ALL ABOUT ME

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Children will use a mirror to describe the parts of their bodies.

What You'll Need
What To Do
Resources
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Lesson Objective

Children will use a mirror to describe and compare different body parts.

Science

What You'll Need

  • 6”–8” Mirrors – 1 per child
  • Drawing paper – 1 sheet per child
  • Crayons or markers

What To Do

  1. Discuss the different parts of the body with the children (see Did You Know?).
  2. Distribute mirrors, and allow the children to use them to examine themselves.
  3. Encourage the children to notice the color of their eyes, hair, teeth, and ears (see Guiding Student Inquiry).
  4. Have the children use the mirrors to observe and discuss other features of their bodies such as their neck, legs, and knees.
  5. Distribute drawing paper and crayons or markers.
  6. Have each of the children draw a picture of themselves, encouraging them to include their different body parts.

Guiding Student Inquiry

  • Describe what you see in the mirror.
  • Tell me some body parts that we have two of.
  • Tell me what parts of our bodies we can move.
  • Explain how our bodies are the same.
  • Tell me some ways we look different.

Explore, Extend & Integrate

  • Using the mirrors, act out the following rhyme with the children:

I look in the mirror and what do I see?

I see my eyes blinking at me.

  • Repeat the first line and continue with more rhyming lines, such as:

I see my nose twitching at me.

I see my head nodding at me.

I see my mouth smiling at me.

  • Encourage the children to observe other features in the mirrors such as the backs of their necks or the backs of their knees. Have them compare the front to the back.
  • Make mirrors available in the science area. You could include some other reflective materials such as aluminum foil, large metal spoons, metallic bowls, or a metallic table. Invite the children to compare their reflections in the different materials.

Check for Children’s Understanding

  • Could children describe the different parts of the body?
  • Could children explain how our bodies are the same?
  • Could children explain the ways we all look different?

Resources

Did You Know

Your body is amazing! Each of your body parts has a job to do. Your brain works like a computer, telling all the many parts what to do to work together. Our bones and muscles give structure and strength to our bodies and allow us to move. Our heart works to deliver nutrients to other body parts and keeps us healthy. Our lungs help us breathe. Our skin protects us and keeps our body parts together. Our eyes allow us to see. We smell with our noses. With our mouths, we can eat our favorite foods. Our ears help us to hear sounds. We can move our arms and legs; we can wiggle our entire body around at the same time.

Each of our bodies has some parts that are the same and some parts that are different. We all have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two ears, and a chin on our faces. Our body structures are similar because each of us has a neck, shoulders, chest, tummy, back, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes. We have hair on our heads, but our hair does not look the same. We all have two eyes, but our eyes are different colors. Even though we all have similar body parts, not all of our parts are the same size or color, and that is what makes each of us different.

Vocabulary: Child-Friendly Definitions

  • body – the physical parts that make up a person or an animal.
  • mirror – a smooth surface that shows an image of whatever is in front of it.
  • part – a separate piece or section of a whole.
  • face – the part of the head containing the eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • compare – to say how something is similar to or different from something else.
  • structure – a thing that is made up of different parts that are connected in a particular way.

Lesson Tips

  • You may want to begin the lesson with singing and dramatizing the song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”

Books

  • Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney
  • Body Parts by Bev Schumacher
  • I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson
  • Incredible Me! by Kathi Appelt

Home School Resources

Home educators: use these printable lesson PDFs to teach this lesson to your home schoolers. They're available in English and Spanish.

Home/School Connections

Las Conexiones a la Casa

While we believe that the books and resources recommended may be of value to you, keep in mind that these are suggestions only and you must do your own due diligence to determine whether the materials are appropriate and suitable for your use. PNC has no sponsorship or endorsement agreement with the authors or publishers of the materials listed.

Content Provided By

Carnegie Science Center

Visit Carnegie Science Center website

Common Core State Standards Initiative – These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge [1]. Visit the CCSS