Originally, we were going to do an activity with seed dispersal this week, but we're going to table that until next week and work on a skeleton activity instead. We are going to keep our seed samples in a gallon size plastic bag in the fridge (to prevent mold) and next week we will be joined by my friend, plant goddess extraordinaire, Amy, and her son. In the meantime, let's delve into skeletons!
I probably should have started this out by saying that I love Halloween. Seriously love it. And I think its a genetic trait passed on from my mother. For the last 10 years or so she lived out in the country and received maybe 10 trick-or-treaters total in all that time but that didn't stop her from coming up with wonderful, zany and original costumes each year. We also are currently living out in the country and count a grand total of zero Halloween night visitors over the last 7 years, not that it has stopped me either.
The genesis of this activity idea occurred earlier this week while I was wandering the Halloween aisle at Target, looking for a giant spider for our faux web. (Incidentally, I found one and love it, but the girls are not so thrilled by it...) In my browsing, I kept noticing example after example of skeletons, some more accurate than others and it got me thinking about both skeletons and anatomical models. In this activity, we will compare several skeleton models and identify which model we think is most accurate and in the process talk about both the role of the skeleton and how models are useful. It will also utilize math skills (counting) so the activity itself may be better suited to children that have a better grasp of numbers but younger kids can get the gist of the idea and there are many extension ideas that would definitely work with the younger set.
Materials Needed:
- 3 skeleton models (we used a "stretchy skeleton" that I bought at Target (8 for $1), a chocolate skeleton lollipop and a miniature skeleton model that I had found a while ago at a deep discount. The nice thing about this activity is that you really could use anything from stickers to coloring sheets to plastic Halloween decorations.)
- science journal
- pencil
- crayons
