Swapping out worksheets and using human body activities middle school instead can make learning anatomy fun and memorable. Also, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas. And this Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study.
With just a few simple craft products your middle schooler can create a human eye model and learn all about this remarkable complex organ.
Creating, putting it together, and labeling will help the lessons about eye anatomy stick.
You can make this a bit more advanced with more detail or simplify it to suit your child.
I was able to pick up all the supplies from Dollar Tree so it is quite inexpensive for this project as well.
Human Body Activities Middle School – 8 Facts About The Eye
- You see objects upside down, then your brain turns the image the right way up.
- While eyes always stay the same size your nose and ears continue growing throughout your life.
- The most common eye color in the world is brown, while green is the most rare with only 2% of the population having them.
- The human eye begins to develop just two weeks after conception.
- The cornea is the only tissue in the human body that doesn’t contain blood vessels.
- The largest eye you will find on earth belongs to the colossal squid and has an 11” diameter.
- Having two eyes is what gives us depth perception, when we can see an object from two angles it enables us to tell how far away it is.
- Babies’ eyes are not able to produce tears until they reach at least 6 weeks old because their tear ducts haven’t fully developed.
I think we can all agree that the eye is incredibly amazing in its design and performance. We use them all day to take in information and sometimes give information.
Learning about the Human Eye Vocabulary
- Optic Nerve-Transmits electrical impulses from your eyes to your brain.
- Sclera-(whites) Helps to maintain your eyeball’s shape and protects it from injury.
- Iris- Controls the diameter and size of the pupil determining how much light reaches the retina.
- Pupil- While the muscles of your iris change shape it lets light into your eyes.
- Lacrimal Gland-Releases fluid that cleans and protects the eye’s surface as it lubricates and moistens it.
- Rectus Muscle- Moves your eyes up, down, left, and right.
Next, look at some of these resources for learning about the human body.
16 Human Body Books & Hands-on Resources
Add a few of these fun resources whether you do a couple of lesson plans about the human body or a unit study.
One of the resources we used as a reference for this activity was The Way We Work, it covers a lot of interesting topics on the human body.
Vivid Human torso organ structure: 15 Pcs Removable Organs including: Torso, Brain (2-part), Heart, Esophagus and Aorta, Lungs (4-part), Cranial Cap, Stomach, Diaphragm, Liver, pancreas and spleen, small and large intestine. The torso structure showing the relative position, morphological features, anatomy of the head, neck and internal organs, especially the respiratory, digestive, urinary and nervous systems.
[HUMAN ORGANS SILICONE MOLD]: 8 Pcs Human Organs Mold With Different Shapes, Include 1 Human Heart Mold, 1 Brain Silicone Mold, 1 Liver Mold, 1 Intestinal Mold, 1 Lung Mold, 1 Stomach Mold, 1 Brain Stem Mold, 1 Kidney Mold.
This human body with squishable organs is another great way to identify the organs and become familiar with their layout in the body, it has that gross factor that so many kids love.
8PCS Human Organ Figures Set:Human organ anatomy parts display model children learning toy include small intestine, large intestine, lung, brain, stomach, heart, liver, kidney. Suitable for boys and girls over 6 years old,good for brain ability and imagination.
Complete labeled illustrations of over 1,400 anatomical identifications.Loaded with beautifully illustrated diagrams clearly and concisely labeled for easy identification.
Basher Science: Human Body, A Book with Guts! Created & illustrated by Simon Basher, written by Dan Green
From the best-selling team that brought you The Periodic Table, Physics, Biology, and Astronomy comes a topic that's close to our hearts-literally! Meet the characters and processes that that keep the human body chugging along. From the basic building blocks like Cell, DNA, and Protein, to Bones, Muscles, and all of the fun-loving Organs, readers will cozy up with the guys on the inside. Trust us-Liver has never looked better!
High-quality 3 MIL LAMINATION for added durability
Tear Resistant
HUMAN ORGANS LEARNING: Marvel at the rich complexities of the human heart muscle! Every piece has a unique shape designed to outline each major part of the heart organ, making these an exciting challenge to assemble. Each puzzle includes an Anatomy Reference Guide, so you can learn as you build!
- Authentic x-ray images
- Works with any light source or light table)
- Matching facture card
- Detailed teaching guide
- Set of 4 Posters Made in the USA
- Posters are 18" x 24” in size
- High-quality 3 MIL lamination for added durability
- Tear Resistant
Discover the workings of the body's most complex organ! How does the brain control the rest of the body? How does it enable the senses to function, regulate speech, affect balance, and influence sleep and dreams? These 25 illustrations to color explain every aspect of the brain's important jobs, from communicating with the central nervous system to retaining memories. Suitable for ages 8–12.
