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DIY Skeleton Decoration is a Fun Elementary Anatomy Lesson

After two weeks, the fire evacuation warning lifted and we returned home. Still, a lot of learning happened during those 2 weeks at Grandpa’s house. We created a DIY skeleton decoration using cereal and cracker boxes, white paint, and brads. The result is a sturdy skeleton with moveable joints.

I use a skeleton diagram with labeled parts as my reference for sketching out the bones on the inside of the snack boxes. While drawing them, I was able to use their technical names. My son now knows that the forearms and lower legs have 2 bones, and maybe he remembers where his humerus is! He practiced fine motor skills tracing my drawings with a Sharpie and painting them. We cut them out together.

cardboard skeleton
DIY Skeleton

Pop doesn’t have a hole punch, so we had to stab through the cardboard with a needle, then use a sharpened pencil to create the holes for the brads. It took some time but did the trick. My son had the idea to use springs to hold the mandible to the skull, so Pop found opened some up pens and found springs. Even the flexibility of the jawbone is represented in our DIY skeleton decoration!

skeleton DIY

This project introduced my elementary schooler to the skeletal system and doubles as a Halloween decoration. I’d like to create a print out for less artistically inclined parents to use, but my skeleton isn’t perfect. Remember that drawing anyways, especially when your drawing is out of proportion or imperfect, sets a great example to children.

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