At Shissler Recreation Center, Kristin showed the children BONES! Certified, real bones! She began by letting everyone know these animals died of natural causes in the Western Deserts of the United States. Bones are better preserved out in the West since the weather is much hotter and drier. Moisture and humidity doesn’t ruin them like here on the East Coast. The bones are various shades of white because they were bleached.
We saw bones and skeleton parts from a coyote, a bear, deer, bison, beaver, and porcupine! One child in particular was so excited to see the bones, he was literally jumping out of his seat to see each new one Kristin put on display!
Kristin asked the group about calcium – what is it and where can we get it? Calcium is in our bones, it makes our bones strong and keeps us healthy. We can get calcium from milk, yogurt, and cheese. Kristin explained that animals need calcium too for strong bones. Shissler being a sports and games camp, it was important for these kids to know about a strong and healthy lifestyle. Running around and playing all day is amazing for the body, but also eating the right things helps us to be strong both inside and out.
We looked at deer antlers and talked about why the deer need them and what they are used for. One child said it looks the same as the antlers her family has at home (from hunting) and it’s going to be hung up soon. She is going to display her medals won from figure skating!
A hip bone was also shown to the group. Kristin asked the children to put their hands on their hips and find their hip bone. She showed the group how hips work with the animal bone visual.
Next, Kristin pulled out a long, slightly curved bone. It was a rib bone from a bison. The group was asked to feel their ribs. We talked about how the rib cage protects the vital organs within.
