[2101期Becky]about bones

skysome

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spine

Your spine is one part of the skeleton that's easy to check out: Reach around to the center of your back and you'll feel its bumps under your fingers.

The spine lets you twist and bend, and it holds your body upright. It also protects the spinal cord, a large bundle of nerves that sends information from your brain to the rest of your body. The spine is special because it isn't made of one or even two bones: It's made of 33 bones in all!

ribs

Your heart, lungs, and liver are all very important, and luckily you've got ribs to keep them safe. Ribs act like a cage of bones around your chest. It's easy to feel the bottom of this cage by running your fingers along the sides and front of your body, a few inches below your heart. If you breathe in deeply, you can easily feel your ribs right in the front of your body, too. Some thin kids can even see a few of their ribs right through their skin.

Your ribs come in pairs, and the left and right sides of each pair are exactly the same. Most people have 12 pairs of ribs, but some people are born with one or more extra ribs, and some people might have one pair less.

skull

Your skull protects the most important part of all, the brain. You can feel your skull by pushing on your head, especially in the back a few inches above your neck. The skull is actually made up of different bones. Some of these bones protect your brain, whereas others make up the structure of your face. If you touch beneath your eyes, you can feel the ridge of the bone that forms the hole where your eye sits.

joints

·       Since bones cannot bend without breaking, something else is needed to allow your body to move – joints.

·       A joint is where two or more bones meet and allows movement between those bones. How much movement can occur depends on the type of joint.

Moving joints are the ones that let you ride your bike, eat cereal, and play a video game — the ones that allow you to twist, bend, and move different parts of your body. Some moving joints, like the ones in your spine, move only a little. Other joints move a lot. One of the main types of moving joints is called a hinge joint. Your elbows and knees each have hinge joints, which let you bend and then straighten your arms and legs. These joints are like the hinges on a door. Just as most doors can only open one way, you can only bend your arms and legs in one direction. You also have many smaller hinge joints in your fingers and toes.

Another important type of moving joint is the ball and socket joint. You can find these joints at your shoulders and hips. They are made up of the round end of one bone fitting into a small cup-like area of another bone. Ball and socket joints allow for lots of movement in every direction. Make sure you've got lots of room, and try swinging your arms all over the place.

How do broken bones heal?

Your body can heal broken bones all on its own. Of course, a doctor will help it along, making sure that the bone heals straight and properly using a cast or sling. A broken bone will heal in stages. When it first breaks there will be blood around it and it will form a sort of scab over the broken portions. Next, tougher tissue will start to grow over the broken area called collagen. The collagen, together with cartilage, will bridge the gap between the two sides of the break. This bridge will continue to transform and harden until the bone is healed. It can often take months for bones to heal back to normal. While the bone is healing, it can't take the stress of a normal bone, which is why people use crutches and slings to take the pressure off the bone while it's healing.

Fun facts about bones for kids

The smallest bones are in the ear.

Although your bones stop growing when you are around 20, they do constantly rebuild new bone cells.

The spine is made up of 33 bones.

Red bone marrow can produce around 5 billion red blood cells each day.

Very few man made substances can come close to the lightness and strength of bones.

If your body doesn't have enough calcium, it will take it from your bones making your bones weaker. A good reason to drink your milk!

To have strong bones you need to:

·       Calcium – to constantly be replenishing old bones cells to keep our bones strong

·       Eat lots of vegetables loaded with vitamins and minerals

·       Perform strength training to help maintain and grow new bone

·       Eat enough protein as it makes up 50% of our bones

·       Get plenty of vitamin D and vitamin K to help with absorbing calecium

·       Avoid very low-calorie diets that can lower bone density

·       Maintain a healthy weight to not damage bones,