The Digestive System

Lab Activity for Life Skills

The Digestive System

Let’s Review with this video.

Lab Instructions

For this lab, we are going to use different objects to represent different parts of the digestive system.

Please read over your directions now.

The Supplies

Cracker = Food Banana = enzymes in saliva Water = Saliva Bag = Stomach Stocking = Small Intestine Cup = Large Intestine

The Activity

1. Crumble up your cracker.This is like chewing. Teeth are

the first part of the digestive system.

2. Put the cracker into the ziplock bag.- We will skip over the esophagus and go straight from the mouth to the stomach.-What does the esophagus do?

3. Put half of a banana into the bag.-This is like the enzymes that help break down the food.

4. Pour a small amount of water into the bag.-This is like the saliva from your mouth.

5. Squeeze out all the air and close the bag tightly.-Make sure it is completely closed.-If you leave air in there, it will be like what happens when you have gas.

6. Smush the cracker, banana and water together for a few minutes.-This is like the churning that the stomach does.

7. Put your bag aside and put newspaper down on your desk.

8. Get your stocking ready.9. After your food is churned up, cut a very

small hole in the bottom corner of the bag.-You will need help for this!

10. Pour the food from the stomach (bag) into the small intestine (stocking).

11. Watch as all the water from your food goes through the wall of the small intestine.

-This water will now go to the rest of your body where it is needed.

12. When it is fully drained, get help poking a small hole in the bottom of your cup.

13. Get help cutting a small hole in the bottom of your stocking.

14. Squeeze the food from the small intestine (stocking) into the large intestine (cup).

15. Hold the cup over a trash can.-The last bit of water will come

dripping out.-The waste products—the parts of

the food your body can’t use, will get packed together.

16. Pretend the trash can is the toilet and dump the waste products in, representing the end of the digestion process.

17. Now clean up.