From Stump to Navel: teacher key

Belly Buttons, grade 4 edition, written for 4th grade. A belly button starts as a cord stump. Learn how it heals, how to care for it, and why innies and outies happen.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What is a belly button?
   • A kind of muscle
   • A scar left by the umbilical cord (answer)
   • A hole in the skin
2. How is a cord stump cared for?
   • Wrapped in lotion
   • Pulled gently
   • Kept clean and dry (answer)
3. Which is a sign of infection?
   • Red or swollen skin at the base (answer)
   • A dry stump
   • A stump that falls off
4. Why do grown-ups leave the stump alone?
   • It is a toy
   • It should fall off by itself (answer)
   • It is very tough
5. By about what age do most hernias in children go away?
   • Age 1
   • Age 12
   • Age 5 (answer)
6. Why do platypuses have no belly button?
   • Their young hatch from eggs (answer)
   • They have no skin
   • They live in water

Words

• umbilical: of the cord
• stump: bit of cord
• navel: belly button
• hernia: a bulge
• monotremes: egg-laying mammals