Bones and skeletons

Provided Resources

• A printout of the game sheet for each client group
• Card printouts of the skeleton puppet template

Additional Resources

• A glove puppet
• An old clean animal bone & plastic gloves for handling the bone safely
• A piece of string (about 3m) & masking tape
• Stiff black card (an A4 sheet per puppet)
• Soft white art crayons or white oil pastels
• Several lumps of Plasticine or sticky tack
• 1m of strong thread & 8 split pins per skeleton
• 2 garden sticks per skeleton (40 -50cm is ideal)

Weblinks
Film on human skeleton with other animals from www.bbc.co.uk
Film clip on invertebrate with exoskeletons from www.bbc.co.uk

Teaching

• Understand that not all animals have an internal skeleton and that the presence of this is an important feature in classifying them.
• Know that a skeleton is needed for support, protection and movement.

Activities

1. Play a game that involves the classification of animals as vertebrates and Invertebrates.
2. Play another game called 5 Lives that will increase children’s knowledge of skeletons and bones whilst having fun.
3. Make a skeleton string puppet that has moving joints.
4. Reinforce knowledge by naming parts and functions on the puppets.
5. Puppeteer a skeleton dance.

Investigation - exploring/analysing secondary sources
Create a skeleton string puppet that has moving joints.

Vocabulary
Vertebrate, invertebrate, bone, skeleton, skull, ribcage, pelvis, femur