DCD 4th graders certainly know! Last week before the break, students dove into the science of digestion with Mrs. Kucich to uncover what happens to all that food that gets gobbled up from their plates at Thanksgiving. Spoiler alert: it’s a journey that’s both fascinating and a little gross at times!
Using a plastic bag as a “mouth,” they mashed up their “meal” of green beans, stuffing, and cranberry sauce to simulate chewing (cue the giggles). Then, it was blender time! Dumping the contents of their plastic bags into the blender jar, they modeled the journey of chewed up mouthfuls of food down the esophagus and into the stomach. With a splash of Diet Coke as stomach acid, they watched their meal transform, just like it does in their stomach and small intestine. The final stop? A pair of pantyhose standing in for the large intestine to show how important nutrients and water are distributed and absorbed by the body while the leftover waste gets expelled! It’s 4th grade, so lots of giggles ensued during this final step! A great science lesson accompanied by some good old potty humor!
