Skeleton Shake

(submitted by Lauren)

One more I really liked was a Halloween themed board. It used skeletons and tied in with a lesson on movement and music. I used this with my 3rd graders. I drew 6 skeletons (one for each 3rd grade class) with each body parts separated in this manner: foot, 2 separate bones in the legs, torso all one piece, 2 separate bones for the arms, the hand and the skull. Each period a different student would get to shift the position of one of the skeleton's parts. The torso never moved, only the other parts of the body. Each class I would get 5 students to move parts: one for the head, one for each arm and one for each leg. After moving the skeleton, I would choose a few students to try the position for the class. Then we would look at the other class' skeletons and try to copy them. This was a really fun lesson. It helped the kids see how their bodies could actually move. It also helped them see that some positions can be reached by jumping in the air, some by doing a headstand and some by laying on the floor.