they glued on Q-tips to make the bones.

So simple!

Some other things I have going on in the classroom for Body week are:

Doctor Kit in dramatic play

Operation board game (without batteries in it!)

Reading area with books about our body parts

 

On a different note, tomorrow starts the 2-week countdown to my due date. So if I suddenly disappear for awhile, you'll know why. I do have a few posts saved up so I will check in now and then on my maternity leave, but don't expect anything major!



Brain Puzzles

We are learning how our bodies work this week, and today was all about the brain! I found a great picture of the different brain parts from The Crafty Classroom.

I wanted one that was black and white, though, so I traced it onto another piece of paper.

Then I cut it up into 5 sections. I put the colored copy on the art table as a guide and the kids put the pieces of their brain back together.

Once they had it together, they used a glue stick to attach it to a piece of construction paper.

(Such concentration that little girl has!) Then the kids colored their brains with crayons.

 

I told the kids that the one thing I want them to learn about the brain is that it's the boss of the body. So all day long they were saying, "The brain is the boss of the body!" We'll see if they still remember tomorrow.

Silly Skeletons

We learned about muscles and bones today, then I sent the kids to the art table which looked like this:

I told them to put together a skeleton using the pieces here. I didn't give them any example or guidelines. The result? Adorable skeletons!

OK, OK, so they were missing a few bones, but that's what made them so cute! During circle time I read the book The Skeleton in the Closet by Alice Schertle.

It's about a skeleton that sneaks into a little boy's room to get some clothes! So I printed out a fun part of the book and hung the skeletons up around it.

As you can see I had a really small class today. It was a great Friday!

Bubble-Blowin' Art

After learning how our lungs work today, we did a very fun activity. This is something I've been doing for years, and always thought it was kind of unique, but since I've started blogging I've noticed it all over the place. I filled 4 bowls with soapy water and added lots of food coloring.

I used the neon colors.

I cut out hearts from white construction paper and cut straws in half. The kids put their straws in the bowls and used their lungs to blow bubbles. (See how I tied it into our theme?)

Then they gently placed their paper on top of the bubbles,

which made them pop, leaving a colorful design behind.

So pretty, right? Then I dug out an alligator (or is it a dragon?) blowing bubbles that I made years ago

and hung up all the hearts next to it, like he was blowing heart-shaped bubbles.

And with Valentine's Day right around the corner, it's the perfect display to get us in the mood.

Heart Art

Today we learned about our heart. For the art project I cut several pieces of white paper diagonally and used double-stick tape to attach them to pieces of red paper.

As you can see, I didn't cut very straight. It doesn't really matter. Then I put some heart-shaped cookie cutters into paint

and the kids got busy stamping.

I love how the two-toned paper adds a little something extra. And because we learned about our heart, I made heart-shaped jigglers from four different flavors of jello.

I had plenty left over to share with other classes. So what's my secret to getting jigglers to come out of the pan so easily? PAM. Yep, that's right. The whole "dip the pan into hot water" thing never worked for me. So one day I decided to spray the pan with PAM, rub it around with a paper towel, and pour in the jello. Sure enough, it worked like a charm! Now I do that all the time. And the bottom of the jigglers aren't slimy at all. They're perfect!

Cereal Necklaces

Today we talked about our digestive systems so of course our art project had to do with food. I bought some generic fruity cereal and cut up some yarn for stringing. I taped one end of the yarn on the table so the cereal wouldn't slide off.

We ran into some problems, though. Some kids were struggling because the yarn wouldn't fit through every piece of cereal, or it would get caught and start unraveling. So I swapped the yarn for some string.

It was much easier for everyone. We had some beautiful necklaces.

I told the kids they couldn't nibble on them throughout the day, though, or they'd have to put them in their cubbies. (I know, how cruel!)

Body Tracing

We are learning how our bodies work this week. Yesterday we learned all about the brain! Here is an idea that other teachers might want to use in their classrooms. I traced one child's body from his head to his upper legs and I hung it on the wall near our circle time area.

Then I found some coloring pages of a brain, heart, lungs, and stomach and intestines.

(UPDATE: Although I can't find the site for the coloring sheets I used, this site has some good ones to choose from!)
I photocopied them onto brightly colored paper and laminated them.

Every morning this week, I pick four kids to put them in the correct place on the traced body.

A few times in the past I've traced every child's body and hung the tracings on the walls around the room. Then each day the kids would color the organ we were learning about and tape it onto their body! They really enjoyed making their bodies "come to life." I kind of regret not doing that again this year. Oh well, there's always next year!