Hands-On Projects for Teaching the Body Systems

There are so many activities for teaching the body systems, however it seems like many of the activities  are too simple and only really involve students labeling the parts. We’ve developed several hands-on activities that push students thinking and ensure they are learning the importance of these body systems and how they work together to keep us healthy. 

Body Systems Poster

One of our favorite activities for students is drawing the body systems on butcher paper. We have them draw it on these large sheets of paper so that they can draw a life sized image. They love getting to use such a large piece of paper and tracing their own body on it. Many groups just have their body standing in a neutral position but some groups step it up to make their body show off muscles or other funny poses. This type of project engages all students!

This project usually starts with students:

1) Tracing their body and using it to draw the __________ system.

2) Then labeling the organs they have learned about.

While students are thrilled to just draw and label their body system - that usually isn't very rigorous. So here are some ideas to increase the rigor and help students make connections to real life. They can write their responses to these questions on the blank space around their drawn body.

Teaching Students about the Skin

Teach students about the skin by having them make a model with snacks! We used crispy marshmallow squares to represent the fat under the skin. Peanut butter represented the actual skin. Green jelly beans were used to represent the germs that are on our skin at all times. 

Students will:

1. Spread 1-2 Tbs of peanut butter on top of the marshmallow square.
2. Place 2-3 green jelly beans on top of the peanut butter.

We also used blue and yellow jelly beans. Blue jelly beans represent the sweat we give off when our body is hot. Yellow jelly beans represent the sun's rays that hit our skin when we are outside.

You can even let students use the skin color of their choice by letting them use cookie butter, frosting or Hazelnut spread instead (be aware Hazelnut spread is made from nuts)!

We know students will be excited to eat this project so make sure you snap a few pictures to share with families before your students dive in!

Extension  Questions

1. Explain how your model represents the skin and how it protects us.
2. What would happen if our skin was not there?
3. How accurate do you think this model is compared to real human skin?



Building a Hand to Teach about the Musculoskeletal System

This next project might look hard but it’s actually very easy! With this project students will build a human hand to demonstrate their understanding of how the muscular and skeletal systems work together.

Material

• White Cardstock (1 sheet per student)
• Smoothie Straws* (3 per student) (regular straws work too but it's harder to get the string inside)
• Twine or string
• Hot Glue

Extension Questions

1. What do the straws and string represent?
2. How is this model similar to a real hand?
3. How is this model different from a real hand?
4. How do bones and muscles work together to move the fingers?
5. If you had to redesign this model, what would you change? Why?

Looking for ready-to-use lessons on this topic? These activities are part of our 3rd Grade Body System Lesson Plans, which include detailed lesson plans, teaching slides with notes, assessments, and many other activities to help students understand the skeletal system, muscular system and the skin.



If you are a 3rd grader teacher in North Carolina you may also like: Hands-On Plants and Soil Activities for Kids.

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