Digestive System Science Activity

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It’s hard for kids to understand the way the processes inside the body work, it becomes a little easier when you make it a hands on activity that lets them involve more parts of their brain.  This Digestive System Science project is disgustingly fun, just the way they like it.

Digestive System Science Activity

This experiment is perfect for preschool through elementary aged and fair warning they may ask to do it again and again.

You will need:

A zippered plastic sandwich bag

A piece of bread

Soda

Small plastic cup

Sharpie marker

Directions:

This project is going to demonstrate how our stomach acids break down the food we eat and help it to move through our digestive system.  The bag is your “stomach”, the soda is your “stomach acid” and the bread your food of course.

Label the bag stomach with a permanent marker, you can even draw a rough likeness of what it actually looks like if you care to.

Label your cup of soda- stomach acid.

Explain what each piece represents to your child, and that our stomach contains acid to help break down our food.

Have them pour couple tablespoons of soda into the bag.

Now add the bread.

Close the bag.

Shake and knead the contents.

Watch how the bread breaks down and becomes nearly a liquid itself.

Discussion Questions-

How does food make it down into your stomach?

Why is it important to chew your food first ?

What makes the bread break down?

What happens next in the process?

Where is your stomach located?

What types of food are harder to digest?