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The Digestive System

Food provides us with energy, vitamins, and minerals that our body

needs. The job of the digestive system is to break the food down

into substances the organs and cells in our body can use.

Fun Fact: The length of our digestive system is around 20 –30 feet. Did you know 20 feet is about the same height of a

giraffe!

Five Major StagesOf the Digestive System

Stage one: ChewingChewing makes it easier to swallow food because it breaks up big pieces into little pieces.

Fun fact: Your saliva has a special ingredient called enzymes that help in breaking down starchy foods such as potatoes.

Stage Two: SwallowingSwallowing is not as simple as it seems. The food does not just go straight into your

stomach without some help. Your tongue first pushes the food to the back of your throat. Then, your throat muscles force the food down the esophagus that

will lead to the stomach.

Fun fact: We all have a flap called the epiglottis that automatically blocks off our windpipe to make sure the food does not go the wrong way. You will choke if the food

goes the wrong way!

Stage Three: The StomachWhen food reaches your stomach, they will hang around for about 4 hours. As the

food “hangs around”, your enzymes will break down things like protein that your body can use. The good thing is that the stomach also helps us from getting sick by

killing all the bad bacteria.

Fun fact: An adult stomach can hold about 1.5 liters of material.

Stage Four: The Small Intestine There are two parts in the small intestine. The first part works with juices from the liver and pancreas to continue to break down our food. The second part, is where the food gets absorbed from the intestine and into our body through the blood.

Fun fact: The small intestine is about 7 meters long and the surface area is about the size of a tennis court!

Stage Five: The Large Intestine The large intestine is the “exit” for the food that the body does not need or can’t

use. The food leaves the body as waste (poo).

Fun fact: The large intestine is only 1 meter long so its shorter then the small intestine. The only reason it is called “large” is because it is wider.

The Respiratory System

Your body needs oxygen to survive and the job of your respiratory

system is to bring the oxygen into your body and remove the carbon dioxide from your body. Carbon

dioxide comes from your cells and too much of it can be deadly.

Fun Fact: You breathe in and out anywhere from 15 – 25 times per minute!

The Main OrganOf the Respiratory System

The LungsYour lungs are basically sacs that fill with oxygen when you breathe. Your heart pumps blood into the walls of your lungs where it absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.

Fun Fact: If you hold your breath for too long, your brain will force you to breathe.

CiliaTiny mucous covered hairs called Cilia act as a filter in your airway to trap

foreign particles and germs from getting with the air that you breathe. When you cough or sneeze, you get the foreign particles out of your body.

The Nervous System

The nervous system is where your brain sends

and receives information about what is happening

in the body and around it.

Fun Fact: The nervous system is made up of billions of nerve cells (also called neurons) which

join together to make nerves. Nerves send impulses through the body.

Two Main PartsOf the Nervous System

First Part: Central Nervous System

The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord.

The brain is basically “the boss” of your body. It

controls everything you do even when you are asleep by

sending and receiving messages through nerves.

The spinal cord is the main pathway for information

connecting the brain to the second part of the nervous system (peripheral nervous

system)

Second Part: Peripheral Nervous System

The peripheral nervous system is basically the nerves together that carries messages to and from the central nervous system. It sends information to the brain and carries out orders from the brain.

Two Main types of nerves:

Sensory Nerves: Signals the brain to

tell what is going on in the outside world.

Your 5 senses are part of the sensory nerves.

Motor Nerves: Allows the brain to control our

muscles.

The Skeletal System

The skeletal system provides the shape and form of our bodies. It also protects our internal organs and allows us to move our bodies

such as walking, running, or writing. It consists of bones, cartilage, joints, ligaments, tendons, and

other connective tissues.

Fun Fact: When a baby is born, the skeleton is made up of around 300 bones. Adults on the other hand end up with

206 bones because some bones have fused together.

Six Major FunctionsOf the Skeletal System

1. Production of blood cells

2. Support

3. Movement

4. Protection

5. Storage of ions

6. Endocrine Regulation

ProtectionYour cranium

( Skull ) protects your brain and eyes.

Your ribs protect your

heart and lungs.

Your vertebrae (spine, backbones) protect

your spinal cord.

The longest BoneIn the human body

Thigh Bone ( Femur )

The Smallest BoneIn the human body

Stapes bone (found in the middle ear)

Only 0.11 inches long!

