Check out the Gallery Guide!

Pre-visit activities: Grades 3 - 8

Objectives:

• To understand the form and function of a bone by constructing a bone model.
  
• To explore the names and locations of bones in the skeleton which assists students in understanding the form and function of the human body.
  
• To understand how foods contribute nutritional benefits to bone in its growth processes.

Vocabulary:

Activities:

• Have students work in pairs to construct a cross-section model of a long bone (femur, humerus …)

  1) Take a straw and cut it so it is about four inches long. (This will represent the hollow center of the bone.) Wrap a thin layer of dough around it (bone marrow). Lay a couple of strands of embroidery floss across the dough. Separate the threads as you do this. These will be "woven" in with the dough and puffed rice to represent the veins and arteries that "feed" the bone.

  2) Roll the dough in puffed rice so that it covers the dough.

  3) Apply a little more dough, then more puffed rice. Alternate the layers until it is about 3 cm thick from the center. Be sure to "weave" the veins and arteries through the layers. (This represents the spongy bone layer.)

  4) Apply a smooth layer of dough to the outside of the bone. (This represents the periosteum.) A couple strands of floss may be exposed.

  5) Carefully cut the "bone" to create a cross-section view. Resculpt any parts that may have been disturbed during the cutting. (You may also want to take a moment to talk about osteoblasts and osteoclasts and their function of breaking down and rebuilding bone.)

  6) Have students use paint (made from food coloring and a little water) and paint the layers of the bone.

  7) Make toothpick flags to identify the main layers of the bone (periosteum, compact bone, bone marrow, arteries and veins).
  

• Select several food items that the class agrees are "junk food" and several that are considered "good for you." Compare these items by looking at the nutritional information on the packaging. Specifically, does the food contain any calcium and Vitamin D to promote bone health?
  
  
• Help students learn the names and locations of specific bones by teaching them "Macarena Bones" (compliments of Jean Blaydes from Action-Based Learning.)

  1) Using a chart or diagram of the human skeleton, identify the following thirteen bones:
  Tarsal, tibia, fibula, patella, femur, pelvis, ribs, sternum, carpal, ulna, radius, humerus, cranium

  2) Practice touching the bones on your body, while saying the bone aloud in the following manner:
  

• Tarsal - touch the left ankle with your right hand
  
• Tibia - touch the right shin with left hand
  
• Fibula - touch the left calf with your right hand
  
• Patella - touch kneecaps with both hands
  
• Femur - touch the thighs with both hands
  
• Pelvis - touch the hips with both hands
  
• Ribs - touch the ribs with both hands
  
• Sternum - touch breastplate with both hands
  
• Carpal - touch the left wrist with both hands
  
• Ulna - touch the outer side of right forearm
  
• Radius - touch the inner left forearm
  
• Humerus - cross arms, touching both upper arms
• "Oh! My Cranium!" - place both hands on sides of head - do a slight head roll.

3) Start slowly and be patient. After a few practices each day, it can soon be placed to music. When visiting the museum, compare these bone parts to bones of animals in the zoo.

Museum visit:
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis presents Bones: An Exhibit Inside You, an exhibition of exciting and interactive activities to teach all about bones. It examines bone biology, keeping bones healthy, and how bones are a part of cultures all over the world. Both adults and children are shown how they can take an active role in keeping their bones healthy by eating a calcium-rich diet and exercising. By examining advances in scientific technology, visitors will learn a great deal about bones and how to keep them healthy.

Bones: An Exhibit Inside You is a comprehensive lesson about one of the most fundamental parts of our bodies. This fascinating exhibit increases our awareness of the aspects of bones while providing valuable information about careers in science. The interactivity and novelty of this exhibit will interest and educate both adults and children.

Be sure to check out the gallery guides and cards at the entrance. They assist you in navigating your way around the gallery, asking probing questions and going to a deeper level in the content of the gallery. Also don't miss the various presentations, interpretations and exciting learning programs that are available daily. The programs do vary, so please check the signboard at the entrance to the gallery or ask a staff person for help when you arrive.

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