December 12, 2001
Science brought to life through dissection
Live and Learn students explore animal anatomy
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Donning rubber gloves and wielding scalpels, a group of area homeschool students gathered last Friday morning in a member's kitchen for an up close and personal lesson in anatomy and physiology.
Fifteen students from the Live and Learn Homeschool Group, ranging in age from seven to 16, gathered to dissect a frog, earthworm, cow's eye and starfish. At a second meeting scheduled for January, students will dissect a fetal pig.
Moving among different stations, the students found that the hands-on aspect of dissection brought the information alive - far more than a book or computer program could.
"If I actually do it myself, touch it, I understand it more," said Ashley Steel, a seventh/eighth grade student. "In books they have lines pointing to things and it is not the same because you don't actually see things separately."
Steele has a particular interest in eyes and focused her dissection efforts on the cow's eye. She broke it down into the cornea, iris, lens, optic nerve, retina and sclera. She also put some sections of various parts plus gel from the inside of the eye onto slides for everyone to examine through a microscope.
"I did a sheep eye before, while in second-grade science," she said. "I've always loved eyes and have done at least three reports on them."
Along with five other students, ninth grader Maureen McManus focused on the frog. She helped as the students worked together to gut it, determine its gender and identify each organ. Students also exposed the spinal column and brain, traced muscles and tendons and examined the parts of the eye. They compared what they saw to anatomical charts provided.
"You can see it all a lot easier when it is hands on," said McManus, whose science studies are focusing on Life Science this year. "It is also helpful to do it as a group because if I didn't want to do something, someone else would do it or I could do things someone else didn't want to do."
The parents brought scalpels, gloves, pins, microscopes and reference materials.
Host Carol Kirkbride checked out models of the eye and human body from Munson's Community Health Library and also had a computer program on the human body available on the family computer.
"It is exposure to science for all the kids and a lot more fun than doing it alone," said Celia McKolay, who has homeschooled her six children. "They were ready to dive in."
After two hours of dissecting and swapping information, plus time peering through microscopes at slides they made, the students tumbled outdoors to play basketball.
Then, in a way that typifies homeschooling, many of the eight moms present stepped up to the frog and began their own lesson. Leafing through anatomy texts and cutting and manipulating on their own, they absorbed or relearned the basics of frog anatomy.
"Parents of homeschoolers are certainly there learning right along with their kids," said Char Wallace, who homeschools two of her three children.
After a while, the moms called the students back in and the group discussed what they had learned at each station.
Most of the students present were middle school or early high school age and have been getting together to study or socialize as part of Live and Learn for at least six years. Past group classes include art, theater, astronomy and writing.
Taking on dissection seemed a natural extension of their learning together.
"Since our home school group is mostly junior high or high school age, it was appropriate to do the dissection," said Carron Steele, Ashley's mother. "Even though many are not studying anatomy right now, since we're planning to make this an annual event, they can learn more every time."