As a final-year student teacher specialising in primary science, Emma Heaney faced the challenge of having to plan, organise, and conduct a small-scale, classroom-based research project. She had to teach about bones in the final block practice session and thought it would be a good idea to bring in some biological specimens obtained from the local butcher for the children to study. The class teacher's initial suggestion was to show the children some images on the interactive white board and use some dry bones, but Emma wanted to be a little more innovative and creative with her pedagogy. The teacher quickly embraced this alternative approach and together they discussed the idea of bringing fresh bones into class for the children (ages 8-9) to investigate more closely. The impact on the children's learning as a consequence of their direct contact with fresh bones and the related pedagogic implications became the main foci of Emma's dissertation. Both the class teacher and Emma realised the necessity for careful and safe preparation. The ASE's publication "Be safe!" (2011) provides clear guidance on handling and disposal of such biological material, and this was fully adopted throughout this work. The head teacher was supportive and requested that parents be informed by letter because this work was so different from their usual science. This article describes what Emma did and how she did it. Topics such as addressing children's pre-existing ideas, introducing the bones, how the children responded, and challenges to overcome are discussed.