Grade 2 Science – Resources for the Human Body Unit
My excitement to teach this unit converted to dread as the school year began. I was not able to execute it the way I had imagined. Adjusting to a new country, a charter homeschool, traveling, and potty training a toddler were all thrown in the mix this homeschooling year. It was a unit that B enjoyed doing a lot, and did not mind the long breaks that we had to take (read: life) and come back to it. I started with a Charlotte Mason-style approach and wanted to do the 10 systems of the human body with 10 hands-on activities. However, things did not go as I planned and I really wanted to complete the unit. So I purchased book shark curriculum (an open-and-go science curriculum) that has a literature-based approach. Let’s just say unit style was getting too overwhelming and planning activities for each human body system were not possible in my current season of life. It took me a very long time to complete this unit – but the beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility it provides. B ended up learning a lot – more so through unconventional ways this year. I will cover the books, resources, and activities I did with B in the post below.
Books
There are a LOT of books and resources on human anatomy out there, to the point that it can overwhelm a homeschooling mom planning to do this unit. In terms of books, I kept it very simple, and only got books that I actually used.
Books that my daughter loved to read on her own were:
The Usborne human body lift a flap book pictured above is an old version which I believe they have discontinued. There is a newer version available and I believe it is more or less the same.
The human activity book was a great activity book that B enjoyed doing independently. She would read the fun facts and then do the activity (which included mazes, coloring, etc. pertaining to the human body)
Body boundary book – This is a great book when you want to start talking about safe and unsafe touch to your child in a respectful and non-threatening way. It is not very direct about good and bad touch but covers some important elements like what it means to give consent, be respectful, and have body boundaries. It also talks about safety networks and how we should always go to them if anyone ever makes us feel uncomfortable.
Changing Gears – Moving to Bookshark curriculum
We used the Usborne Encyclopedia, Usborne “what makes you ill?” and Magic School Bus inside the Human Body as part of the bookshark curriculum.
The bookshark curriculum had 6 weeks on the human body and instead of covering each system, the curriculum took a literature-based approach. We read the encyclopedia, and Magic school bus book, and then the curriculum focused on immunity. The spread of covid-19, how our body reacts to viruses, bacteria, and germs, and what can be done to prevent illnesses. I thought it was an interesting approach – my daughter particularly enjoyed it. There were worksheets at the end of each lesson to solidify what they learned, which were great work samples – these can add to your child’s homeschool portfolio (if your state requires one) Each week also had an experiment for the child to do.
Resources
Moving on to resources, we used 2 units from Allamah Education. They had quite a few activities in them, all of which we completed during our study.
The Five Senses and The Human Body
We also did a really cute booklet on the skeletal system by 123homeschoolforme
Hands-on activities
Life Size Human Body
We did a really fun life-sized Human Body as part of the unit. We outlined my daughter on brown wrapping paper and then used the free printables to paste them on. This was by far, my daughter’s favorite project. We got our free printables from here.
Cotton Bud Bone Craft
Brain Hat
We got this free printable of a really cool brain hat that my kids loved to wear around the house.
Brain Jell-o
How can we complete a unit without food? 😀 We got the brain mold from amazon, and halal jello from a local halal store. We were able to get multiple colors by pouring a packet of jello and allowing it to set before pouring another packet of jello of a different color.
Squishy Human Body Activity Kit
We found this really wonderful hands-on kit of the human body from amazon It acts as a wonderful display and comes with a book explaining the functions of the organs. The squishy organs are delicate, so we were only able to take them out and play with them when the toddler was taking a nap.
Field Trip
We went to California Science Centre. They had a wonderful giant Human body and a presentation on homeostasis. The children were mesmerized to see the giant human body move and respond to different environmental factors.
Cumulative Project
Lapbook
To wrap up our unit, we decided to make a lapbook as B really enjoys them. This free lapbook by Imanhomeschool focused on teeth quite a bit which was great as I did not cover it in my unit.
Alhamdulilah, despite only doing one science unit this year, B learned a lot. I believe I learned more than her – that it is okay to try something new. It is okay to get out of your comfort zone. I also learned that as my child is growing, she is liking worksheets a lot more, and can do a lot of hands-on projects independently. I also learned that what works for some might not work for me and that is also okay. Every family and its dynamics are different, and they change every year. I hope to inspire other homeschoolers that homeschooling is not always picture perfect or instaworthy. It is much more raw and beautiful than that 🙂
Until next time,
Peace.
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Hey mashallah! You’re doing an awesome job! My senior kindergartner is going through a tough school refusal phase and i was thinking of homeschooling her. You’re the first person i thought of when i thought of homeschooling my kid.