This simple uterus research craft is great if you are learning about reproduction, human anatomy, or just giving your daughter a lesson on the why and how of cramps. Too, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas. And this Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study.
And look at my page How to Choose the Right Homeschool High School Science for more fun teen ideas.
Discussing our amazing bodies is an essential part of homeschooling health education.
One topic that can be tricky but very necessary is menstrual cramps—something many women and girls experience each month.
By learning about what causes them, we can better understand the female body and show respect for how wonderfully it is designed.
We will dive into amazing facts, talk about putting together a bag for monthly menstrual cycles, and look at a few other body systems.
To make the learning hands-on, we’ll finish with a felt uterus model craft that helps kids visualize how everything works.
BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT HUMAN REPRODUCTION
First, look at some of these books about the human reproduction. There is something for all ages.
10 Books About Human Reproduction and Pregnancy
Add some books to help your children learn about the amazing human body and reproductive system Too, learn about the fascinating process of pregnancy.
It's the mystery of mysteries for soon-to-be older siblings: what's going on inside a pregnant mother's belly? BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, a joyful lift-the-flap book for children, that tells the parallel story of mother and baby during the nine months of pregnancy.
Illustrated with full-color whimsy by Laura Cornell, whose delightful work is familiar to readers of Jamie Lee Curtis's Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born and When I Was Little, BEFORE YOU WERE BORN is a month-by-month countdown written in rhyming verse.
On a winter night, in a cottage far away from the town, Mum's baby is ready to be born. The midwife arrives and the whole family prepare for the home birth. In this honest and moving portrayal, Jenni Overend and Julie Vivas celebrate the birth of a baby at home with warmth and joy. This is a book for the whole family to share in preparation for a home birth or the arrival of a new baby.
See baby grow and develop month by month with 9 stunning, life-size pop-ups! Grow, Baby, Grow! artistically and poetically illustrates the growth of a baby before birth by comparing him or her to something wonderful and familiar: a pearl on the beach, a cherry on a limb, a starfish in the sea. Grow, Baby, Grow! is a beautiful treasure for expecting mothers, new arrivals, and curious siblings-to-be.
Designed for slightly older children, this volume gives clear, medically sound explanations to youngsters about the wonders of human growth. Beginning with the development of the fetus, the book explores infancy, childhood, puberty, maturity, and old age. Illustrations throughout, including fold-outs.
ABC - Life in the Womb is a fun and exciting alphabet book for kids to learn how babies grow and develop in their mother’s womb.
For example:
• The baby starts off the size of a grain of salt.
• As early as 16 weeks baby will practice breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid into tiny developing lungs.
This book is especially fun for big brother or sister, to follow along on baby’s journey as they await baby’s grand entrance.
In its mother’s womb, a tiny baby grows, explores the waters, and talks with the angel who is there.These gentle illustrations and wise words tell the story of that baby and the angel in the waters . . . a story that will delight all young children, because the journey from conception to birth is their story, too.
A soon-to-be big sister and her parents prepare for the arrival of a new baby in the family. Alternating panels depict what the family is experiencing in tandem with how the baby is growing, spanning everything from receiving the news about the new baby to the excitement of its arrival. In this pregnancy book unlike any other one out there, watch what's actually happening through meticulously detailed, actual size illustrations, perfectly paired with a lyrical yet informative text, and culminating in a warm, joyful birth scene.
Your Amazing Newborn celebrates a baby's extraordinary abilities in the first hours and days of life. Marshall and Phyllis Klaus take parents and all those who care for new families into this freshly charted world, one they have been exploring for decades. The results of their fascinating research are illuminated by over 120 exquisite photographs, all of babies less than two weeks old.
