At one point, kids will be curious about their bodies, its different parts and how it actually works. This will be the perfect time for these learners to appreciate their amazing bodies. However, teaching human anatomy and body systems could get quite tricky, and teachers could be intimidated on how they could effectively teach body parts.
However, as intimidating as this subject could get, teaching human anatomy and its functions should not be limited to flashcards and just showing children’s books about the human body.
To make the classroom more exciting when these lessons hit, here are three fun and interactive anatomy activities you could implement in school’s anatomy lessons so students could appreciate how their body works more.
DIY Science Experiments
The more the students can use their five senses in an activity, the more they will be engaged in their learning, and in return, the lessons will stick more with them. That’s why performing simple Do It Yourself (DIY) science experiments inside the classroom is always a a hit with the students. And while doing so, you could further interest them by showing the system’s or organ’s functional role when teaching anatomy.
An example of these DIY experiments is creating a part of the circulatory system – the heart, by creating a heart model. Stempoweredfamily.com actually built a guide on how you can exactly do this with simple things you can find around the house. Another related activity is designing a simple DIY Stethoscope.
Another example of these experiments is building the respiratory system by creating a model lung with straws, balloons, bottles, and duct tape. Survivingateacherssalary.com illustrated how it could be done while showing the dangers of smoking.
The internet is an excellent source for these activities. By utilizing these, you can also search activities for the digestive system, muscular system, nervous system, as well as skeletal system.
Play Dough Sculpt
Young children love to play with play dough, even the adults! It could be a powerful learning tool, especially in complex subjects like anatomy.
You can use the play dough by creating simple anatomy models. How? Grab free printable mats on this homeschool site, 123Homeschool4Me then you can start incorporating these into your school’s lesson plans.
In addition to printable mats, you could also use play dough to build the muscular system on top of skeletons. Teach Every Day has a complete guide on how to do this in your classrooms.
Coloring Books
A great way to reinforce the anatomy lessons the kids learned in the lectures and science experiments is through coloring books for different parts of the body. Coloring books could actually train the students to focus while nurturing their creativity.
Human anatomy could be a notorious subject to teach kids, but by incorporating interactive activities in your program and by connecting learning with real-life situations these could be an exciting adventure for them. In Little Medical School, we provide hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations. And we take a step further by letting the students assume the role of doctor in our program, Little Doctor School.
If you are interested, please contact Michael Fay (mfay@littlemedicalschool.com) – the Franchisee of Little Medical School in your area – so you can discuss bringing this class to your community.