The Anatomy Lesson, Part II

As you can probably tell from my last post, the Pillowfight Fairy is learning about the human body now in her science curriculum.

When you listen to teachers--especially those of young kids--describe what it is they like about their jobs, one of the frequent answers is that occasionally a kid will turn in an assignment that is absolutely hilarious. Usually, it's unintentional--and that's precisely what makes it so funny. Often the teachers will make collections of these assignments over the years, that they can read through every time they need a quick pick-me-up.

And occasionally someone will edit his or her favorites into a single narrative. I saw one of these floating around as an email fruitcake some years back, giving a narrative of the history of the world, told through their kids' howlers. I especially liked the description of how Queen Elizabeth exposed herself before her troops, who then shouted, Huzzah! And I completely lost it when I read how Ferdinand Magellan had circumcised the earth in a 100-foot clipper.

Well, one of the perks of homeschooling is that you don't miss these assignments. You're not sending your little one away to make all her bloopers for some teacher to collect; you get to do it yourself.

And the Pillowfight Fairy seems to be pretty interested in the science of the human body--a subject which is absolutely ripe with humor, as anyone can attest who's tried to explain to a 6-year-old how the digestive system works.

From yesterday's diagram, you can tell that the Pillowfight Fairy has been learning the circulatory system. And today, Mommy had her do a quick observational activity: try to find your own pulse. They hunted for the pulse of the carotid artery, in the neck. Afterward, Mommy had the Fairy write down her observations.

I felt thumps. That's clear and unambiguous, no? She doesn't beat around the bush, she doesn't bury her conclusion under complicated, scientific-sounding Latinate language. I Felt Thumps. Concise. I like it.

But every lesson must end with a what have we learned segment, so here it is:
Important qualification, there at the end. It's good to know she's learning the Facts of Life (and the lack thereof).