Parts of Our Body and How We Use Them

Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment

 Play Simon Says, using parts of the body. Begin simply, then make it more difficult. Touch your nose with your finger. Touch your
nose with your littlest finger. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
 Let’s find some parts of your body that bend. Now find some that don’t bend.
 What part of your body do you use to walk? (Name all of them). What part do you use to speak?  How about to draw a picture? Kick a
ball?
 Go to a mirror, and examine your face way up close. Check out all the parts on your face.   Make funny faces in the mirror.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 People can do amazing things with all the parts of our body. We can walk, throw balls, eat food, paint pictures, read books, sing,
wiggle our toes, and breathe in air. Can you think of some more things?
 What would it be like if we didn’t have ears? A nose? Fingers? Would we still be able to do things?
 We can’t see some of our body parts, because they are inside our skin. Some important body parts we can’t see are: blood, veins,
bones, muscles, brain, heart and stomach.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Take a flashlight into a dark room, and silhouette different parts of the body on the wall.
 Copy Me: Have the children copy exactly what you are doing e.g. raise 3 fingers; stand on one leg; blink 4 times.
 Find body parts that come in pairs, or “twos”.
 Draw a directed picture of a person – teacher labels body parts.
 One child wiggles a body part – other guess what the name of it is. (A fingernail? An eyelash?)
Our Heart
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and
Equipment
 Create a very quiet environment by having everyone sit
motionless for a minute or so, and then whispering, “we are
going to listen to some beating hearts”. Have the children
hear and feel the heartbeats by placing their ear closely
against the chest of a friend (a volunteer). Shh. Listen. Show
them how to feel their own beats by sliding two fingers down
from the back of their ear, and pressing behind their
jawbone. It will take a couple of tries.
 Show and use a stethoscope, if available.
 Show a photo and a diagram of a human heart. Create a
child-sized heart from play doh, so the children feel the
weight and the density.   It’s not really made of play doh; it’s
a very strong muscle behind the ribs in your chest KidSparkz Teacher ResourcesPreschool Science Follow On

Possible/Expected Discoveries
  Explain that everybody has and needs a heart to pump blood
all the way through the body, around and around, all day and
all night. Amazing!! If you have a water play pump, show
how a heart can pump blood, similar to the pump that can
pump water.
 Our human body is made up of many parts that work together
to make us who we are.  The heart is very important, and
there are some ways that we can keep it working well.
 We can eat healthy foods and get exercise, enjoy outdoor
 activities and games in the fresh air. We can also try to be
happy as much as possible, and when we feel angry about
something, we could think of ways to solve the problem to
help the anger go away. These are things that we need to
remember to do all our lives, to keep our heart healthy.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum

