Monday, September 12, 2011

Week's Theme: My Body (Body Mapping Activity)

This past week we followed up our "Nutrition" theme with a "My Body" theme.  Body mapping was our main activity for the week.  Each day we would discuss part of the body and its function and then add it to our life-size body drawing (see pics below).
I saw this idea on another blog and loved it!  Hers was more in depth, but for our own introduction to basic body parts, I was pleased with what we did.  We may do this again next year but add even more body mapping of organs, systems, etc.  Here is where we found this wonderful idea and some fun pictures of their own body maps in progress: http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2011/06/smart-summer-challenge-week-1-life.html utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/HmTrN+(Pink+and+Green+Mama)

Here is my daughter's body map:
Day 1:  We drew around her body to make a life size outline.  We then labeled basic parts of the body and also discussed "skin".


Day 2:  We discussed our skeletons and how they keep us from flopping to the ground.  :)  We then looked at a basic skeleton map on the computer and made some bones from masking tape and added those to our figure (we had to use the tan color masking tape because we couldn't find any white at the store, but if you can find white somewhere - that would make it doubly wonderful!).  Sorry the "bones" in the photograph below are a bit difficult to see.  Keep in mind that we did not go into great detail regarding the correct size, number of bones, etc.  Just trying to get across the basic idea of our skeletons and bone placement.


Day 3:  We talked about three major organs of the body and their basic functions: the brain, the heart, and the lungs.  My daughter colored some pictures I had drawn of the organs, and we cut them out and added those to the figure.  We also went back later on and covered the lungs and heart with more masking tape "bones".  The heart should actually be a little more centered I think - but oh well - maybe next year...


Day 4:  We discussed muscles and the important roll they play as part of our body.  We used red crepe paper to make the muscles on one side of the body (again, not perfect size, placement, etc. - but just trying to get across the basic idea of muscle all over the body), leaving the other side without so the skeleton portion was still visible.


When we had finished her body map, we proudly displayed this in the house!  :)

Linking to:
www.craftyconfessions.com
www.gigglesglitzandglam.blogspot.com
www.lilluna.com

1 comment:

  1. Absolutely amazing … Please be careful with finished image being an adult perspective. The image remaining is multi levelled but clearly only shows a finished body image with muscles only on the rh side. Please consult with the child about the reflection of themselves in the one sided muscular body and they will guided you where you need to go with this “type of learning” and intellectual collaboration. I tried this method somewhat 46 years ago with words and a three year old and know now it impacted on her brain development. How … taught her to write her name regular way and back the front, then stopped as fearful of teaching her wrongly. She wrote words regular way but amazingly as a budding artist in year 11 she signed her artwork with her name back the front and still does as a 49 year old.

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