4Real Forums: Bones & Fractures

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Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science ( Forum Locked)
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Topic: Bones & Fractures - Ideas for Study

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MaryM
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Posted: Nov 28 2009 at 1:42am \| IP Logged

MichelleW recently fractured her wrist and I suggested that this would be an opportune time to study bone fractures, bone healing/regeneration, and first aid. In my experience when something is especially pertinent in real life it is a great teachable moment. So I'm starting this thread to collect ideas for a study of bones & fractures. Add your ideas, links, resources here!

Bone & Bone Fracture Resources

Fracture info at How Stuff Works:
How broken bones heal themselves
Fracture types
Medical Treatment for Broken Bones

Activity: Not all broken bones are treated in the same way. Discuss the different ways to treat a fracture by holding it in place while it heals.

-External fixation methods include plaster and fiberglass casts, cast-braces, splints, and other devices.
-Internal fixation methods hold the broken pieces of bone in proper position with metal plates, pins, or screws while the bone is healing.

New medical techniques have improved the outcomes for those with broken bones, including better healing and increased mobility. Research the different methods for treating injured bones,such as the uses of different types of casts, the application of electronic equipment to relieve pain, or the use of artificial materials to create replacement bones and joints.

Activity: See if you can get two different X-rays of a broken bone: one of the bone before the cast was applied and one of the healed bone and study them.

-Is the break visible in the X-ray?
-Does the bone change in size or appearance after it has healed? (It may appear thicker in the area of the break.
-Visit the X-ray department of an area hospital

X-rays of body - can look at specific parts of the body, includes x-rays of fractures

Steve Spangler, broken bone x-ray set - with explanations of the science behind the fractures

Broken Bones lesson

Visuals illustrating how a bone heals and regenerates:
Bone Fracture & Repair
Bone Healing Process

Science and Nature: Human Body & Mind - broken bones section, also has an interactive skeleton game in the right hand link box.

Books
Understanding Your Muscles and Bones
Broken Bones
Bones: Our Skeletal System
Exploring Your Skeleton: Funny and Not-So-Funny Bones by Pamela Bishop
Dem Bones

Science experiments to learn about bones:

Experiment - Examining Bones
Soup bones are available at most grocery stores or butcher shops. If not already packaged this way, ask the butcher to slice a soup bone into 1" or 2"-long pieces to reveal the inner structure and marrow. Also ask for some bones with the joints attached.

Use these as a visual aid to learn about the construction of the bone, joints, tendons, and ligaments. Use hand lens and toothpicks for probing. Examine bones. Draw a diagram of the bone and its insides. Find out about the structures you see.

What Makes Bones Hard?

There is egg & calcium experiment here as well as one with de-mineralizing a chicken bone. Similar to this experiment:
Thoroughly wash and save chicken bones. Place half of the bones in a jar of vinegar and store the other half in a dry area until needed. The bones in vinegar should sit for three to four days. At the end of this time, drain the vinegar. The bones that were submerged in the vinegar should be flexible compared to the bones that have been left to dry. Compare the two different sets of bones, making sure you have an ample supply of each type.
-What is the difference between the two sets of bones?
-Find out what causes a bone to be hard.
-Why isn't one bone hard?
-What important mineral does the vinegar deplete?
-What other parts of your body are made of this type of material?

"HOLLOW STRENGTH"- Bone Strength Experiment
      1) Students will roll up a sheet of paper (8 1/2 x 11) about 1 in wide
        into a cylinder. They will make 3 of these (paper bones).
      2) Students will stand the bones up on their ends, placing a paper plate
        on top of the bones.
      3) Teacher will ask students to tell what is happening - the hollow rolls
        will support the plate.
      4) Students will begin to add weights (wooden blocks) to the plate.
      5) Students will count how many blocks the plate can hold before it
        collapses the bones.
      6) Students will roll 3 more sheets of paper as tightly as they can so
        that there is no hollow section.
      7) Students will stand these "bones" up as before placing the same plate
        on top of them.
      8) Students will place weights on top of the plate until they collapse.
      9) Students will deduce what happened. Teacher will explain that hollow
        bones were able to support more weight. Teacher will also explain that
        having a hollow center gave the bones a better design and made them
        stronger. Teacher will continue explaining that the large bones in our
        body are also hollow, which makes them strong so they can support more
        weight, but light, so it takes less energy to move them.

Bones make up only one-seventh of a person's body weight. Bones are hard and strong but they are light because they are not solid.

First Aid
First Aid for fractures
    How to make a sling
    How to Splint a Fracture

Kid's Guide to First Aid
ACEP First Aid Manual
American Red Cross First Aid & Safety

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Mary M. in Denver

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SeaStar
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Posted: Nov 28 2009 at 6:56am \| IP Logged

Magic School Bus chapter book #2: The Search for the Missing Bones

This is fun read packed full of info about bones. There is a section devoted to healing a fracture.

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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)

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Paula in MN
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Posted: Nov 28 2009 at 8:50am \| IP Logged

Mary, thanks for the awesome ideas!

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Paula
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AtHomeScience
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Posted: Dec 11 2009 at 9:03am \| IP Logged

Mary, that is such a complete study--great resources!

You can also tie in a little math here...the bones of the fingers are in a golden ration. See Fibonacci Fingers? on this page.

You can also look at:
Bones by Seymour Simon
The Way We Work by David Macaulay

Blessings,
Kris
At Home Science
Science of Relations

MichelleW
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Posted: Dec 11 2009 at 1:07pm \| IP Logged

thanks so much ladies! my cast comes off in two weeks, and in the meantime, we have been using the resources above.

This week we did an experiment, took two paper towel tubes and filled one with plaster of paris, the other with cheesecloth and plaster of paris. When you take the paper off the dried tubes the one simulates just the minerals in bones and it easily breaks. The other simulates the web of collagen fibers that hold the minerals and give them strength. It is much more difficult to break the tube with the cheesecloth in it.

This has been such a fascinating study. I am so indebted to you, and so grateful for the help you have given me.

And look! I am getting better at typing one-handed!

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Michelle
Mom to 3 (dd 14, ds 15, and ds 16)

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