Areas
 Compare a diagram of a human heart with the familiar shape
of a Valentine heart. Discuss similarities and differences.
 Jump around and up and down for as long as you can, and
then sit or lie down on the floor. Can you feel your heart
beats going very fast? As you rest on the floor, you can feel
the beats get slower. When you exercise, it makes the heart
pump harder.
 This topic might extend to an interest in other parts of the
human body; to a discussion of medical workers; to a theme
about what other things we can do to keep our body operating
at its optimum (nutritious food, brush teeth, wash hands etc)
Our Hands
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Sit in a circle on the floor, and have everyone sit on their hands. Put something interesting in the middle of the circle, and ask the
children to think of some ways to get it, without using their hands.
 Put some cereal on napkins on the table, and have the children eat it without using hands. Now try it with your fists closed. Now with
just your thumb and pointer finger. With thumb and each finger in turn. Which was easiest? Hardest?
 Look at your hand with a magnifier. Do you see all the lines? Fingernails? When you bend your fingers, how many sections are
there? Introduce words like palm, knuckles, wrist, index finger.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 Our hands our very useful to us. Let’s think of some ways that we can use them. Make a list. Button clothes, tie shoes, draw pictures,
play with and pick up toys – the children will think of many things.
 Do animals have hands? Describe some ways that animals use parts of their bodies to help themselves. Show lots of pictures of
animals, so that children can have a reference point.
 We have thumbs that can move in different directions from our fingers. Try it. Other animals cannot do this. Having this kind of
moving thumb can help us enormously when we hold pens and pencils, knives and forks, and in operating tools and machinery.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Paint your hand with a layer of tempera, and make some prints on paper. Do it with closed fingers, then open. Dab paint on just
fingertips, and make spots.  Paint the back of your hand, and print it. How does it feel when you paint your hands? Where does it
tickle more: the palm or the back?
 Use tweezers to pick up Cheerios from a bowl, and drop them in another bowl. Use tongs to do the same thing with pieces of sponges,
or tissues.
 Have the children help you make a list of their 7 or 8 favorite finger plays. Print them out, staple them together, and the children can
illustrate the finger plays and take them home to “read” and perform for family.
Our Hands
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Sit in a circle on the floor, and have everyone sit on their hands. Put something interesting in the middle of the circle, and ask the
children to think of some ways to get it, without using their hands.
 Put some cereal on napkins on the table, and have the children eat it without using hands. Now try it with your fists closed. Now with
just your thumb and pointer finger. With thumb and each finger in turn. Which was easiest? Hardest?
 Look at your hand with a magnifier. Do you see all the lines? Fingernails? When you bend your fingers, how many sections are
there? Introduce words like palm, knuckles, wrist, index finger.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 Our hands our very useful to us. Let’s think of some ways that we can use them. Make a list. Button clothes, tie shoes, draw pictures,
play with and pick up toys – the children will think of many things.
 Do animals have hands? Describe some ways that animals use parts of their bodies to help themselves. Show lots of pictures of
animals, so that children can have a reference point.
 We have thumbs that can move in different directions from our fingers. Try it. Other animals cannot do this. Having this kind of
moving thumb can help us enormously when we hold pens and pencils, knives and forks, and in operating tools and machinery.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Paint your hand with a layer of tempera, and make some prints on paper. Do it with closed fingers, then open. Dab paint on just
fingertips, and make spots.  Paint the back of your hand, and print it. How does it feel when you paint your hands? Where does it
tickle more: the palm or the back?
 Use tweezers to pick up Cheerios from a bowl, and drop them in another bowl. Use tongs to do the same thing with pieces of sponges,
or tissues.
 Have the children help you make a list of their 7 or 8 favorite finger plays. Print them out, staple them together, and the children can
illustrate the finger plays and take them home to “read” and perform for family.
Our Feet
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Have the children remove their shoes and socks, in order to feel some different textures with their feet, and compare how the same
textures feel with their hands. Try pieces of sandpaper, ice cubes, a brush, sponge, a rock, bristle block toy, cotton ball etc
 Explore your feet - count toes; compare toe sizes with other toes; learn terminology, heel, sole, ankle, arch, Achilles tendon, toenails,
muscles, veins etc. Move foot around, stretch it in different directions and feel different muscles stretching. Squeeze foot gently, find
the shape of bones and trace them with your fingers. Compare length of feet, with other children, with adult..
 Play Simon Says with feet actions – shake it, put both in the air, tip toe, walk on sides of feet etc
 Shoes – why do we wear them?

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 We have feet. They are parts of our body that connect to other parts and work together to help us walk, skip, hop, run, dance. What
else can they do?
 Think about a newborn baby. Do they have feet? Do babies walk? Why do you think that babies don’t walk and you do? Accept all
answers. Explain that it takes a great deal of practice to learn to walk. It seems easy to us now, but when we were younger we had to
practice and practice to stand up and walk. We fell a LOT when we were learning. Little babies’ muscles aren’t strong enough yet to
hold up their bodies. And learning to balance on their feet is HARD.
 Have the children balance on one foot. Then on both feet. Which is easier? Why?
 Show photos of people using their feet in different ways – ballet dancer, football/soccer player, baby sucking its toes, running
barefoot,
 Show photos of other feet, such as dog, horse, elephant, gorilla, bird,
 ducks. Discuss differences and similarities. Do all animals have feet? Think of some that do not. How do they get around from place
to place? (snake, worm, fish, octopus, seal etc)
 Discussion: If people didn’t have feet, what would some of the effects be?

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Adult paint children’s toenails with nail polish
 Sit on a chair and wash your feet in a tub of warm soapy water. How does it feel?
 Paint the soles of your feet and walk on a large piece of paper. Maybe outside?
 Trace your feet and cut them out. Compare paper feet with others – size, width, longer shorter? Decorate them.
 Teach the children a simple tap routine, or Irish jig.
 Draw a big diagram of a foot, and label the parts. Read the words. Draw funny faces on the toenails.
 This topic might lead to an exploration of things that we wear on our feet. Shoes of all kinds, socks, nylons, rings, etc. A study of
shoes and reasons they are worn would be interesting.
Fun With Balance
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Have the children pretend they are flamingoes, and try to balance on one foot as long as possible. Now the other one. Try balancing on
different body parts. Which ones are easier? Impossible? Try balancing with your eyes closed. Easy or hard?
 Find an open space and twirl around and around. What happens when you stop? How do you feel? Are you able to stand up/still
easily?
 Let’s walk along on a low wall; a balance beam; on stepping stones; on far-apart stepping stones. Do it with your arms at your
sides. Now try it with your arms stretched out on either side of you. Which is easier?

