Blog - The Happy Housewife™

Virtual Anatomy Study Resources

photo credit: 1037004 via photopin (license)

By contributing writer Marci

Mention studying anatomy to many people and the thoughts of dissected frogs and formaldehyde make them shiver and want to run. That’s a shame. The study of anatomy is fascinating and doesn’t have to be gross.

Thanks to new virtual anatomy resources, we can turn our computers and tablets into science labs and explore the world of anatomy and physiology without getting our hands dirty. Here are some of my favorite virtual tools for studying anatomy. Remember to pin this post to use later with your students.

Anatomy Apps

My Incredible Body App. This app contains stunning 3D images taking students on a journey through the human body and its systems. It is available on iTunes and Google Play.

Virtual Frog Dissection App. This is a great alternative to actual frog dissections. This app contains 3D images, information about the frog organs, and comparisons of human and frog organs. The app works on iPads, desktops, laptops, netbooks, and interactive whiteboards.

Online Interactive Resources

Cow Eye Dissection. This site contains step by step images and video of a real cow eye being dissected.

Virtual Knee Replacement Surgery. Take on the role of surgeon in this online, animated, interactive knee replacement surgery. You can also take part in a virtual hip replacement.

Virtual Human Body. This online interactive is very comprehensive in its exploration of the human body and its structure. This is also available as a mobile app.

3D brain. This is a really cool interactive 3D model of the brain. It gives details about the function and structure of each part.

Videos

How the body works videos from Kids Health. This is a great set of videos for younger students. Animated characters lead kids through various parts of the body explaining the parts and how they work together.

NOVA Science How The Brain Works. This is an hour long video hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson that explores recent brain research.

Have you used real or virtual dissections in your homeschool? Do you use any other virtual tools to study anatomy?

Personal Recommendations from The Happy Housewife for Anatomy Curriculum & Resources:

Apologia: Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

Additional Anatomy Curriculum and Resources

Human Skeleton Model – a 41 piece skeletal model that stand 9.2″ tall once assembled. Includes a stand and assembly guide.
Little Labs: The Human Body – a 48-page, full-color illustrated guidebook, this kit teaches human biology fundamentals with step-by-step, hands-on experiments.
First Human Body Encyclopedia (Dk First Reference Series)
Learning Resources Skeleton Floor Puzzle
The Magic School Bus: A Journey into the Human Body
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Human Body Play Set

31 Days of Read-Alouds: Pie in the Sky

by Toni Herrbach

Lois Ehlert is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely love the illustrations in her books. For years my kids have created their own illustrations using a similar collage technique. It is great for little kids because they only need colorful paper, scissors, and glue.

In Pie in the Sky the family watches and waits for their backyard cherry tree to grow cherries so they can make a pie.

This is a great book for learning about the seasons, trees, and of course cooking too! You could also study George Washington who is said to have cut down a cherry tree in is youth, although most sources say this story is not very credible.

Activities for Pie in the Sky

Go cherry picking
Bake a cherry pie
Make collage art
Make a paper plate cherry pie

Make a cherry tree (this is an apple tree, but you could call it a cherry tree!)
Letter “P” worksheets and activities
Make a George Washington wig
George Washington craft

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

31 Days of Read-Alouds: Harold and the Purple Crayon

by Toni Herrbach

I hesitated adding Harold and the Purple Crayon to our read aloud list, because I know more than one child who has had a purple crayon adventure on the walls.

However it is such a fun book I couldn’t resist adding to the list.

There are no limits for Harold and his imagination as he takes a walk with his purple crayon. As he goes along he sketches landmarks so he doesn’t get lost and even a boat when the water is too deep.

There are so many great activities for this book, but my favorite is to sketch out your own world using only your imagination and a crayon.

Give your child a purple crayon (or marker) and a roll of paper. Have them draw their adventures on the paper roll, telling you the story as they go. As they are drawing, type or write up their story, then print it out and make it into a book so they can tell their story over and over.

