Year 4 Science- Digestion

By 11/03/2020Science, Year 4

Today, year 4 have been learning all about the human digestive system. We recreated the different stages of the digestive system practically.

First, we placed the food (a banana and a biscuit) and the saliva (a small amount of water) into a clear food bag where we “chewed” it together. Next,  we swapped food bags with our partner to represent the food’s journey from our mouth to our stomach through the oesophagus tube. Then, we added a small amount of orange juice which acted as our stomach acid. After breaking the food up further, we moved the mixture from the clear food bag into the “small intestine” (tights). We then squeezed any excess liquid out, symbolizing how nutrients and minerals are absorbed in the small intestine. Next, we moved the remaining food through the tights until it reached the toe. Finally, we cut a small hole in the toe of the tights and squeezed until our fake stool was released!

We had lots of fun in this lesson but it’s safe to say some of the children were a little squeamish!