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 People are able to use and develop their sense of balance by combining 3 things: some tiny tubes inside their inner ears that are filled
with fluid (vestibular system); seeing with their eyes and focusing on a target; and the information that our brain receives from tension
in our muscles. The last two can be developed with practice. Aren’t we amazing?
 Some people that have a very well developed sense of balance are gymnasts, acrobats, ballet dancers, ice skaters, construction worker
on high building, and high platform divers. Why do you think these people need a strong sense of balance? Let’s try to do some of the
things they do.
 Astronauts have to practice in spinning simulators to develop their sense of balance before they go into space, because in space, away
from the earth’s gravity, all the senses necessary for maintaining a sense of balance are disrupted.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Walk around with a book resting on your head, and try to not have it fall.
 Walk from one side of the room to the other, holding a spoon with an egg (hard cooked or play egg) on it. Try it first while looking at
the egg while you walk. Now try it while looking continuously at the spot where you are walking to. Which way was it easier to
balance the egg?
 Have a discussion about motion sickness.
 Pretend you are a person who needs a strong sense of balance in their job or sport. Tell us a story about yourself.
 Some people can stand or walk on their hands. Can you? Let’s try it.
Sound Search
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Hide behind a couch or a partition with a collection of objects that make a noise. Use each one, and the children try to guess what they
are hearing. Some suggestions are: crumpling and tearing paper or foil; pouring water from one container to another; snoring;
sneezing; clapping hands; ball bouncing; cell phone ring; scissors cutting.
 Have the children wear earplugs or cotton balls in their ears. Give simple directions in a very quiet voice, with exaggerated hand
movements; soft voice only; hand movements only. How did you know what to do? What helped you understand best? Discuss
reasons

