How to Make a Human Skeleton
The human skeleton consists of 206 bones that support the body and allow it to maintain it's shape. It also provides support and protection for vital organs such as the lungs, heart and brain. The skeleton makes up 14 percent of a person's body weight. A fun model of the human skeleton can be made with a few plastic bottles and a glue gun. Making the model of the skeleton can even be a double lesson for both anatomy and recycling.
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Things You'll Need
- 9 clean plastic gallon jugs
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Low-temp glue gun
- Single hole punch
- String
- Permanent marker
Instructions
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1
Check to see if any of your gallon jugs have indented areas opposite the handle. If you have one of these, use it for the head. If not, the eyes can be drawn on with a marker. Turn the jug upside down and cut a mouth under the indentations or eyes. Cut two small slits at the top of the head. Thread a string through the slits for hanging the skeleton when you are finished.
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2
Take a second jug and cut a vertical slit on the side opposite the handle. Carefully trim on each side of the slit to make ribs. Glue the spout of the rib cage jug to the spout of the head jug with the glue gun. Hold the two jugs together for a few minutes as the glue cools.
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3
Remove two handles from two more jugs. Leave a small round section at the bottom of the handle. Glue these to the top of the chest section to form the shoulders and shoulder joint of the skeleton.
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4
Punch holes in the ends of the shoulder sections. Cut two upper arm and two lower arm bones from the sides of the jugs. Punch holes in both ends of the arm bones. Tie two bones to the shoulders to form upper arms. Then tie two more bones onto these for lower arm bones. Trace your hands on the sides of a jug with the permanent marker. Cut out and punch at hole at the top of the hands. Tie these onto the lower arms bones.
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5
Cut two spouts from two jugs and use the hot glue to glue them together. Glue one end onto the bottom of the rib jug. The other end will support the hips. Cut the bottom of a jug about 4 inches up. Punch holes on opposite sides and then glue it onto the spout at the bottom of the ribs.
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6
Cut four long leg bones from the remaining jugs. Punch holes in both ends of the leg bones. Tie one set of bones onto the hips and then tie the other set of the leg bones onto the first. Trace your feet on a jug and cut out. Punch a hole in the top of each foot and tie to the bottom of the leg bones. You should now have a finished skeleton.
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Tips & Warnings
An alternative skeleton would be to use permanent markers and to outline the bones and color the negative space for the ribs and pelvic bones. This would require less cutting for younger students.
To be more anatomically correct, cut the lower arm bones and lower leg bones wider and cut a slit in the middle since these are actually a pair of bones in both these places.
Be very careful when you cut the plastic as the edges can be very sharp. Make sure an adult helps with all cutting and gluing.