What’s a bone made of?The outer layer is a compact bone that is hard, dense, and tough. Inside this layer is a spongy bone which is lighter and a little bit flexible. In the middle of some bones is the

bone marrow where new cells are always being produced for the blood.

If you want your bones to become hard and strong, drink milk and eat lots of dairy products like cheese and yogurt because they all contain calcium. Calcium strengthens your skeleton!

The Muscular System

The skeleton is covered by layers of skeletal muscle. Each muscle is attached to two or more bones so that when the muscles contract and expand,

they create movement.

There are 3 types of muscles:

Skeletal Muscle Smooth Muscle

Found in the walls of many organs such as the bladder,

womb, and intestines, where it contracts to propel food along.

Cardiac Muscle

Contracts throughout life to pump blood from the heart to the lungs and around the body.

Fun Fact: There are more than 600 muscles in the body!

TendonsTendons connects muscles to bones.

Muscle MemoryMuscle memory is when you

practice something over and over again. It allows you to become more skilled at certain activities such as sports and music. Always remember

that practice makes perfect!

Exercising

When you exercise, your muscles become bigger,

stronger, and more flexible. If you don’t use your muscles, they

will shrink and become weak!

Fun Facts About Muscles!

The strongest muscle is in our jaw and it is used for chewing.

You shiver because there are hundreds of muscles expanding and contracting to produce heat and make you warmer.

It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 muscles to frown. Remember to always

smile (less muscles to use)!

The Circulatory System

Your heart is about the size of your clenched fist.The heart pumps blood to all the parts of the body.

Your blood is colorless liquid called plasma. Red blood cells deliver oxygen to the cells in the body and carry back waste

gases. White blood cells are part of your body’s

defense against disease.

Heart

Blood

Blood vesselsThree main types of

blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries.

The circulatory system is made up of the heart, blood, and blood vessels.

The Main OrganOf the Circulatory System

The Heart

Your heart is a muscle and it is located a little to the left in the middle of your chest. The blood

that the heart pumps provides your body with oxygen and nutrients as

well as carries wastes away.

Your heart has two sides (pumps): The right side receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side does the opposite. It receives

blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body.

Blood Vessels

Arteries: Carries blood away from the heart.

Veins: Carries blood back to the heart.

Capillaries: The smallest type of vessel. It forms a network connecting the smallest arterioles with

the smallest venules.

Fun Fact: The body of an adult contains over 60,000 miles of blood vessels!

Top 10 Body Organs

#1 - The BrainThe brain is the most important organ of the human body. It is responsible for

everything you need in order to keep on living such as breathing, heartbeat, coordinating actions and thoughts, regulations, movement, emotions and blood

pressure. You would not be alive without your brain.

#2 - The HeartYour body cannot function without the heart. The blood pumped by the

heart reaches all the body organs in your body. If your heart stops pumping, your whole body mechanism will fail, therefore, resulting in death.

#3 - The SpleenThe spleen contains many fluids and blood which is circulated inside

the body. It removes old or damaged red blood cells and if a child receives sudden blood loss, the spleen will contract to force

replacement blood into the circulation.

#4 - The LungsIt is impossible to live without your lungs. They work together to help you breathe. Your right lung is a little bit larger than your left lung.

#5 - The IntestinesYour small intestine is responsible for the absorption of nutrients from food into the bloodstream. Your large intestines maintains

the function of reabsorption of water and mineral ions.

#6 - The StomachWhatever you eat or drink goes inside your stomach. The stomach creates a stomach acid that is critical to your overall body’s health

and it protects your body from infection.

#7 - The LiverYour liver receives 30% of blood every minute. It stores vitamins, sugar, and iron to give your body energy. It also controls the production and

removal of cholesterol and it clears the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.

#8 - The PancreasYour pancreas helps in regulating blood sugar and helps in digestion. It secretes pancreatic juice and if the pancreas fails, the juice will

get released in the body and it might lead to death.

#9 - The KidneysYour kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid from the body. It also releases hormones which control blood pressure and controls

production of vitamin D to keep your bones strong and healthy.

#10 – The Urinary BladderWhen you eat, some of the food will get thrown out. The job of the urinary

bladder is to get rid of the waste. It is responsible for removing urine so that the body will not get clogged. The urinary bladder is important because

it keeps your body clean and healthy.

Credits

http://www.factmonster.com/

http://kidshealth.org/

http://www.ducksters.com/