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 Our sense of hearing helps us make sense of things happening in the environment around us. We can hear talking and what is being
said; we can hear footsteps, vehicles and music.
 Predicting: Use a metal container such as a can and a variety of items to shake in the can e.g. beans, pebbles, cotton balls, pasta,
feathers, etc. What kind of sound do you think this will make? Encourage new and descriptive vocabulary.
 Our ears are the parts of our body that we use to hear with. Use magnifiers to look at other children’s ears (volunteers). Talk about the
parts; compare shapes, whisper words very close to ears. Is there a reason our ears stick out from our heads? Lets look at pictures of
ears of animals – dog, cat, elephant, pig, bird, horse etc Compare shapes, size, and read a book (or online encyclopedia) about the
different hearing abilities of animals.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Learn some sign language words and letters.
 Make a shaker with stapled paper plates and beans.  Decorate with streamers. Make one out of a paper towel tube with closed ends.
  If possible, explore using a dog whistle with a dog.
 In later studies, the children will discover that sounds are actually vibrations. If they are ready for this understanding, then this topic
can be extended to experiments and discussions about sound vibrations (see web site below).
Sense of Touch
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Set out a collection of exploratory items on the table. Include things that are rough, smooth, squishy, wet, cold (ice), warm (something
that has been out in the sun), prickly, etc. Let the children touch and discuss. Encourage discussion by asking open ended questions
(questions that can be answered by more information than yes or no).
 Compare sensations by placing an item on an arm, or cheek, or foot. Do you think the sensation is stronger by touching with your
hand, or with your cheek etc?
 Do the same thing but have the child close eyes and answer.
 Put some familiar items inside socks, and have the children feel them and guess what they might be.
 Child closes eyes, and touch child on arm with finger. Have the child try to touch the exact spot where you touched.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
  We can feel different sensations on our skin. We can sense touch, pressure and temperature. We have skin all over our body. Our
hands are very sensitive to touch.
 If you were not able to see with your eyes, would your sense of touch be helpful, and why?
 Do you think it’s possible to drop a marble (or a penny, Cheerio etc) into a paper cup without looking? Try it. Put 3 items in 3 paper
cups without looking. Now, in turn, the marble, then the penny, then the Cheerio into 3 paper cups.  How did you know which was
which?
 Compare your sense of touch with your other senses. Which do you think is the most important and helpful to you? Why? Equally
helpful?
 Do you think we could do as well without one or more of our senses? Talk about it and try different tests. Some people are not able to
see, or hear, or smell, and scientists have found that those people are able to develop another sense very strongly, to help them
understand our world.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Obtain a Braille alphabet sheet, or simulate one with dots dried glue. Explain what it is used for, and have the children feel the letters
 with eyes open and eyes closed.
 Have an outdoor treasure hunt. Give each child a baggie, and ask them to find something rough, something smooth, something prickly
and something wet. Make up your own criteria according to your environment.
 Have the children make their own tactile board.   Make available a piece of heavy paper or card, and a variety of items with strong
sensory qualities. E.g. sponge, foil, sandpaper, bark chips, penny etc. Have the children glue some items to the board, and then when
dry, close eyes and guess what the texture is by feeling it with hands.
Exploring the Sense of Sight
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Set out a collection of items related to sight or seeing, such as color paddles, binoculars, telescope, magnifiers, pair of glasses, and
some items that can be looked at through these lenses. Have the children explore and discuss what they see. Ask what part of the body
they used to see these items. Cover your eyes and try to see them with your nose, your ear. Possible?
 Have the children look at others’ eyes, or in a mirror. Talk about colors, lashes, lid, eyebrow, iris, pupil, veins, tear duct. Draw a
diagram of a big eye, and label it with the parts, and “read” them.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 We use our eyes to see our surroundings and to see colors and to read books. Our eyes can give us a great deal of information to think
about. For example, our sense of sight can help us to decide whether to cross the road, or if the food we are going to eat looks fresh or
rotten.
  What if you did not have the sense of sight? Could your other senses give you the information about your surroundings that you
need? Discuss each one.
 Some people need glasses or contact lenses to help them see well. Some people cannot see very much, or nothing at all. Do you think
they could read a book?   Do you think they could hear music? Do you think they could taste a strawberry?
 People who don’t see well even with glasses or lenses can use Braille by touching the words with their fingers to read books and
newspapers.
 Why do you think we have 2 eyes, and not one or 3? Accept all answers, then explain that each of the eyes sees objects just a little bit
differently, so things look round or 3-dimensional instead of flat. The different perspectives help us to decide how far or close things
are.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Use paint color cards from the hardware store. Make a color matching game with different shades of a color.
 Play 123 Look and See. Put a group of items on the table or floor. While the children cover their eyes, take one or two items away,
and they guess what is missing. In the beginning, keep items in the same spot, and as the skills develop, move the items to different
 places, or use a BIG set.
 Fill some clear glasses with water at different levels, have the children order them from full to empty, or empty to full. Which of your
senses helped you to that job?
 Have the children each make a directed drawing of an eye, and try to name the parts.
 Throw balls, beanbags or rolled socks into a bucket. Throw close; further away. Our eyes help us decide how hard to throw the ball.
 Play I Spy (colors, initial letters, etc)
 Explore different kinds of mirrors, and reflections. Use a flashlight and color paddles. This topic could expand into another study.
Follow That Scent
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Make a set of smelly containers with cotton balls and paper cups. Saturate a cotton ball with lemon juice or essence, perfume, vinegar,
vanilla, coffee, etc. Also piece of onion, orange, soap, garlic, be creative. Have the children take turns, smell the contents, and either
name it or describe the smell. Encourage new vocabulary, such as aromatic, odor, fresh, putrid, minty, acrid.
 What part of your body are you using to smell with? We all have noses, and animals have noses too. Show photos of lots of people
noses, different shapes and sizes, and all used to smell. Show animal noses, such as dog, cat, elephant, pig, bird (nostrils), horse etc.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 Our sense of smell is in our nose – way up inside the nostrils is a special area that can “catch” a smell floating though the air, and
sends a message to our brain, and our brain figures out what the smell is. Sometimes we also use our sense of taste to help us decide
what the smell is. Those 2 senses quite often work together.
 Smells not only make our lives more enjoyable, when we smell food and flowers, there are also some smells that we might not like as
much. Can you think of some examples? (Trash, toilets, dirty socks, bad food, heavy smoke). Sometimes a strong smell might warn us
of a danger of some kind, for example, food burning on the stove.
 Sometimes, if you have a stuffy nose or a cold, you can’t smell (or taste) anything very well. Why do you think that happens?
 Humans don’t really have a strong sense of smell, compared with some animals. Can you think about why that is? Animals, especially
in the wild, can smell an enemy coming from a great distance, and so they are able to run away. They also need to be able to smell
food and water, so they can continue to live.

