Jefferson Middle School students in Jennifer Restivo’s Health classes show off their organs make out of creative materials. Submitted photo

Middle School fifth and sixth graders in Jennifer Restivo’s health classes used their creativity and knowledge of body systems to create an organ from unique materials. The student’s out-of-the-box thinking made for a fantastic display in the Jefferson library.

“I created the kidneys with sponges, puffy paint, nail polish, straws and fish tubes,” said Jefferson Middle School sixth-grader Gabriella Morris. “I didn’t know that the kidneys work full-time and can actually take over for some of the other organs. It was fun to create my organ at home.”

Before creating the organs, the fifth and sixth graders learned about body systems including the organs and the functions of each system. Students also learned how to keep their body systems healthy and how the systems work together. For their research project, they picked one organ to create a three-dimensional model and also write a report about the organ, including what its function is and system their organ is in. They wrote about how to keep the organ healthy and an interesting fact. Students received points for the organ’s shape, size and color, how close it looked to a real organ, and creativity.

“I created the lungs from Styrofoam, fondant, peach gummies and a stick,” said Jefferson Middle School sixth-grader Dresden Coan. “I found out that the surface area of the lung could stretch to the size of a tennis court. It’s fun to create the organ but also to teach others about your organ.”