Lesson Plan

The Magic School Bus Flexes Its Muscles

  • Grades: 3–5

Field Trip Notes
Ralphie's bored with chores, so he daydreams about building a robot to do his tasks. Before he can start, the Magic School Bus's mesmerglobber blows a gasket. At the body shop, Ralphie and the kids use spare parts to build a Ralphiebot. But the robot doesn't move! By trial and error, the kids learn that everything 'hinges' on understanding how their own bodies move. They use parts that are like bones, joints, and muscles to get Ralphiebot working. But now the giant robot is out of control! Can Ralphie take Rapphiebot apart before he destroys the body shop?

Ms. Frizzle's Ideas for the Day

Give Me a Hand

Going Hands-On 

Time: 40 minutes
Group Size: Four

Ms. Frizzle's class uses a fantastical machine to see inside the human body. Your children can explore bones and joints by comparing their own hands and arms with a chicken wing.

What You Need

Bones, Joints, and Muscles, by Carlos



  • Copies of GIVE ME A HAND
  • 1 chicken wing per group

Ahead of Time

Boil chicken wings for 5-10 minutes. Push meat off, but leave bones intact.Ã?â??Ã?  Boil two minutes in soapy water.

Talk About It

Ask: How many bones and joints do you think your body has? (206 bones; more than 230 joints)

What To Do

  1. Show students chicken wing. Ask: What different parts do you see? (hard parts - bones; places where bones connect - joints; stringy material - ligaments) 
  2. Give each group one chicken wing and copies of the activity page. 
  3. Have children record the similarities and differences between their own arms and the wing, including size, number of bones and joints (we have 32 bones and 20 joints from shoulder to hand; wings have 10 bones and 6 joints, including tiny bones at tip), movement, skin, etc.

Next Stop

Have children “make a muscle,” place hand on the muscle, and bend their forearms up and down. Ask: What do you feel? (muscle movement) One what other parts of your body can you “make a muscle”?

  • Subjects:
    Body Parts, Human Body, Science Experiments and Projects, Observation
top

The Magic School Bus: Science Fun Activities

Lessons designed to help you use Scholastic's The Magic School Bus as a supplement to your curriculum. The activities provided build on children's interest in The Magic School Bus and offer lots of opportunities to engage them in hands-on learning. Remember what Ms. Frizzle says, "Get out there and explore!"