Written by: Makinsey Ekman
Why Teach With Music?
A long, long time ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I went to college; the dreaded institution where people go to find a career path they might follow, or fifty different careers they think they like, but end up dumping after a few classes related to it. When I went to school I was one of the lucky few who stuck to my major and finished in 3 long years.
I received my degree in education, and while I have not taught in a formal setting since receiving my BFA, I have used what I've learned in school time and time again. One of the things that I learned was the importance of teaching through play/music.
Do you still remember every word to that *NSYNC song you haven't sung since you were 12? Most, not all, people are hardwired to remember music better than lecture, because it utilizes multiple parts of our brain.
Why Start With Scientific Names?
When homeschooling my kids, I felt that it was important to help them to learn in a way that would last. Instead of teaching them that feet are connected to legs, and then later on relearning that those feet have bones that are called this or that, I decided to start in the deep end.
I broke the body into 3 units, skeletal, muscle, and organ. Our first unit on the skeletal system the kiddos absolutely loved, mostly because they love singing. I took the tune of "Click Clack Skeleton Bones" and switched the words around. I attached the song below for reference, and because it's cute.
The Bone Song
I wasn't able to include every single bone in the human body in my rendition. It would have just made the song go on too long, and, since my kids are younger, I can't hold their attention for that length of time. I picked 3-4 bones in each section of the body (feet/lower leg, upper leg/pelvis, torso, and arms).
When I introduced this song to my kids I first played the tune for them a few times. Next, I spoke the words of the song by myself but had the kids tap the parts of their bodies as I said them. I would have them repeat some of the harder to pronounce words as well. Finally, it was time to sing the song together!
The kids could jump around and be as crazy as they wanted, so long as they sang. It took three tries or so, but they finally got it and can now sing it morning, noon, and night.
Activities
Every day we were on this unit we would start by practicing the "bones" song. Then we would do an activity about bones, and, as we do an activity, continue to sing the song. I've included a list of various activities below, along with links to instruction pages.
- Make a Q-tip skeleton hand
- Put together your very own skeleton
- Play "Simon Says", but change the phrase to, "Mr. Skeleton says"...touch your cranium or point your phalanges, etc.
- Take a piece of butcher paper and trace out your child's outline. Give them a crayon to draw in the bones.
- Make DIY Skeleton T-shirt
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