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Outdoors: STEM – what children learn from dissection

It may seem gruesome at first, but dissection teaches children in an unforgettable and meaningful way about the circle of life. By Julie Mountain and Felicity Robinson

Anatomy is the word we use to describe the structure and organisation of the features of living organisms, whether animal or vegetable. While it is not strictly included in any UK early years curriculum, children do learn about ‘my body’ and we encourage them to learn the names of not just human body parts but also those of plants – flower, stem, leaf and so on. Exploring anatomy in more detail has many advantages for very young children, not least that we know that knowledge is power: research suggests people of any age who know how their bodies work are less anxious when they become injured, or need medical intervention and make better health choices.

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