How to Dissect a Chicken Leg Bone & Soak it in Vinegar
One of the topics children read and learn about in science class is the skeletal system. Performing experiments helps students visualize what they read. Since using a human bone is out of the question, students can use a bone from a chicken leg. The leg can be marinated in vinegar in order to make it soft enough to dissect. The children can then examine the bone and the marrow inside of it.
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Instructions
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Peel back the outer layer of skin from the chicken leg so that you can view the leg muscles. If you are teaching a class, have the students touch the skin first and note what it feels like. Then have them touch the muscles. They can record their observations in a journal.
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Remove the muscles to view the tendons, ligaments, tissue and veins of the chicken leg. Let the students touch these and record their findings in their journals.
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Pull everything away from the chicken bone and have students feel how hard it is. Let them know there is an easier way to break down the chicken bone so that it can also be dissected.
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Set the chicken bone in a clear glass jar.
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Fill the glass jar with vinegar. The chicken bone must be fully submerged in the vinegar. Tell the students that the vinegar is actually an acid that can break down the bone and make it soft enough to break open.
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Wait three days and then remove the chicken leg bone from the glass jar. Have the students feel the chicken bone's strength so they can note the difference from the first time they held it.
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Break the chicken bone in half. You will now be able to do this with your hands. Hold one half up and show the children the red marrow inside the bone. Have the children record any last observations in their journals.
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Tips & Warnings
You may prefer to rinse the chicken bone off before you set it in the vinegar.
Keep one hard chicken bone out so that you can compare it with the bone that has soaked in the vinegar.
Let parents know ahead of time that you will be dissecting a chicken leg in class. Then they can either opt out or prepare their child for what they are about to see.
