I found the perfect anatomy model for kids!

When the kids were four I bought a science game for our homeschool science lessons.  You built a skeleton as you moved around the board*.  It was great.  It was also way too advanced for four year olds, what they needed was a puzzle anatomy model they could put together and take apart without worrying about pieces snapping.

I learned my lesson when looking for an anatomy model.  Don’t look for more complicated than you need.

{Links marked with an * are affiliate links, I earn a small income from them, but it doesn’t affect your cost}

The new anatomy model I found

Fast forward a few years and I was wandering around the gift shop of the Genesis museum.  The kids had all picked out their souvenirs, but I was fascinated by a series of mini-models for kids.

They looked like the models you find in doctor’s office, but each set was only $10-20, and they fit in a cute little box (this is the brain model, the model I have doesn’t have a good picture of it with the box).

 

I like little boxes.

That’s probably what sold me on the set, but that’s a story for another day.  I happily bought the assorted stuffed animals, books, and my anatomy model.

 

Using our anatomy model in our homeschool lessons

While we studied anatomy we pulled this out frequently.  I pulled it out to show the placement of organs.

Then we pulled it out to look at the skeleton, and how the ribcage covers up the vital organs.

 

 

 

And it came out again as we studied the brain, and looked at what the brain looks like.

 

Why this was so successful in our homeschooling?

My kids are tactile learners.  They have to see and do something to truly understand it.  Taking out the various organs and figuring out how to put them back in, helped them understand exactly how each piece went together.

I did lay a few ground rules for the model, which helped us not lose the pieces.

1. This was for school use, not a general toy
2. They had to ask permission before getting it out, so I knew who was using it
3. If they were caught using it without permission that meant extra chores (which they quite hate)

What hands on items have you used in your school?  Any models that worked?  I’m looking for some good chemistry models, if you know of any.