What do you get when you cross petroleum jelly, food coloring/fake blood, toilet tissue, and cocoa powder? A fun, engaging lab activity for your Integumentary System unit, of course!
My students sometimes think studying the Integumentary System can be a little boring so this year we tried something different– We created gross, realistic looking wounds to explore wound healing.
First Step: Easy Video Instructions
We watched this video before going into the lab. I think it does an excellent job of explaining the process. It also helped my students visualize what the process looked like.
Second Step: In the Lab:
Students worked in partners and were given a choice of locations for the wound they were to create on their partner. There were 6 location choices (on arms and legs only) that were written using anatomical directional terms. For example, “the wound was inferior to the antecubital region of the right arm and superior to the phalanges”. They also had a choice of wound lengths. Their lab sheet also asked them what stage of wound healing their wound was in currently. When I checked the lab groups, they had to tell me exactly which wound (location and size) they created. I think it really helped them practice the anatomical terminology in a practical setting.
Side Note– Fake blood works better than red food coloring in making the petroleum jelly mixture. I put a small amount into a little bathroom cup and used craft sticks to mix. I also gave teams a small paper plate with cocoa powder on it to minimize the mess in the lab. The little tubes of gel fake blood work the best for the finishing touches of active bleeding 🙂
Here are some addition photos of our “wounds”
The students LOVED it!! (and some really got creative). I’ll definitely be doing this again next year!
UPDATED for 2021:
Click HERE to download the Zombie Wound Healing Lab student lab sheet (in a Google Doc) that my classes used this year. The link is in a Google Doc and will require you to make a copy for your drive.
To access the “Wound Healing” presentation I use with my students after lab to help them answer their lab questions, click HERE to visit my website.
New Pics from 2021
Edgy Instruction with DrM 