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Rub a cinnamon stick on a circle or square of sandpaper. Punch a hole in it and wear it as a necklace.
 Make a flower from colorful tissue and a green pipe cleaner. Spray some perfume on it. Draw and cut out a bee to sit on the
flower. Make a bouquet of flowers.
 Write and read a predictable chart. “My favorite smell is…” “The smell is dislike most is…”
 Make a clipart card activity – animals that have a strong sense of smell. Child picks up a card, and describes what the animal might
like to smell. For example, a dog might like to smell: dog food, water, bone, meat, cat, etc.
Stop That Germ!
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Spread some glitter one child’s hands, and make sure it sticks well. Let’s pretend that the bits of glitter are germs (although germs are
very much smaller). Shake hands with two people, then they shake with two more people etc. Now how many people have pretend
germs on their hands? If someone has a cold, and those are cold germs, it is very possible that you will catch the cold now
 So how do we stop spreading germs from one person to another? The best thing we can do is to wash our hands with warm water and
soap, very often. Why do you think that would help? Have the children wash the glitter off, and wash until all the glitter is
gone. Goodbye, germs!
 Demonstrate the correct way to blow your nose with a tissue, and dispose of it. Have everyone practice.
 Pretend to sneeze while holding a spray bottle of water. When you sneeze, spray the water into the air, and show the children that a
sneeze (plus germs) could be sprayed a great distance. Show how to sneeze into your arm, or use a tissue.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
  Germs are very small beings that live everywhere in our world. They are so small we can’t even see them with our magnifiers. Some
names for germs are bacteria, viruses and microbes. There are good germs that help us and bad germs that can make us sick if they get
into our body. We don’t need to worry about them, because there are many more good germs than bad germs, and there are lots of
ways we can avoid the bad ones.
 Sometimes people wipe their nose on their sleeve when they have a cold and can’t find a tissue. Do you think this is a good
idea? Why? What could they do instead? 
 Families and teachers tell us to wash hands after using the toilet at home and when we go out. Do you think this is important? Why?
How about before eating? Can you think of other times when it would be a good idea to wash?
 Sometimes germs like to get into our bodies when we get a cut of a scrape. How can we prevent this? (Washing, antibiotic cream,
Band-Aids)
 Sometimes, when a virus or bacteria makes us sick, we go to the doctor. If the doctor thinks that a bacteria made us sick, then we
might have to take a medicine called an antibiotic that kills bacteria. There are not many medicines that kill viruses, though. Some
scientists work hard in their laboratories to create a medicine to kill viruses. When you grow up, it’s possible that you might be one of
those scientists.
Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas
 Create a science laboratory scenario, with “lab equipment”, white coats, magnifiers etc. Have the children create wonderful medicine
that will help everyone in the world, and celebrate their success.
 Play “Captain Germcatcher”, the amazing germ chasing hero. She/he goes around the world handing out tissues and soap, and
teaching people how to avoid getting sick.
 Make a picture of what you think a germ might look like if it grew as big as a cat. Scary? Cute? Tell us about it.
 Create a sign together and decorate it, describing how to wash hands correctly. Hang it over the sink, and read it often. Add photos of
the children washing hands.
Interesting Tools That Doctors Use
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
Set out a collection of real or play tools, instruments or other items that medical workers us in the course of treating sick people or keeping us
healthy. Some items might be:thermometer, stethoscope, tongue depressor, otoscope (ears), blood pressure cuff, syringe (without the needle),
empty medication container, ophthalmoscope (eyes), reflex hammer, bandage, Band-aid, cotton balls, pad and pen for prescription, mini
flashlight, scale and growth chart etc. Explore and discuss.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
  Medical workers such as doctors and nurses go to school for many years to learn how to take care of us when we are sick, and to give
us advice about good health.
 When you visit the doctor’s office, or a hospital, you will see different tools and machines that medical workers use in their
work. Some are small, and some are so big that they have to stay in one place because they are very heavy to move. Some diagnostic
machines are X-ray machines, ultrasound, CT scanners and MRI imaging equipment. Show photos

