Modelling the Digestive System! – Part 1

Our science lessons were quite messy this week as we continued our explorations of the digestive system. In order to get a better understanding of the process, we decided to try and recreate it in the classroom. It was very gross at times (the best kind of science!) but many of the children were happy to get stuck in and get a bit messy, which was great to see!

We began by simulating the process of chewing food by breaking a biscuit and a banana into small chunks. These were then placed in a plastic bag that represented the stomach. After washing it down with a bit of apple juice, the children had to replicate the digestion of the stomach, contracting and squeeezing the muscles of the stomach to break down the food. While some children loved the idea, others were not so keen…

Once the food was all broken down, we transfered it into our “intestines”. This allowed us to recreate the intestines’ jobs of drawing out the water and nutrients and absorbing them into the body. Since we didn’t have a simulated body, we collected the liquids in a separate container. This left only the remnants of the food that our bodies don’t need.

All that was left to do was to squash the remnants together to make a stool. Once this was done, we could squeeze it through a hole in the bottom of the tights to simulate the removal of the waste from our bodies. This, as you can imagine, got a little messy!