Articular cartilage
Spongy bone
Compact bone
Endosteum
Periosteum
Blood vessels
Articular cartilage
What are bones made of?
The outer layer is called the periosteum. This thin
layer holds the nerves and blood vessels that provide
nutrients to your bones.
The middle layer is made up of two parts:
compact bone and spongy bone. The compact bone
is hard and smooth, while the spongy bone is squishy
like a sponge. These two layers work together to
make your bones strong yet light.
The innermost layer is called the marrow, or
endosteum. This contains the cells that produce
blood, fat, cartilage and bone.
When a bone breaks, our body immediately
begins the healing process by developing tissue.
The tissue starts out soft and gradually turns to hard
bone. A cast protects the growing bone from
risk of further injury.
It’s easy to take care of your bones. Many sports,
including bicycling and snowboarding, have protective
equipment such as helmets, knee pads and elbow pads.
But there’s more you can do than just wear
protective gear. Exercising builds bone
strength and helps to prevent bone
diseases such as osteoporosis and
arthritis. Calcium also builds bones
and keeps them strong. Calcium is found
in dairy products as well as many green vegetables.
Vitamin D, found in calcium-rich foods and in
sunlight, helps your body absorb calcium.
Take good care of your bones by staying
active and eating healthfully, and your
bones will take care of you!
Protect
your bones
Activity
Make a
Bone-Healthy
Smoothie
Mix together in a blender
1 cup blueberries,
1/2 cup nonfat milk,
half of a medium banana,
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt,
1 cup spinach
1/2 tablespoon honey.
Blend until smooth.
Activity
Did you know that most animals
don’t have any bones? These are called
invertebrates. Examples include worms,
spiders and jellyfish. Can you think of other
animals that might not have vertebrae?
Howmany bones do
animals have?
Match the animal with the number
of bones you think it has.
207
244
307
216
206
320
Number of bones
Animal
Answers: Cat 244, Chicken 307, Cow 207, Dog 320, Human 206, Pig 216
Cat
Chicken
Cow
Dog
Human
Pig
Articular cartilage
Spongy bone
Compact bone
Endosteum
Periosteum
Blood vessels
Articular cartilage
The outer layer is called the periosteum. This thin
lay r holds th nerves and blood vessels that provide
nutrients to your bones.
The middle layer is made up of two parts: compact
bone and spongy bone. The c mpact bone is hard
and smooth, while the spongy bone is squishy like
a sponge. These two layers work together to make
your bones strong yet light.
The innermost layer is called the marrow, or
endosteu . This contains the cells that produce
blood, fat, cartilage and bon .
What are bones made of?
