I have a fun hand straw model craft to explore human anatomy muscles, bones, and tendons. Also, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas. And this Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study.
Because it is so important in the basic sciences kids learn from preschool to high school, hands-on human anatomy is a no brainer.
Let’s explore human anatomy muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones with some fun hands-on activities.
The reason I like this activity is because it’s very inexpensive or free if you have these items on hand.
Also, it gives kids a peek into the inner workings of their body, and has a lot of impact in helping kids to understand the mechanics of the hand.
Muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones make up the human musculoskeletal system.
Human Body Muscles, Ligaments, Tendons and Bones
Let’s look at each.
- Muscle- Soft tissue, muscles help you move, lift or even sit still. Some muscles aid in digesting food, breathing or sight. The heart is a muscle that pumps blood throughout your body.
You have 3 types of muscle in your body:
- Skeletal muscle- attached to the skeleton, 700 of these muscles spread throughout the body.
- Smooth muscle- found in blood vessels and organs in the abdomen.
- Cardiac muscle-The thick middle layer of the heart.
- Tendon-A tendon is not the same thing as a muscle. Tendons are strong cords of flexible tissue (made of collagen) that connect your muscles to your bones. You can easily feel one of your tendons, run your hand down the back of your ankle and feel the cord that runs down it.
- Ligament- This is a fibrous connective tissue that attaches bone to bone and helps hold bones together and keeps them stable.
- Bones-Bone is made of protein, collagen, and minerals, especially calcium. Your bones provide shape to your body, allow for movement, protect vital organs, facilitate breathing, and a variety of cells are made in the marrow that are absolutely necessary.
- Cartilage- Is the strong, flexible connective tissue that protects your joints and bones. Think of it as a shock absorber.
- Connective Tissue- Connective tissue is the tissue that connects or separates and supports all the other types of tissues in the body.
Additionally, look at these human body resources.
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!
Too, look at some more hands-on ideas for learning about the human body anatomy.
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
- This set of X-rays has come in handy for several years when teaching about the skeletal system. We used it to compare to our DIY model.
Finally, look how to make this fun robotic hand using straws.
Human Anatomy Muscles, Ligaments, Tendons, and Bones Hand Model
You will need:
- 5 plastic or paper straws
- Cardstock
- String or yarn
- Clear tape
- Pen or pencil
Start by tracing your child’s hand on a piece of cardstock.
Then, cut the hand out.
Next, cut straws into 14 short pieces, 3 for each finger and only 2 for the thumb.
Cut 5 longer pieces, almost as long as the palm of your handprint.
Tape 3 bones (phalanges) onto each finger, leaving room between each and 2 on the thumb.
Use tape to place the 5 longer straw pieces on the palm(metacarpal bones), and try to line them up with each finger so that the motion is smoother.
Cut 5 lengths of yarn or string 6 inches longer than your traced hand.
Tape one line of thread to the backside of each finger.
Use a skewer to push the string through the straws of the finger and then through the straws on the palm and out the bottom.
Smooth strings out so each is easy to identify which it controls. Trim if needed.
Your child can now gently pull on each string to demonstrate how when the hand receives electromagnetic impulses from the brain the tendons and muscles work together to do what it tells them to.
To stabilize the hand further you can hot glue the back of it down onto cardboard and have your child see how they are able to move the hand.
