Science Fenns K-5Grades K to 5
A giraffe reaching high into an acacia tree on the left and a duck paddling with webbed feet on a pond on the right.

Science / All lessons / Animal Bodies and Life Cycles

Outside Structures

Giraffe necks and duck feet.

Lesson 39 of 41

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Outside Structures

A giraffe stretches up to a tree. Its long neck lets it reach leaves that other animals cannot. A duck paddles across a Texas pond. Its feet are flat and webbed like paddles.

These are outside structures. They are body parts on the outside of an animal. Each one helps the animal survive in its home. Long necks help giraffes eat. Webbed feet help ducks swim. Feathers, fur, claws and beaks all do jobs.

If a structure does a useful job, the animal does better. Let's look at the steps.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Beak Buffet

    25 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • Tweezers
    • A spoon
    • Clothespins
    • Chopsticks
    • Dried beans
    • Small bowls
    • A timer

    Do this

    1. Put beans in a bowl.
    2. Pick a tool to be a beak.
    3. Move beans to another bowl for 30 seconds.
    4. Count how many you moved.
    5. Try each tool.
    6. Write which worked best.
    Write or draw: A table with each tool and the number of beans moved.

    Watch for: Notice that different tools do the job differently. Notice which is best for small seeds.

    Safety: Do not eat the beans. Use tools gently.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Every part has a job.

    Ask what it does.

    Rule 2Match the part to the home.

    The place matters.

    Rule 3Look closely.

    Small details tell a lot.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    structure
    A body part on an animal.
    survive
    To stay alive.
    webbed feet
    Feet with skin joining the toes, good for swimming.
    beak
    The hard mouth of a bird.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • How do you know a body part is useful? What would you test?
    • What animal around your home has a part that helps it?
    Did you know

    A giraffe has the same number of neck bones as you do, only much longer ones.

    Someone who does this

    A zookeeper learns how each animal's body helps it live.

    BeforeFossils Tell the PastNext lessonInsect Life Cycles