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Pre-K through Grade 2
Grade 3 through Grade 6
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Grade Levels K through Grade
2
Estimated Teaching Time
15 minutes
Interdisciplinary Connections
- Observing a simulation of epidermal cell loss (Science)
- Telling personal stories (Language Arts, Social Skills)
Objective
Children will learn what the epidermis is and how it functions
as part of their skin.
What Children Do
Children will observe a simulation of how the epidermis is rubbed
off, and gain an understanding of how it repairs itself. They will
also relate stories of their own experiences.
Materials Required
- Bar of soap
- Coarse sandpaper
- Sheet of paper, a contrasting color to that of the soap
Advanced Preparation
None
Suggested Sequence
- Ask children how many of them have ever gotten sunburned, which
then caused their skin to peel? Ask them what was under that layer
of skin that came off their bodies? [More skin.] Explain
that skin is an incredible regenerator. Tell them to pretend that
the bar of soap is a human being that has an epidermis.
- Hold the bar of soap and the sandpaper over a sheet of paper.
- Gently rub the soap up and down with the sandpaper.
- Tell children to watch the outer layer of soap flake and fall
onto the paper. Explain that the same thing happens to our skin
when rubbed by rough objects. Human skin is rubbed away daily.
- Explain to children that the very top layer of epidermis is
made up of dead cells that simply fall off when touched. Explain
that when our epidermis is rubbed off, those cells are replaced
by the layer beneath it, which creates new cells to replace the
lost ones.
- Explain to children that when they get sunburned it is actually
the living cells in and beneath the epidermis that get burned;
when too much sun destroys those cells, we can feel pain. Tell
them that’s why it’s important to protect skin from
the sun with a sunscreen. Finally, explain that once the bottom
layers of epidermal cells are regenerated, their skin will peel
off and be mended.
- Ask children how many of them have ever had a cut? What happened
to the opening in their skin? Explain that when skin gets cut,
the cells grow back together making it heal.
- Lead children to the conclusion that because our epidermis
is constantly changing and repairing itself, it keeps our skin
fresh and in good condition.
Interesting Fact Much household dust is actually
old skin cells.
Check for Understanding
- Ask the following questions:
- How does our epidermis help us?
- What is one of the ways we can see skin repairing itself?
Extensions
- Children could try rubbing a block eraser and watch the eraser’s
“epidermis” rub off.
- Then ask them to wet a thumb and rub it back and forth over
a forearm. Can they loosen a little roll of skin?
- If a child in the class has a cut, make daily observations of
how the epidermis repairs itself.
- Children could research other living things that shed or lose
layers of their skin.
Words to Share
- Dermis
- Epidermis
- Sunburn
- Sunscreen
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