All About Bones

This is a human skeleton. It is made of bones. Bones shape and support your body. They also protect your organs × organ MARIANNE KEMNITZ/EYEEM—GETTY IMAGES a part of the body that has a specific job (noun) The skin is one of the human body's most important organs. .

This is an X-ray of a human skull. The skull protects the brain. It gives shape to the face. It has 22 bones.

It is important to keep your bones healthy. Drinking milk or eating oranges helps. They have calcium × calcium DEEPAK SETHI/GETTY IMAGES a substance found in most plants and animals that helps people grow strong, healthy bones (noun) I drink a lot of milk so I get enough calcium in my diet. . Calcium helps bones grow strong.

Have you ever broken a bone? Ouch! A doctor sets the bone in place. A cast × cast STEVEN PUETZER/GETTY IMAGES a hard covering that is used to protect a broken bone as it heals (noun) After I broke my arm, I let all my friends sign my cast. protects it while it heals.

Your bones are under your skin. You need an X-ray machine to see them. An X-ray is a special type of picture. It shows doctors if a bone is broken.

Did You Know?

Adults have 206 bones. Babies are born with about 300 bones. Bones are living things. As you get older, some bones fuse, or grow together.