| At birth the human skeleton is made up of 275 different bones. As the body matures some of these bones, such as wrist and ankle bones, fuse together leaving only 206 bones in the adult body. The skeleton is the internal structure that holds the human body up and with the help of the muscular system allows us to move. The human skeleton also works to protect the delicate and vital organs found inside it from being damaged. |
| There are two major systems of bones in the human body, the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton is comprised of the 80 bones in the skull, ribs, and sternum. The appendicular skeleton has 126 bones from the shoulders, pelvis, and attached limbs. Each bone is comprised of three major sections, the compact bone, the soft bone marrow, and the sponge bone. The soft bone marrow is found within the hollow center of the bone - this is where red blood cells are produced. |
| Even though human bones appear to be quite strong they can experience dislocations and fractures. A dislocation occurs when a bone is pushed out of its socket by a sudden unexpected pressure such as a fall. Dislocated bones often require a quick reverse pressure to realign them in the socket. Fractures, actual breaks in the bone, can be quite serious and can take anywhere from a month to six months to heal depending on which bone is involved. |
| Archeology is the study of people who lived in the past by searching for and examining the artifacts (including skeletal bones) they left behind. At an archeological dig an archeologist will search for artifacts and bones by gently removing the top soil in small areas. Some soil is removed with shovels - but when an archeologist gets deeper into the soil and comes close to artifacts s/he will switch to small trowels and brushes. The artifacts the archeologist is digging up have been in the ground for hundreds of years so the archeologist needs to be very careful not to damage the fragile items. Archeologist also look at where certain artifacts were found in relation to others so that they can better understand the life of the people they are studying. Skeletal systems found at archeological digs can give clues as to what the climate was like, what people ate, and how they lived. |
| Skeleton Internet Link Categories |
Skeleton Facts
Archeology
Internet Sites For Children
Teaching Materials
Other Interesting Bone Links
| Skeleton Facts |
skeleton
page
The contents of this easy to read web site include information on different
bone parts such as compact bones, bone marrow, and sponge bones.
The reader will also find important facts surrounding the human skull accompanied
by a detailed skull photograph. Bone calcium and different types
of bone injuries are also covered.
| Archeology |
Teaching
Archaeology
Learn interesting activities for teaching archeology to children.
This site contains an activity that demonstrates how archeologist determine
which ancient bones belong to which ancient species, and also contains
pertinent archeology terms such as artifact, fossil, and excavation.
Ice
Age Digs
This is a purchasing site for educational resources surrounding the
topic of archeology and ice age bones. Kits by Educational Insights
include a clay brick containing the bone package specified, a digging tool,
and a dust brush. Children can become "archeologist" while digging
for secret treasures and discovering "bones". Along with digging
up the bones, children can clean and label them, and then build the skeleton
from these easy interlocking "bone" pieces.
| Internet Sites For Children |
Archaeological
Pieces of the Past - Introduction - ROM
This web site contains a detailed discussion of what archeology
is all about, the steps that go into discovering a dig site, the actual
digging, and what is done with the artifacts found. Each section
of text is geared towards a child's comprehension level and is complimented
by a photograph of what is being discussed.
Human
Anatomy Online - InnerBody.com
This is a great research tool for both teacher and student. Students
can use this interactive web site to build on their knowledge of the human
skeleton. A detailed skeletal diagram is included which allows the
student to click on any bone and learn its scientific name.
The
Skeleton Quiz
This simple quiz on the human skeleton includes questions about the
number of bones in the human body, which is the smallest human bone, and
which bone is most frequently broken. Teachers can use this quiz
prior to an integrated unit on bones to better understand his/her students
current knowledge on bones - and then again later on in the unit to judge
advancement in the student's comprehension of bones.
What
Archaeologists Do
Learn about archeology through interesting text and detailed
photographs. This web site is aimed at the child as the viewer and
offers exciting links to other sites that can answer children's commonly
asked questions about archeology.
| Teaching Materials |
Human Skeleton, human bones, skeletal systems, anatomy models, learn medicine s
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These are just a few examples of the skeletal models available for teachers to purchase from this web site. Other available materials include a human skull, full size or miniature skeleton models, and individual bone models. |
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This web site contains resource materials to assist the classroom teacher in teaching the human skeleton. Several different skeletal kits are available including female skeletons, male skeletons, and detailed skull kits. |