The human skeleton consists of 206 bones that provide structure, allow for movement, and protect organs. Bones are made up of compact bone on the outside and spongy cancellous bone on the inside, with bone marrow in the center. Calcium is essential for strong bones and can be obtained through foods like dairy, broccoli, nuts and fortified juices. Joints connect bones and come in different forms like balls, hinges, and fixed joints. The skeleton differs between males and females, with males having thicker long bones and females having wider pelvises. Proper nutrition, exercise, hydration, and safety help keep the skeleton healthy.

1. By: Violette L. Meier

2. The Human Skeleton
 The human skeleton consists of 206 bones.
 We are born with approximately 300 bones but many
of them fuse together as we get older.

3. What are bones made of?
 The outer surface of bone is called the periosteum. It's
a thin membrane that contains nerves and blood
vessels that feeds the bone.
 The next layer is made up of compact bone. Compact
bone is smooth and hard. It is the part you see when
you look at a skeleton.
 Inside the compact bone are many layers of bone
which looks a bit like a sponge. It is called cancellous
bone and it is not as hard as the compact bone.
 The cancellous bone protects the bone marrow. Bone
marrow is like a thick jelly and it makes blood cells.

4. Why do we have bones?
 Bones support our bodies and allow us to move.
 Bones contain a lot of calcium.
 Calcium is an essential element for living organisms.
It is a major material used in mineralization of bones
and shells. Calcium is the most abundant metal by
mass in many animals.

5. Where can we get calcium for
strong bones?
 Calcium may be found in many foods such as: dairy
(especially milk), broccoli, seaweeds such
as kelp, wakame and hijiki; nuts and seeds
like almonds, hazelnuts, sesame, pistachio;
blackstrap molasses; beans; figs; quinoa; okra; rutabag
a; dandelion leaves; kale; and fortified products such
as orange juice, almond milk, and soy milk.

6. What do bones do?
 Bones manufacture blood cells, store important
minerals, and allows us to move.

7. Bone Facts:
 The longest bone is the femur (thigh bone).
 The shortest bone is the stirrup bone inside the ear.
 Each hand has 26-27 bones.
 Humans and giraffes have the same number of bones
in their necks.

9. What are joints?
 Joints are what connect the bones.
 There are many kinds of joints, like:
 Fixed joints (the skull)
 Hinged joints (fingers and toes)
 Ball and socket joints (hips and shoulders)

10. Are male and female skeletons the
same?
 No!
 Males have thicker and longer leg and arm bones.
 Females have a wider pelvis so that they can birth
babies.
 Makes have a different elbow angle.

11. Other Fun Science Facts about the
Body!
 The brain uses over 25% of the oxygen used by the human
body.
 Your heart beats around 100,000 times a day, 36,500,000
times a year and over a billion times if you live beyond 30.
 Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body.
 The color of skin is determined by the level of melanin
that the body produces. Those with small amounts of
melanin have light skin while those with large amounts
have dark skin.
 Adult lungs have a surface area of around 70 square meters!

12. Other Fun Science Facts about the
Body!
 Humans have a stage of sleep called rapid eye
movement (REM). REM sleep makes up around 25% of
total sleep time and is often when you dreams.
 Most adults have 32 teeth.
 Infants blink only 1 or 2 times a minute while adults
average around 10.
 Humans have unique fingerprints and tongue prints.
 The left side of your body is controlled by the right
side of your brain while the right side of your body is
controlled by the left side of your brain.

13. Other Fun Science Facts about the
Body!
 Antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, they
won't help in fighting off a virus.
 It takes the body around 12 hours to completely digest
food.
 Your sense of smell is around 10,000 times more
sensitive than your sense of taste.
 Your nose and ears continue growing throughout your
entire life.

15. How to keep the skeleton healthy?
 Eat foods rich in calcium.
 Exercise so that your body will remain at a proper
weight so that your bones will not be stressed.
 Drink plenty of water.
 Avoid dangerous activities to that bones will not break.

16. Works Cited
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium
 http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/bones.html#
 http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/humanbod
y.html
 http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000124.html
 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatom
y/skeleton/