Enjoy This Coloring Book with 34 Beautiful Human Skull Anatomy Coloring Pages.
The Human Skull Anatomy Coloring Book Provides A Means Of Learning About The Structure And Function Of The Human Skull Anatomy Through A Process Of Coloring-By-Directions.
Coloring The Human Skull Anatomy And Its Nerves Is The Most Effective Way To Study The Structure And Functions Of Human Skull Anatomy. You Assimilate Information And Make Visual Associations With Key Terminology When Coloring In The Human Skull Anatomy Coloring Book, All While Having Fun.
Fall is a grea time to grab a set of hands at Dollar Tree but also here is a pair if you're doing a unit study and need one now.
This poster makes a great reference and can be used with older children to help them add more detail to their project.
Our bodies contain a super highway of blood vessels that carry nutrients, waste, and much more from our heads to our toes. This network is the circulatory system! Beginning with a deep breath in, this fact-filled title uses easy-to-follow text and diagrams to allow readers to dive inside the bodys circulatory system!
The human body is a complex being made up of systems that keep us alive and moving! In this series, readers will dive into the bodys systems though engaging, leveled text and related diagrams that follow the parts and functions of each system. Get a microscopic view inside the body with A Closer Look, and put new knowledge into action with a hands-on activity. Check out what is happening inside the body with each title!
Also, look at these other activities to learn about the human body.
More Human Body Crafts
- Simple and Easy Circulatory System Hands-on Activity for Kids
- How to Turn a Pizza Into a Fun Edible Human Cell Model
- How To Make A Fun Bones Of The Hand Labeled X-Ray Craft
- 7 Human Skull Facts and Cool Human Skull Anatomy Activity
- How to Make a Fun Hands-on Playdough Brain Activity
- Major Organs of The Human Body Labeled Fun Felt Anatomy Activity
- Fun Resources and Books About The Human Body For Preschoolers
- 8 Eye Facts & Human Body Activities Middle School & Fun Eye Model
- 12 Human Body Games For Middle School & High School
- Craft a Fun Hand Straw Model to Explore Human Anatomy Muscles & Tendons
- How to Make a Human DIY Heart Model Easy Craft for Kids
- 8 Facts About the Respiratory System & Fun Lung Craft for Kids
- 7 Human Body Facts and Kids Human Body T-Shirt Project
- Fun Edible Spine
- Making Blood + What Are the Components of Blood
- DIY Heart Pump
- Kids Stethoscope Activity
- Build An Edible DNA Model
- Edible Skin
- Rigid versus Flexible Bone Activity.
- Pregnancy Belly Female Study of Human Anatomy Kids Fun Craft
- Look at my Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study
Finally, look at how to make this fun human eye model.
Human Body Activities Middle School Make An Eye Model
You will need:
- 3”-4” Styrofoam ball
- Markers or paint pens
- Pink craft foam
- White craft foam
- Hot glue gun/sticks
- White cardstock
- toothpicks
First, use paint pens or markers to draw whatever color iris you want on the center of the styrofoam ball.
Once it is dry, add a black pupil and the little lines or striations known as the limbic rings in the iris.
Cut a piece of white craft foam about 4” long and roll it into a tight tube, secure it with hot glue, a good diameter is about ¾”. (Optic Nerve)
Next, you want to cut 4 rectangles that taper at one end out of the pink craft foam.
These should also be about 4” in length and a little less than 1” at the widest point. (Rectus Muscle)
Now make a small irregular circle around 1” in diameter. (Lacrimal Gland)
At this point you are ready to begin building your eye model. First, you want to hot glue to one end of the white rolled craft foam and hot glue it to the back directly opposite of the iris.
Hold in place until it has cooled.
Take the pink foam and glue them in place evenly around all 4 sides a little more than halfway back on the eye.
Secure the opposite end by gluing it to the optic nerve (white foam roll).
Add some red lines on the white part of the eye (sclera) toward the back to the center for small blood vessels.
Glue the lacrimal gland in place towards the back/side.
This is the point when it is ready for labeling.
Have your child write down the following eye parts on small strips of paper- iris, optic nerve, lacrimal gland, sclera, pupil, rectus muscle.
Attach to toothpicks with glue.
Now they can be inserted into the craft foam as well as the styrofoam ball in the correct place.
While it will leave holes in the foam, it is still reusable to practice on later or even used by another child.
