All About Skeletons

SKELETON

Did you know there is a skeleton inside your body right now? When you are born you have bout 300 bones, but eventually the bones grow, or fuse together to form 206 bones. Your skeleton has three major jobs. The first job of the skeleton is that it allows your body move. Without your skeleton, you would just be a blob on the ground. The skeleton helps hold pi and allows you to move around. Another job of the skeleton is to protect your vital organs. For example, your rib cage protects your heart and lungs. What organ do you think your skull protects? That's right, your brain! The final job of the skeleton is to produce blood cells in bone marrow.

There are two different types of bones in your body. Appendicular bones help you move. Examples of these are the bones in your arms and legs. Another type of bones are axial bones. These help keep you upright, like your ribs and spine. Joints connect bones together and help you move. Your knees and elbows are example of joints.

Sometimes bones break, or fracture. Sometimes the breaks are very small and other times they can be very serious. Don't worry if you break a bone though. Bones are living things and they can fix themselves pretty quickly! Sometimes a person right need to wear a cast to keep the broken pieces of bone up correctly while they heal.

You need to help take care of your bones. Bones are made of calcium and when you consume foods with calcium you are

helping keep your bones strong. Some examples of foods with calcium are milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. You can .also take care of your bones by always. wearing safety equipment when playing sports. It's very important to wear a helmet to protect your skull. You can help strengthen and harden your bones by eating right and exercising every day.

Are you taking care of your bones?

• yes

• no

How many bones does a human have when they are born?

• 206

• 300

• 150

• 100

What is one of the main jobs of the skeleton?

• To make you taller

• To allow you to move

• To make you smarter

• To help you sleep.

What organ does your skull protect?

• Heart

• Lungs

• Brain

• Stomach

Fill in the blank: Your skeleton helps produce blood cells in the ______.

• heart

• brain

• bone marrow

• lungs

What are the two types of bones in your body?

• Appendicular and axial

• Circular and square

• Hard and soft

• Long and short

Which bones help you move?

• Axial bones

• Appendicular bones

• Circular bones

• Square bones

Fill in the blank: Your knees and elbows are examples of ______.

• muscles

• joints

• bones

• tissues

What is a fracture?

• A type of bone

• A break in a bone

• A joint

• A muscle

What should you wear to protect your skull during sports?

• Gloves

• Helmet

• Boots

• Jacket