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Create a bag (collage) that a doctor might carry some instruments in. Teacher cut a double-sided bag shape from construction
paper. Children glue cotton balls, stick band-aids, tongue depressors, clip art thermometers, stethoscopes and otoscopes.
 Set up a doctors’ office, with a waiting room. Have a receptionist talk to the patient and fill in the insurance, and a table of books and
magazines. Have a play doctor kit available.
 Measure and weigh the children with a step-on scale and a tape measure. Write down the results, and give to each child to take home.
 Paint with cotton swabs and cotton balls.
We Need Healthy Teeth
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Purchase a new toothbrush for each of the children, or have them bring one from home. Have some toothpaste available, and have
them each brush their teeth while you watch, comment and encourage. When done, check out the bright smiles.
 Show a photo of a baby smile with no teeth. How do babies chew with no teeth? Discuss food that baby eats and drinks, and the
difference between “then and now”.
 Give the children a long slice of apple (or similarly crunchy) to eat. Point out which teeth they use to bite, and which to chew. How
many times do they chew before they swallow?
 Show, explain, and use dental floss.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 People need teeth to chew most of their food before they swallow it. People need to eat food to stay alive and healthy. Most people are
omnivorous, so they have the kind of teeth that can chew both plants and meat. It is very important to keep teeth healthy, so they
won’t decay.
 We can help keep our teeth healthy by brushing at least twice a day, after breakfast and after dinner.
 We also need our teeth to help us when we talk. Let’s say some words and letter sounds, and figure out how we use our teeth when
talking. (sounds d, l, n, t, th, come to mind)
 The food we eat affects the health of our teeth. Eat sugary or sticky food in moderation, and try to brush after eating it.
 Many animals have teeth. Animals that eat mostly meat (carnivores) have strong sharp teeth to chew their food, and animals that eat
mostly plants (herbivores) have smaller, flatter teeth. Some animals have no teeth at all. Let’s read some books and look online to find
out about animal teeth.(See web site below)

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Count your teeth.
 Categorize healthy food for teeth, and sugary sticky food. Use real food, or make a chart with drawings or clipart, and label the food.
 Use an old, used, recyclable toothbrush to paint with. (Using a new one sends a conflicting message.)
 Compare 3 different kinds of toothpaste. Look, smell, rub between fingertips, taste. Discuss differences and similarities. Squirt a
sample of each on a piece of card, and compare colors. Will it dry? Wait and see. (Painting with toothpaste also sends a conflicting
message).
 Cut out a big red construction paper smile, and have the children use small sponges or blocks to print a row of teeth towards the top,
and a row of teeth towards the bottom.
Keep Those Muscles Moving
Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment
 Do some stretching movement with the children – arms, neck, fingers, legs, feet etc. Use a thick rubber band to demonstrate the fact
that muscles inside our body can stretch and contract in different directions every time we move. Point out that muscles are in every
part of our body, although we can’t see them. Give the children rubber bands to stretch and contract.
 Try to feel some muscles that are close to the skin. Make a fist and feel upper arm; feel muscles in back of neck. Feel flexing in lower
leg.
 Try the stretching movements again, this time focusing on which muscles are operating.
 Now let’s go and drink a big cup of water. Because we sweat water out of our bodies when we move and exercise, we need to replace
the water that we lost. Drinking water keeps us healthy.

Possible/Expected Discoveries
 We all have muscles, and they are a very important part of our body. Whenever we move, our muscles are helping us do it. Muscles
can grow stronger with exercise and movement. While children are running and playing, their muscles are growing stronger.
 Our heart is a muscle. It moves all the time while it is beating.
 Older children might like to learn the names of some important muscles. See sites below.
 Can you think of some specific stretching and moving exercises for a particular muscle?   For example, what could we do to
strengthen a shoulder muscle? How about a toe muscle?
 When we run or jump for a while, we start to breathe in air faster. The air goes into our lungs, and then all around our body, and helps
us be healthy. This kind of exercise is called “aerobic”

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

 Jump rope.
 Dance to music.
 Watch the tiny muscles in your fingers work while you draw a picture with crayons or pencils.
 Pretend to be “Super Kid” the strongest mightiest kid on earth. Go save the day! Flex those muscles!
  Learn to spin a hoop around your arm or waist.
 This topic might spark and interest in other parts of the body; or a study of water; or the things we need to do to keep our body
healthy.