Skin Prints

Pre-K through Grade 2

Grade 3 through Grade 6

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Grade Levels Grades 3 through 6

Estimated Teaching Time 75 minutes

Interdisciplinary Connections

• Following a scientific procedure (Science)
• Drawing the human body (Art)
• Organizing and presenting findings (Social Skills)

Objectives

• Learn that there are different kinds of skin on different parts of the body.
• Become familiar with the functions of the skin.

What Students Do

Students will investigate how their skin is different on different parts of their bodies using magnifying glasses, skin prints and sensitivity testing. They will then present their findings on torso tracings.

Materials Required

• Washable ink pens (dark, water based, fairly new felt-tips), one per student
• Washable stamp pads, if available, one per every four to six students
• Fine paintbrush, one per student
• Large piece of butcher paper or chart pad paper, one per student
• Large piece of butcher paper or chart pad paper for class demonstration
• Magnifying glass or jewelers’ loupe, one per every two students
• Soap, water and paper towels (for clean up)

Advanced Preparation

None

Suggested Sequence

1. Explain to the class that the skin is one of the largest organs of the body. Wrap a large sheet of chart or butcher paper around one student, opening it to demonstrate roughly how much skin surface he or she has.
2. Discuss the functions of the skin. [Protects body from dirt, germs and strong sunlight. Helps regulates the body's temperature. Helps protects organs and bones from injury.] Explain that some parts of the skin, such as that on the tongue or the mucus membranes, have specialized functions.
3. Have each student draw a large outline of a human torso on chart paper.
4. Instruct students to feel their own skin, noting how it feels different in different places. They should record their observations on their torso chart, using words like rough, smooth, very smooth, moist, hairy and not hairy.
5. Have students test parts of their exposed skin with a fine paintbrush, noting on their torso charts the most and least sensitive areas.
6. Have them use a magnifying glass to examine their palms and the underside of their forearms, noting and discussing the similarities and differences in the two areas.
7. Students should make prints from two such contrasting areas. They can use washable ink pens to color a bit of skin (or touch the skin onto the washable stamp pad) then print it onto white paper. Good places to make prints include the fingertip, the forearm and the elbow. Allow them to examine their prints with a magnifying glass.
8. Ask the class to cut out their skin prints and glue them to the appropriate places on their torso chart.

Check for Understanding

Ask the following questions:

• Why are different parts of our skin so different? Why, for example, is the skin in your mouth slippery and wet?
• Why is the elbow not too sensitive while the lips and face are very sensitive?
• Why does the elbow have more “folds” than the forearm?

Extensions

• Have students compare fingerprints and see if they can distinguish one child’s print from another’s.
• Ask students what they think fingerprints are for. Why do we have them? [They uniquely identify each person in the world since no two prints are the same. They also create more surface area than flat skin, making hands more sensitive to heat, protecting us from burns.] Are they a good place for germs to live? Why?

Words to Share

• Torso
• Fingerprint