If you didn't have bones to give your body support ...

you might just be a blob on the floor.

You were born with about 300 bones, but as you grow, some of the bones fuse together. Adults have only 206 bones.

Bones may not look it, but the bones that make up your skeleton are all very much alive. They are growing and changing all the time like other parts of your body. Things like blood cells and calcium go in and out all of the time. You need to eat the things that bones need to keep them strong and healthy. AND...Stay active! Another important way to strengthen your bones is by exercising. Run, jump, dance and play sports.

A Place to Go
with More to Know

Visit the website of The Hospital for Sick Children in Ontario, Canada. They have a some great pages explaining how the body works.

Check out the SKELETON page.

Another Place to Go
with More to Know

On their page, move your cursor over the skeleton and see what happens. Click on a body part and you can draw on the part you picked with the pencil or paint brush.

The Bone Biology for Kids pages on the University of Washington's website. Click here.