HUMAN BODY: PK-4

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Ana's Week

Our human body week was hands down the most fun and interactive unit that we’ve done this PK-4 year. We did loads of science experiments (I would argue that the Magic School Bus Human Body science kit is a must buy), and we did some super fun food activities. All of these experiments and activities really helped Aria, and even me, to learn much more about the human body than we knew at the start of the week. I love that I can learn along with her through homeschooling, and some of the resources out there are truly amazing!

The Human Body Organs Toob is a great complement to the unit, and we used them almost every day for learning activities and reviewing terms. Skylar was able to play with them while we were working on other activities, which was a great bonus. We also bought a little skeleton at Party City since it is Halloween time, which not only helped with studying body systems, but also worked as decoration at Halloween time. Another great buy for the unit was the brain jello mold. We were able to make our own jello brain following the instructions on the box, and then the kids could dissect and eat the brain for a snack (though they ended up being just as grossed out by the jello as me).

Aria’s favorite day of the week was germ day, where we talked about how germs work, how to stay sanitary, and did some awesome science experiments. She loved both the pepper and glitter experiments, and we all had fun playing with playdough to make viruses and blood cells while talking about the function of red and white cells. We were also able to working on teaching Skylar the ABC song, as Aria would sing her ABCs while washing her hands after each activity.
Making rice krispy treat lungs helped Aria not only see what the parts of the lungs might look like, but also helped her remember the organs. Plus, that was by far the most popular snack of the week for the girls. The Magic School Bus science kit activities kept us busy all Friday morning and were the perfect way to end the week. While some activities were fairly hard, the kit can be reused as she gets older, so it was definitely worth the cost. Aria begged for more science experiments when we were done, so she thoroughly enjoyed herself (especially the taste buds test and the glitter whirlpool to represent how inner ear fluid works).
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I love how there is always more to learn when it comes to the human body, so young or old, the unit can be fun and a great learning experience. Aria, Skylar, and I were all able to have fun, work on projects and experiments together, and feel like the fun was actually helping us to hit points home and understand our bodies better. Even though Skylar is only 1 ½, I’m so glad that she is ready to climb on a chair and get to work if her sister is doing school. I can’t wait to see what she is able to catch onto early because of her readiness to learn! Hopefully, after a week studying our bodies and germs, Aria will be better about keeping her body healthy and strong through hand washing, exercise and eating her fruits and veggies! 

Jessica's Week

So Grandma was visiting for part of this week and towards the end T came down with a little fever. There’s always something to get in the way of a strong homeschool theme am I right? I realized today though, after a year of doing this I’m getting better at powering through and not allowing the hectic interruptions of life to stall our progress. So except for the few hours T was not feeling well enough to leave the couch, we soldiered on. 

In addition to our Magic School Bus body science kit, I found a new experiment for the unit that turned out to be a big hit. T replicated the digestive process crushing crackers, mixing in stomach acid (fresh squeezed lemon juice) and watching how our bodies break down food. Playing with the jello brain was our easy sick day experiment and pretty much all I could get her to eat a few bites of that day. 

As Taegan has gotten a little more mature I’ve tried to adapt our sensory activities to more learning/less play when possible. We practiced writing letters on a pretend x-ray table (lighted bin with black sand) and put together the blood components water bead tub we did last year. I was pleasantly surprised to find T remembered the names of several blood related parts. She also knows most of her organ names, where they live and basic function. 
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I had a breakthrough Pinterest find this week with Mrs. Plemon’s kindergarten blog. We decided to purchase the year of downloads because she was offering a deal and there are so many awesome activities with the same themes we already explore. Even if you don’t buy the bundle though, many of her ideas can be replicated and everything is organized by age group in a theme per week format so I recommend at least checking it out! https://mrsplemonskindergarten.com/ We used two of her activities for body week. First T used q-tips to make her name out of bones, and second I purchased the recommended skeleton decal for her to practice bone names and skeletal position. Taegan needed the picture on the box to help her assemble the puzzle but she loved the activity and it was all easily re-positionable so I think we will get a few more years of use from it.