Activities for Harold and the Purple Crayon

Go for a walk at night with a full moon.
Make a path on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.
Have a picnic
Make a pie

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

31 Days of Read-Alouds: The Tiny Seed

by Toni Herrbach

It’s finally spring and The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is a great book that details the life of a seed.

What I love about this book is that the illustrations are geared towards toddlers, but the story is great for older kids to learn about the life cycle of a plant and the seasons.

This is a great book to read before you start your summer garden!

Activities for The Tiny Seed

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

31 Days of Read-Alouds: Amelia Bedelia

by Toni Herrbach

Amelia Bedelia is such a fun book that kids of all ages will enjoy.

Dear Amelia is so eager to please her new employers that she does exactly what they ask of her. So when she is asked to “dress a chicken” she makes clothes for a chicken, she measures rice with a measuring tape, and literally draws the drapes.

The best way to incorporate Amelia Bedelia into a lesson is to have an Amelia Bedelia day!

Have your children do everything they are asked just like Amelia would have done it. You can also do some of the same things Amelia does in the book.

Activities for Amelia Bedelia

Have an Amelia Bedelia day
Draw a picture of the drapes
Change the towels (use old washcloths or rags)
“Dress”a fake piece of meat

Use the Amelia Bedelia books to teach idioms.

Give me a hand
Penny for your thoughts
At the drop of a hat
Barking up the wrong tree
Cry over spilt milk
Bite off more than you can chew

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

31 Days of Read-Alouds: Bruno Munari’s Zoo

by Toni Herrbach

Bruno Munari’s Zoo is a great book to read before you visit the zoo or a wildlife park.

Young children will love the colorful illustrations and older kids can use this book as a springboard to studying some of their favorite wild animals.

Animals featured in Bruno Munari’s Zoo:

Parrot
Elephant
Flamingo
Zebra
Lion
Squirrel
Rhino
Snake
Fox
Birds
Camel
Seals
Monkey
Tiger
Leopard
Hippo
Peacock
Kangaroo
Polar bear
Porcupine
Tortoise

Crafts & Activities

Zoo Snacks

Peanuts
Zebra cakes
Popcorn
Hot dog snakes
Animal crackers
Elephant snack
Squirrel sandwich

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

31 Days of Read-Alouds: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Toni Herrbach

Before there was a movie there was the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the book, Alexander is having a very bad day! From gum in his hair, to tripping on his skateboard, to not finding a toy in his breakfast cereal, his day could not get any worse.

And then it does.

Kids of all ages will enjoy this book and have fun sharing their own good and bad day experiences.

Alexander decides that he wouldn’t have bad days if he lived in Australia, so this is a great book to use as a springboard in a mini Australia unity study.

Activities for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Eat cereal for breakfast
Draw a picture of an invisible castle
Sing out loud
Count to twenty but leave out the number sixteen

Eat lima beans
Cause and effect worksheet
Write a letter to Alexander and cheer him up
Australia Contenant Box

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

31 Days of Read-Alouds: The Best Loved Doll

by Toni Herrbach

For our 31 Days of Read-Alouds, I tried to pick books that were not specific to boys or girls, but I just couldn’t leave The Best-Loved Doll off the list.

I still have my very worn copy of The Best-Loved Doll and love reading it to my girls. In this story a little girl is invited to a party. She is supposed to bring a doll and she really wants to bring her worn out doll even though she knows it will not win a prize.

The lesson in The Best-Loved Doll is that true beauty is on the inside, not on the outside! A great message for your little girls!

Activities for The Best-Loved Doll

The best activity for The Best-Loved Doll is to host your own doll tea party. This doesn’t have to be a big production, just invite a few friends or family members to bring their favorite doll over for an afternoon of fun and games.

Serve doll-sized items like mini cupcakes, take photos of the girls and their dolls, and even do mini makeovers on the girls and their dolls. I attended several of these parties as a child and they were always my favorite!

Other activities

See all of our Read-Aloud Books and Activities for the entire series here!

Learning Ear Anatomy with Play Dough

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Colleen

Are you studying the human body with your kids this year? Kids of all ages can benefit from learning about their body systems, how they work, and how to keep themselves healthy.

