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COMMUNITY HELPERS

Veterinarian
Children will learn about veterinarians as community helpers.

Lesson Objective
Children will learn about veterinarians as community helpers and the tools they use; children will also make animal x-ray art.
(Science) Science(Art) Art
What You'll Need
Note: You will need to search the Internet for images of “Aboriginal art of a lizard” and animal x-rays.
- Images of Aboriginal art – from an Internet search
- Animal x-rays – from an Internet search
- Stethoscope
- Empty medicine bottles
- Bandages
- Colored glue – 2 bottles
- Small, shallow cups – 1 per 2 children
- Paper – 1 sheet per child
- Cotton swabs – 4 per child
- Bingo markers – 1 per child
What To Do
- Tell the children they will be learning about a community helper who is a special kind of doctor called a veterinarian.
- Explain that a veterinarian takes care of animals in much the same way as a doctor takes care of people (see Did You Know?).
- Display the stethoscope, medicine bottles, and bandages, and ask whether the children recognize these tools and their use (see Guiding Student Inquiry).
- Display an animal x-ray, and explain how a veterinarian might use an x-ray.
- Display the artwork, and ask children what they see.
- Point out the bones and organs in the artwork, and explain that this type of artwork resembles an x-ray (see Did You Know?).
- Tell the children they will be making x-ray artwork.
- Distribute paper and bingo markers.
- Have the children use the bingo markers to draw an animal of their choice on the paper.
- Distribute cotton swabs and cups of colored glue.
- Have children dip both ends of a cotton swab in the glue and place it on their animal’s body to create bones. Allow children to place 5–10 swabs on their artwork.
Resources
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.
Content Provided By
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]. (External) Visit the CCSS