“Skeletons remind us that we’re all the same underneath.”
~ Unknown
A skeleton does a lot more for us than just look spooky! How strong are they? How do they heal? How do they work with your muscles and nerves?
With Halloween around the corner, I had to find all the kid-friend STEM stuff on skeletons. I found some great resources, including some art activities with a science twist! Some of it is a bit spooky, and some of it really isn’t, so there’s something here for kids of all sensibilities. Keep reading for Halloween STEM books, videos, and resources for preschool, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade!
(Just a reminder - I am never paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.)
Skeleton Science Videos
Your Super Skeleton! from SciShow kids
This video’s full of all sorts of fun skeleton facts, like how you have fewer bones than babies!
Broken Bones from Operation Ouch
Do you know how broken bones heal themselves? I didn’t, before watching this! I’ve just discovered this fantastic YouTube channel all about health science for kids, and will have to feature it more in the future.
from Operation Ouch
Identical twins Dr. Chris and Dr. Xand show us the inside of a real femur bone. Then they see just how much weight four cow femurs can hold!
If you have a kid who really likes these videos, there’s a longer Operation Ouch video featuring real kids with bone-related conditions like dislocated jaw, arthritis, or pseudoachrondroplasia. I really like how they normalize kids having medical conditions! You could also use this video as a jumping off point to talk with kids about how many different kinds of human bodies there are in the world!
Skeleton Science Books
written by Idan Ben-Barak; illustrated by Julian Frost
Aliens Quort and Oort don’t have any bones or muscles or nerves. Luckily, they can grow some! My 5 year old loves the interactive elements of this book. And the boneless aliens who can't even open a door is a really funny way to get kids appreciating their own skeleton!
written by Kim Norman, illustrated by Bob Kolar
This rhyming pirate’s skull tries to put his skeleton back together. A mandible and a clavicle, phalanges and femurs, a tibia and a fibula - this book names so many bones, and somehow it still rhymes! The premise of course is a bit spooky, but otherwise it’s pretty tame fun.
written by Sara Levine, illustrated by T.S. Spookytooth
“What kind of animal would you be if your finger bones grew so long that they reached your feet?” A bat! “What kind of animal would you be if we took away your leg bones but kept your arm bones?” A whale or dolphin! Written by a veterinarian, this book is all about comparing our humans skeletons to animal ones.
If you like this premise, the same author/illustrator team also wrote “Tooth by Tooth”, “Eye by Eye”, and “Fossil by Fossil.”
And no, the illustrator’s name is not a typo. That’s really what he goes by!
Skeleton Science Activities
Draw a Skeleton Hand! from Art4Kids Hub
My youngest loves the art tutorials from Art4Kids Hub, especially the folding surprises. And look, they have this Halloween art tutorial that’s even anatomically correct!
I love how the act of drawing makes you understand skeletal structure in a whole new immersive way. This might be a bit advanced for young preschoolers though.
from The Winkle
A great science + art project using pipe cleaners and plastic drinking straws! Kids can craft along with the video, learning about the names of bones and their proportions. Younger ones will definitely need some help with this project.
That's plenty of spooky skeleton science!
Next month I’m going to have Thanksgiving dinner on my mind, so look forward to the science of where our food comes from. Until then, have fun lighting sparks of curiosity!
Amy Wung Tsao
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