Since little ones often have ear infections, the ear and its canals is a great place to start. Even the youngest of your kids can appreciate the fun of the teeny tiny bones and ear canals.

Start your lesson off by asking your children what function their ears serve. Talk to them about the shape of the ear – that it’s a perfect funnel for sound waves. Depending on your children’s ages, you might want to discuss that sound travels in waves and we hear its vibrations. Those vibrations are transmitted to the brain for interpretation.

Using a diagram like this one found at Enchanted Learning, create a model of the ear using different colored play dough for each part (here’s how you can make your own play dough). Talk about each section of the ear, starting with the outer ear.

Outer Ear

The outer ear is the part we see. It’s made of flesh and cartilage. It collects the sound waves and funnels them into the middle ear. The part you see on the side of your head is called the pinna. Have your kids choose a color and flatten it into an outer ear shape as you talk to them about it. We kept the diagram up on our computer while we worked.

While you continue talking, have your child choose a different colored dough and show them the meatus, or ear canal. This is the canal that directs sound waves from the outer ear to the middle ear. it’s time to make that part and add it to the pinna.

Middle Ear

Follow the path of the ear canal to the middle ear on the diagram you have showing on the computer, and explain that this part is made up of tissue and bone but no skin. It’s the place where those sound waves are translated to vibrations. The middle ear is also where most infections happen.

Stretch a thin layer of play dough (in a new color) at the end of the ear canal. This is the tympanic membrane, or the eardrum. Ask your kids what a drum does. The ear drum works the same way. The thin membrane vibrates when the sound waves hit it, changing the pressure of the waves, and turning it into mechanical energy that can continue on its journey.

From there, the three tiniest bones in the body are activated. The malleus, or hammer, vibrates as the sound waves vibrate the eardrum. It passes those vibrations on to the incus, or anvil, which then passes them along to the stapes, or stirrup. Direct your child to use three separate colors to make these bones.

Inner Ear

From the stirrup, the vibrations are carried on to the inner ear. This is the place that is responsible for translating those waves to the brain where they can be interpreted through fluid that helps keep the system in balance.

The cochlea is a spiral tube covered in a stiff membrane. That membrane is covered in nerve cells called ear hairs. Each of those hairs are designed to pick up on a different type of vibration, called frequencies. As the nerves vibrate, the different frequencies are translated into electrical impulses. Have your child choose another color to make the cochlea and attach it to the stirrup.

From the cochlea, the auditory nerves pick up those electrical impulses and carry them onto their final destination in the brain. While these are important to point out, we didn’t include them in our model, though you could have your child choose another color to make them out of if you’d like to.

Finally, explain that semi-circular canals are attached to the cochlea and the nerves in the inner ear and are filled with fluid. They send signals about balance and head position to the brain. The eustachian tube drains fluid from the middle ear into the throat. For the last time, have your child choose a new color of play dough to add the eustachian tube to their model.

Hands-on learning is fabulous for topics like this. While you spend time discussing ear anatomy, your child is busy listening, looking at the image, and using their hands to form the parts with play dough. They follow a system from part to part, all the way to the whole, and engag the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic parts of their brains. Using multiple modalities to learn something new increases the likelihood they’ll remember it.

Personal Recommendations from The Happy Housewife for Anatomy Curriculum & Resources:

Apologia: Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

Additional Anatomy Curriculum and Resources

Human Skeleton Model – a 41 piece skeletal model that stand 9.2″ tall once assembled. Includes a stand and assembly guide.
Little Labs: The Human Body – a 48-page, full-color illustrated guidebook, this kit teaches human biology fundamentals with step-by-step, hands-on experiments.
First Human Body Encyclopedia (Dk First Reference Series)
Learning Resources Skeleton Floor Puzzle
The Magic School Bus: A Journey into the Human Body
Melissa & Doug Magnetic Human Body Play Set

31 Days of Read-Alouds: Little Cloud

by Toni Herrbach

Some of my favorite read-aloud books are the ones with the fewest words. Little Cloud by Eric Carle is one of those books. I use these books as an opportunity for my children to “read” me the story and use their imaginations.