Halloween Skeletons

Thought skeletons were just a fun way to bring a little spooky Halloween "cheer" into the classroom? Jason Carr, lesson plan contributor to Education World ®, suggests broadening your scope and using this fun q-tip skeleton craft as a way to introduce your students to basic anatomy!

Lesson Objectives

• Learn that our skeletal system is made up of many bones.
• Learn that our bones have several important jobs in the body.
• Learn and be able to identify major bones in the body.

Carr suggests starting off the unit with a brainstorming session where students help make a list of major bones in the body. He recommends keeping the bone names simple and at your students' level (e.g. thigh bone instead of femur, etc.). For the q-tip skeleton project, make sure students have been introduced to all of the following: skull, spine, ribs, arm bones, fingers, thigh bone, leg bone, foot bones. Provide students with a piece of black construction paper, craft glue, a skull cutout, and a q-tip skeleton "recipe card". Invite students collect the correct number of q-tip parts needed to construct their bony friend. After students have completed their projects, discuss how bones play an important role in our bodies:

• They give our bodies structure.
• They protect our organs.
• The provide muscles with a place to attach so we can move.

Consider having fun with these ABC Exercise Cards from Amy at Teach Mama (each card is equipped with a letter and some type of movement to go along with each letter - e.g. "A" - "Make circles with your Ankle"). This fun activity will allow your preschoolers a chance for some active fun and demonstrate how bones are essential to movement! It might also be fun to explore actual x-ray films for a real look into our amazing bodies!

Q-Tip Skeleton - An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan