The kids had been making Halloween decorations for the last few days. There were dozens of their original paper jack-o'lanterns, bats, and ghosts around already when they set their minds to making a skeleton. I was doubtful, but Boy 2 kept asking. So he and I set out to build Skelty for our "art day" activity yesterday.
It was a pleasant way to spend the morning. Lots of drawing and cutting and taping, and a curious conversation about anatomy with a nearly-5-year-old.
"Hey Mama, what's this part I just cut out?"
"It's a rib."
"Oh, okay. Ribs," holding up a few. "Do I have ribs?"
"Yes. Feel here?"
"Oh. Yeah. But why do I have ribs?"...
The project took about an hour and a half to finish, so imagine this exchange, or something like it, repeated for a half dozen other bones, too.
When Boy 1 got home from school, we gave him the job of looking up the human skeleton drawing in his encyclopedia and checking our work. He was eager to get involved at first but ended up getting interested in the book and just wandering away with it by himself, while Girlie, Boy 2, and I put the last of the tape on Skelty to hang him.
Poor Skelty. What Boy 1 didn't tell him is, his spine is completely fused. His tarsals and carpals are interchangeable. The rest of his hands and feet--and lots of other bones, too--are altogether missing. Good thing Skelty has no flesh, because that misshapen pelvis couldn't hope to bear its weight. His overly square jaw puts The Incredible Hulk's to shame, and he would benefit from major dental work.
But we are proud of our Skelty. He was fun to make and is hanging right in the midst of the action, on the sliding glass door in the living room. He's here to stay. At least, until Halloween, or someone accidentally rips a bone or two off.
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