Looking for musculoskeletal system activities? Read on to learn how to build a model of the muscular and skeletal systems. When kids construct a human hand, they begin to understand it.
Ms. Sneed Teaches the Musculoskeletal System
Our favorite fourth grade teacher had already taught three body systems: circulatory, digestive, and immune. Once again, she sat at the side table of her room. Next to her, Mr. Frank already clicked away on his laptop. “On to the musculoskeletal system?” he asked.
Ms. Sneed nodded. “I’d like to use body systems models for each. After all, using scientific models to teach anatomy really helps kids understand.”
Building a Model of the Musculoskeletal System
Now Mr. Frank nodded. “As a part of our muscular and skeletal system activities,” he said, “we’ll try building this musculoskeletal system model.” He pointed to the directions.
Materials
Ms. Sneed had already pulled out the materials:
- paper
- pencil
- scissors
- 5 straws
- string
Steps for the Muscular and Skeletal System Activities
“First, trace your hand on the paper,” said Mr. Frank. “Then cut it out.”
When she was finished, Ms. Sneed held up the paper hand. “It’s pretty floppy,” she said. “Perfect for showing kids that your body would just be a blob without the skeletal system.”
Mr. Frank chuckled. “Now we’ll cut each straw into three short pieces and one long piece.”
Once the teachers had cut the straws, they began taping them to the paper hand.
“Since some of these are too long,” Ms. Sneed said, “I’ll just trim them a bit.” Then she snipped away with her scissors.
“We also need hand bones,” Mr. Frank reminded. “And don’t forget that the thumb only has one knuckle in the middle. Therefore, we’ll only use two pieces of straw for it.”
Soon they had everything taped. “Now comes the tricky part,” said Mr. Frank. “We need to thread a piece of string from the wrist, through the hand bone, and then through the finger bones.”
Ms. Sneed cut a piece of string about eighteen inches long. “Here goes nothing,” she said. Surprisingly, however, the string passed through the straws without much trouble.
“Let’s tie the top end in a knot. That way, when we tape it to the back of the finger, it won’t slide through the tape.”
The partners worked together, and soon they were finished. Finally, they taped the knots to the back of each finger.
“Now, to see how it works!” Ms. Sneed tugged on one of the strings, and the corresponding finger curled upward.
“Wow! These muscular and skeletal system activities work better than I thought,” Mr. Frank exclaimed. Both teachers grinned ear to ear.
Learning About the Musculoskeletal System
Mr. Frank scrolled through their body systems unit. Soon he reached the information sheets. “Two short informational texts provide main points about the musculoskeletal system. This one tells about the skeletal system; the other, about the muscular system.”
Ms. Sneed took a look. “Perfect.”
Taking Notes
Mr. Frank scrolled further in the body systems unit. “As they read, kids fill out graphic organizers,” he said. “I particularly like this one. It asks them to tell about its job and parts. Additionally, they compare it with everyday items.”
“What do you think they’ll compare the musculoskeletal system to?” Ms. Sneed asked.
“Hmm, I guess the skeletal system is like the frame of a building. And maybe the muscular system is like the ropes on a pulley.”
Enjoy Teaching Body Systems
Ms. Sneed smiled. These skeletal and muscular system activities made her enjoy teaching a little more. After all, teaching the musculoskeletal system with DIY models, information sheets, and graphic organizers made it fun and effective. Furthermore, it gave her life science curriculum a little punch. Now to find some cool simulations for the nervous and respiratory systems…
Why not bring some active learning into your class? Activities like this are sure to engage your students – and you!
