Make A Model Hand

Over the past couple of weeks, my son has been studying the skeletal and muscular systems with Apologia’s Human Anatomy and Physiology. With this child, it’s important to make lessons come alive and show how they matter to him. So, we’ve been using all types of resources to make that happen.

We’ve been experimenting with the flexibility of muscles, and looking back at some past skeletal and muscular system activities that we did with my daughter a couple of years ago. It also helps that he is a hockey player and we talk muscles and bones all the time when it comes to training and injuries.

I’ve had the model hand project in the back of my mind for years, so we finally broke it out for this study. It’s not a new one, but it’s fun and easy. You can use different materials to make it your own. This is what worked for us.

How To Make A Model Hand

To make a model hand, you will need a few simple supplies:

cardboard
tape or glue
straws
string or pipe cleaners

To get started, have the student trace their hand on a piece of cardboard. We used a piece from a cardboard shipping box. Next, cut out the hand.

make a model hand

Have the student place straws on the cardboard hand where tendons are located on a real hand. These will act as the tendon sheaths that surround the tendons. Glue or tape the straws in place.

Decide where the joints are on your hand will be. In those places, cut away pieces of the straw so the hand will be able to bend in those areas.

After the joints are cut away from the straws, glide string or pipe cleaners through each of the straws from one end of the hand to the other. Bend the pipe cleaners at the top of the finger so that the string is not pulled out of the straw. If you use string, tie a bead in the end of the string to keep it in place.

Leave approximately 6 inches of string or pipe cleaner at the bottom of the hand. These are the tendons of the hands. Pull the tendons and watch the fingers move. This is how the tendons of the hands actually work to move the fingers. Tip: Bend the fingers of your hand before using your string or pipe cleaners to loosen up the cardboard and make it easier to move.