Projects for Understanding the Human Body Systems

Adding craft supplies to a science project is a great way to boost student engagement. But it can also bring chaos if you don’t have a system. With some craft supplies and butcher paper, students can model the nervous, digestive, skeletal, muscular, circulatory and respiratory systems. Here are some tips for having students build these models.

Before you begin, start collecting free supplies from home: paper towel rolls, bubble wrap, card board, tissue boxes and more. You can also locate or purchase simple craft supplies like: popsicle sticks, pom poms, pipe cleaners, balloons, cotton balls, straws, zip top bags, craft foam, blue/red yarn, felt and much more. Send home a note to your students' families and ask if they can bring items as well. If each family can bring in one item then all students in the class can share resources for little cost.

Time: 2 hours per body system

Materials:

Scissors
Glue
Coloring Tools
Tape
White butcher paper, or bulletin board paper
Variety of craft supplies (see above).

Steps:

Students should work groups of 2-3. They should start by tracing a body outline on their paper.
Use craft supplies to represent the different body parts. See ideas below:
Balloons = Lungs
Red/Blue Yarn = Arteries/Veins
Paper Towel Roll = Esophagus or Trachea
Zip Top Bag = Stomach
Heart = Red Clay
Intestines = Red Tissue Paper
Brain = Pink Pom Poms
Nerves = Yellow Pipe Cleaners
Bones = Popsicle Sticks
Felt or Foam = Muscles

FAQ

What do I do if students don’t bring many supplies?

Let families know needed craft supplies well in advance (2+ weeks). This allows you time to find more supplies if not much is sent in.

Remember that students are working in groups and they often bring in more supplies than what they can use, so encourage sharing. For example students may bring in 100 beads but it is unlikely they will actually use 100 beads for their projects. Encourage them to share and trade with others.

If after 1-2 weeks and you don’t have many supplies consider checking with staff if they have any craft supplies they no longer need. The art teacher and younger grade teachers are usually good places to start.

If you still don’t have many supplies, these models can be partially hand drawn. For example, students can hand draw the respiratory/circulatory system and use red balloons to represent the lungs.

If you have coloring tools and butcher/bulletin board paper you can still make this project work. Not sure what type of paper to use? We used this paper*. It’s wide enough to have students create a life sized model if they want. We usually estimate giving each group about 5 feet in paper if you are making a life sized model. Please note you do NOT have to purchase this exact item. If you can get it for free at your school, do that! Just sharing the one we used.

How do I ensure this project doesn’t get chaotic?

Here are a few tips to make this project easier to implement.

Before students start working, show them all the supplies available. Just quickly holding them up allows them to start thinking of what they might want to use.
After students have seen all the supplies, they should make a quick plan on paper. Just a few quick notes about what supplies they will need and for what body part (i.e. paper towel roll for the esophagus). This will help keep them on track and ensure they don’t grab too many supplies.
Speaking of supplies, we have supplies in a designated location (usually a back counter). Groups can grab 5 different types of items. If they decide they no longer want to use something they can go to the supply area and exchange it for something else. This makes sure they …
Don’t hoard supplies they won’t need
They don’t make a mess with too many supplies in their area
Other students can use the supplies they don’t need.

How can I make sure science stays at the forefront and it doesn’t just become a craft project?

This is a really important topic as it can turn into just a craft without some guidance. While students are working on their projects I am walking around asking questions like:

How does this body system help us survive?
How would we be impacted if this body system did not function correctly?
What other body system does this body system work with?
What are some things we can do to keep this body system healthy?

You can also have students answer these questions on the paper on the outside of the body outline.

What prior knowledge should students have?

For all of this project students should have learned about the body system they are creating. This project is to demonstrate their understanding of what they have been taught. If you follow the 5E instructional model these activities would come after the "Explain" section. Interested in what the 5E model is: get my free guide here!