From time immemorial, younger women have been asking older women, "What is it like to have a baby?" Here at last is a book that brings together the reactions of a wide array of women--some rich, some poor, some famous, some not-so-famous--to the experience of childbirth. Ranging from Sophia Loren to Queen Victoria, from Colette to Elzire Dionne, it explains in human terms as no clinical description can what the experience of having a baby is really like. A universal process that is unique in each instance, birth is inherently dramatic and changes even people who never expected to be deeply affected. Indeed, some of the most revealing pieces in Ever Since Eve are the testimony of men about fatherhood, men as diverse as Napoleon and W.C. Fields. A fascinating collection of vignettes, Ever Since Eve examines childbirth in different parts of the globe, offers some intriguing footnotes to history, and presents a view of public figures in their most private moments. Compelling reading for every pregnant woman, this book will be a treasured keepsake for anyone who has ever had--or would like to have--a baby.
A fantastic reference book for a lot of human anatomy, including explaining how the menstrual cycle works.
The Way We Work is a fantastic reference book for a lot of human anatomy, including explaining how the menstrual cycle works.
WHAT ARE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS
Menstrual cramps, also called dysmenorrhea, are the pains some women feel in their lower abdomen before or during their period. These cramps happen because the uterus is a muscle, and like all muscles, it contracts.
When the lining of the uterus sheds each month (that’s what makes a period), the muscle squeezes to push it out. This is very similar to how the stomach squeezes food during digestion or how the heart pumps blood. These contractions are triggered by natural chemicals called prostaglandins.
- Most cramps last for 1–3 days, though every person’s experience is unique.
- Mild cramps can feel like an achy pressure or gentle tightening.
- Stronger cramps may feel sharp or throbbing and sometimes spread to the lower back and thighs.
TIPS FOR EASING CRAMPS
- Rest- Adequate sleep helps the body handle discomfort better.
- Heat- A warm heating pad or hot water bottle on the belly helps relax the muscle.
- Movement- Gentle stretching, walking, or yoga can reduce pain.
- Hydration- Drinking water (especially warm tea) keeps the body working smoothly.
WHY DOES THE UTERUS DO THIS
The uterus has an incredible job; it is designed to support new life.
Each month, it prepares a soft lining for a possible pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, that lining is no longer needed and is shed as the menstrual period.
The cramps are the body’s way of helping move out the old lining so the cycle can begin again.
Think of it like spring cleaning, sometimes a little hard work is needed to keep things fresh and healthy!
This would be a great opportunity, especially for a pre-teen or teen who has not yet started their period, to put together a period kit.
Add a couple of different sizes of pads, pain relief medicine like Midol, a heating pad, feminine wipes, and, of course, some special chocolates.
MORE AMAZING ANATOMY ACTIVITIES
- Pregnancy Belly Female Study of Human Anatomy Kids Fun Craft
- Blood Model in a Bottle: Exploring Vascular Systems
- 7 Human Skull Facts and Cool Human Skull Anatomy Activity
- Major Organs of The Human Body Labeled Fun Felt Anatomy Activity
- The Female and Male Reproductive System [for teens]
Finally, look at how to make this cool uterus research project.
FELT UTERUS RESEARCH CRAFT
Hands-on crafts make learning memorable. Creating a felt uterus model helps students visualize the origin of cramps and the anatomy of the uterus.
You will need:
- Pink, white, and red felt
- Small pom-poms
- Fabric glue
- Scissors
Optional: labels printed on paper or written on cardstock
First, trace the uterus shape on light pink felt with a pencil.
Find a good image online or in a reference book to use as a model to create the fallopian tubes, a uterus, and a cervix.
Trace again on a darker pink felt and then trim it so it is slightly smaller and fits on the light pink felt, then shape the darker pink so that it resembles the unique shape of the uterus and cervix.
Glue pom-poms/beads at the ends of the tubes. These represent the ovaries, which release eggs.
To demonstrate how the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) is shed, cut small, thin strips from the red felt and arrange them around the inner portion of the uterus.
Cut small white felt strips and attach them from the fallopian tubes to the uterus to demonstrate the ovarian ligament.
You can just layer everything or glue it in place.
Use small paper slips to create labels for the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
Place the labels in the correct spots.
Encourage older students to research what happens in each part of the reproductive system during the menstrual cycle and add short fact notes to their model.
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