We all know we have a lot of bones in our body— in fact, there are 206 of them! But why do we need all these bones? How do they help us in our daily lives? Find out today in this fun biology experiment!
Materials:
Playdough/clay and popsicle sticks (can also use straws or toothpicks)
Time Estimated:
10 - 15 minutes
Directions:
The instructions may be confusing, so make sure to carefully go through each step!
First, make a clay person without the bones. To begin, roll a ball of playdough to be the person’s head.
Roll a bigger ball to be the body of our person. Place the head on top of the body and smush the two clay balls together.
Roll out 4 clay logs so to make the arms and legs of the person. The legs should be thicker than the arms. Stick the arms and legs onto the body of the person and smush them so they stick.
Make two feet by rolling two small balls of clay before squishing them onto the bottom of the person’s legs.
Try to stand your clay person on its feet. The person should be too heavy to stand! Now, you will make a clay person with bones to compare and see the difference that having bones makes in its ability to stand!
Roll another ball of playdough to make another head. Stick a popsicle stick/straw/toothpick in the bottom to be the bone.
Roll a bigger ball to be the body. Take the head and push the popsicle stick/straw/toothpick sticking out of it into the body. If some of the popsicle stick/straw/toothpick is sticking out of the body, cut the end until it no longer sticks out.
Roll out 4 more logs for the arms and legs using the same technique as before. Put a popsicle stick/straw/toothpick into each one.
Put your arms and legs onto your clay person’s body by sticking the popsicle stick/straw/toothpick that is in each arm and leg into the body.
Roll two balls for the feet. Place them on the table and put a popsicle stick/straw/toothpick into the middle of each one.
Take the clay person with bones and, holding it upright, push the popsicle sticks/straws/toothpicks sticking out from the feet through the legs. The balls should squish down and the clay person should be able to stand upright. See what a big difference having bones makes for our clay person!
Think Like A Scientist:
Why do we have bones?
How do bones help us in everyday life?
How It Works:
The bones in our body support us and help keep us upright. If we didn’t have bones, we’d just be a blob — just like the first clay person we created! Bones also help us move; without our bones, we wouldn’t be able to stand up, sit down, or dance!
Looking for more fun at home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
