Muscle System Lapbook

Heidi-Mari and Josua made a Muscle System Lap book as part of the Konos Unit Study, Cooperation. We got 3 books on the Muscle System from the library and we used the internet, where you can find very interesting sites on the muscle system. I tend to use the internet more and more for school, instead of using the library. It really become ‘mission impossible’ to visit the library with my three small boys. To visit the library with energetic and inquisitive the little ones, while trying to focus on the older children’s subject related books, is a real challenge for me. It’s a totally different story when we are looking for story books, as then the older ones can help themselves.

When you use General Science from Apologia you have access to multiple websites with stunning illustrations on the muscle system on a child’s level.

The children focused on the anatomy of the muscle;

and where muscles got their energy from (cellular metabolism);

the three types of muscles;

they demonstrated some of the muscles in their faces by making faces (this was great fun), they learnt how muscles contract in pairs and demonstrated the lever action of muscles attached to bones;

they gave a brief explanation of the Latin names for the different muscles; they discussed some muscle injuries;

How to treat a cramp and how to keep your muscles healthy and strong with your diet and exercise.

They used a variety of folds in this lapbook. Tab books (to illustrate the 3 types of muscles); accordion books (to illustrate the muscle injuries) and wheel books (to illustrate food groups in the diet) to name just a few.

My main goal was to illustrate to them the cooperation between the muscle system and skeletal system and also the cooperation between the muscle system and nervous system. This is a fine example of how smooth a house can run when there is cooperation between family members, but also what a disaster it can be for the other members of the family, if one family member does not cooperate and has a bad attitude.