Talking about bodies in this open, inclusive way has led to an ongoing discussion about personal space and consent to touch others bodies. Some people need lots of personal space for their bodies to feel safe and respected, while others need lots of contact to feel good and everything in between. Any way of being is okay and just right for your body. And, these needs can also change from day to day, moment to moment, so we always try our best to check in before touching other people’s bodies, and respect that NO means NO. Teachers have also added to this ongoing conversation about bodies and consent by properly and openly naming genitals, taking away any shame that may exist around these private parts of our bodies. AND, reminding children that their private parts are their own and not for anyone else to touch. These are important concepts that five- and six-year-old children can understand and practice, and can help them advocate for themselves and confide in trusted adults should they need to.

Below is just a taste of some of the activities, books and experiences we’ve been enjoying during our human anatomy study.

Exploring bones and the skeletal system, we got to hold a real human skull and noticed all the different holes for seeing, hearing, breathing and eating, and even the whole where our spinal column would go. They started calling their cranium their “brain helmet.” We looked closely at diagrams of the skeletal system and put together small models of a human skeleton. Children are now telling teachers that they bonked their patella, rather than their knee! And, saying they picked up their pencil with their phalanges. 

The “blood bin” and heart pump experiment was a huge hit. Children learned about the job of our heart to pump oxygenated blood through our bodies and then head back to the lungs to reoxygenate. They learned the different parts of the blood and their purposes: plasma, red and white blood cells and platelets. While playing in the “blood bin” children were overheard saying things like, “Oh no, I got a cut! Send over some platelets to stop the bleeding!” They attacked “germs” with white blood cells and even pretended to have “plasma parties” while bouncing around a handful of red and white blood cells and platelets.

As we move through learning about the different parts of our bodies we add them to our “Body Maps,” a scroll of paper with the outline of each child’s body. We started with the structural framework of our bodies, learning about bones and our skeletal system. Next we added our brains and eyes. Then our heart, arteries and veins. Followed by our lungs. More organs will be added as we learn about them.

We’ve also been playing human anatomy related puzzles and games, like Organ BINGO to help learn the names of the different organs and Stack the Bones to test our hand-eye coordination. We’re making anatomy inspired art, the skeleton drawings and sculptures and clay eyeballs. And, we’re doing observational drawings of small models of some of our organs to create our own anatomy flashcards.

Our bodies truly are so interesting. As we move ahead in our exploration of ourselves and our bodies, and get closer to Harvest Feast, we’ll explore and learn about our digestive system, food and nutrition. Stay tuned!

We cannot wait to see how the first issue comes together over the next few weeks!

Wolf Spiders(Carriage House: 9s,10s,11s)

 I’ve gotten the chance to collaborate with everyone on the Links team in different ways to bring science, social studies, art, digital literacy, history, and math into our inquiry work. By exploring topics from different angles, students gain a deeper understanding of not only that topic, but how it connects to other things. In this way, students are learning about the interconnectedness of the world around them through our approach to curriculum.

Check out some of what we’ve been working on and how it all connects. Stay tuned to the next It Happened where I will share more about the digital literacy work Siobhan and I have been up to, as well as a planting project evan and I have brewing (pun intended!).

This week, we met with Nina in the studio to explore techniques illustrators use for making their illustrations show what is happening in the story. Students worked in pairs to analyze a picture book, trying to figure out what could be happening just by looking at the illustrations. Afterwards, we shared techniques they noticed and tried them out. Students will now use these skills to illustrate a picture to go along with their story.

At the beginning of the year, students harvested apples in Links with Amy and evan. Since then, we’ve used apples as a jumping off place to explore human history, geography, timelines, multiplication, and more. We’ve looked into things like the difference between A.D. and C.E., ancient trade routes and human migration, extractive and settler colonialism, and food preservation. We’re close reading texts, calculating how much time has passed since past events, and identifying places on maps. Check out the photos below to see it all in action!