Teeth Books

We read a LOT of books about teeth. Losing your first tooth is a very popular subject, apparently, and has spawned numerous bad books. I know--I read through dozens before picking the best of the lot to bring home and read to my children.

Here are my favorite books from our teeth unit:

Toot and Puddle: Charming Opal by Holly Hobbie. I love all the Toot and Puddle books, and this is definitely the most charming "losing your first tooth" book that we read.




George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora.

This was a huge hit in our house because it was interesting and my son is obsessed with George Washington. If you look online, you can find lots of pictures of George Washington's fake teeth. Pretty cool, actually.




Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby B. Beeler. (Did you know that some Eskimo tribes put the tooth in food of some sort and feed it to a female dog? I didn't!)

The School Play by Rosemary Wells.

Why Do We Need to Brush Our Teeth by Isaac Asimov.

ABC Dentist: Healthy Teeth from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert.

PS--Sorry I haven't posted in forever. I am teaching a course for a local university and it takes a lot of time to put together a course for the first time. I have grand intentions though, so don't give up on me!!

Teeth: Health and Manners Unit

We finished our first unit: Taking Care of Our Teeth. I think this unit best falls under the "Health/Manners" school category. While it was short, we certainly enjoyed it.

Day One: Read a bunch of books about teeth. (My next post will list our favorite teeth books.) Then, draw and label a picture of a tooth.

Day Two: Read a bunch of books about teeth, including one about George Washington's teeth--or lack of teeth, rather. Make poor George a new set of teeth out of clay (or playdough--or something like unto it).

Day Three: Take your children to a dentist appointment. (I didn't even remember they had dental appointments for the week I scheduled the teeth unit--that's homeschooling serendipity right there.)

Day Four: Read a bunch of books about teeth. Get your little sister, who is a dental hygienist, to come and give a fantastic presentation on teeth. I know this might not work for everyone, but it sure worked for me!!

Cowen learning how to brush in a circular motion.














Lindsay had her hubby and myself be teeth. She covered our faces (not quite sure why) and stand back to back. Sterling said he was hanging his head in shame for being such a dirty tooth. Whatever. The kids put little pieces of paper all over us that represented stuff that sticks on your teeth. Then, Lindsay gave the kids a turn to "brush" the stuff off with a car windshield scraper brush. The kids thought that was awesome.

It was a good object lesson, made even better because the kids couldn't get to the stuff stuck on our backs. Lindsay rubbed "dental floss" between us to get the hard to reach stuff. It certainly made me think about flossing periodically. Ahem.




Cowen looking through Lindsay's magnifying glasses.












Lindsay let the kids take out all the teeth and then Miriam put them all back where they should go based on how many roots the tooth had. Miriam loved it and only got two teeth out of place.










Lindsay showing the kids how she cleans teeth with that vicious looking picker tool.

The unit only lasted four days but the kids loved it, didn't have a chance to get bored with it, and was sorely needed around here.