Heart & Lungs Power Hour!

Materials Needed:

• 1 empty plastic bottle (like a 1-liter soda bottle)
• 1 large balloon
• 2 smaller balloons
• Scissors (adult supervision recommended)
• Modeling clay or play-dough
• A plastic straw (or Y-shaped tubing if available)
• Tape
• Stethoscope (optional, but fun!)
• Timer or stopwatch
• Paper and pencil/crayons

Lesson Activities (45 Minutes):

1. Introduction: Body Detectives! (5 mins)

Hi Phoebe! Today we're going on an adventure inside the human body to investigate two super important organs: the heart and the lungs! What do you already know about them? Where are they in your body? (Place hands on chest/heart and lungs). Let's find out how they keep us alive and kicking!

2. Activity 1: Build-A-Lung! (15 mins)

Let's see how lungs work. Lungs don't actually suck air in by themselves; a big muscle called the diaphragm helps! We'll build a model:

1. Prepare the Bottle: An adult should carefully cut the bottom off the plastic bottle.
2. Prepare the 'Trachea/Bronchi': If using a straw, slightly bend it near the top. Tape the two small balloons securely to the bottom end(s) of the straw(s). This represents the windpipe (trachea) and the tubes going into the lungs (bronchi), and the balloons are the lungs.
3. Assemble: Lower the 'lungs' into the bottle, sticking the top of the straw out through the bottle's opening.
4. Seal the Top: Use modeling clay to seal the opening of the bottle around the straw, ensuring no air can escape.
5. Create the 'Diaphragm': Cut the neck off the large balloon. Stretch the remaining part of the large balloon tightly across the open bottom of the bottle and tape if needed. This represents the diaphragm muscle.
6. Make it Breathe!: Gently pull down on the stretched balloon (the diaphragm). What happens to the small balloons inside? (They should inflate slightly). Now, push the stretched balloon up into the bottle. What happens? (The small balloons should deflate). This shows how the diaphragm muscle controls breathing!

3. Activity 2: Heartbeat Hunt & Jump! (10 mins)

Now, let's find your heart! It's a powerful muscle.

• Place your hand on your chest. Can you feel it beating? If you have a stethoscope, try listening!
• Let's count your heartbeats for 15 seconds while sitting calmly. Multiply that number by 4 to get beats per minute (BPM). Write it down.
• Now, do jumping jacks for 1 minute!
• Quickly sit down and count your heartbeats again for 15 seconds. Multiply by 4. Is your BPM higher? Why do you think that is? (Answer: Your body needs more oxygen when exercising, so the heart pumps faster to circulate blood quickly).

4. How They Work Together: The Oxygen Delivery Team! (10 mins)

So, how do the lungs and heart team up?

• When you breathe IN, your lungs fill with air containing oxygen (O2).
• Tiny blood vessels in the lungs pick up this oxygen.
• The heart acts like a strong pump. It pumps this oxygen-rich blood ALL around your body, delivering oxygen to every single part, like your brain, muscles, and skin.
• Your body parts use the oxygen and create waste gas called carbon dioxide (CO2).
• The blood picks up the CO2 and travels back to the heart.
• The heart pumps this blood (now carrying CO2) to the lungs.
• When you breathe OUT, your lungs get rid of the carbon dioxide.
• And the cycle starts again, with every breath and every heartbeat!

What are they made of? Lungs are spongy, air-filled organs. The heart is a very strong muscle, divided into four sections called chambers.

5. Fun Facts & Wrap-up (5 mins)

• Your lungs have a HUGE surface area if spread out - about the size of a tennis court! This helps them absorb lots of oxygen.
• Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day!
• The right lung is slightly larger than the left lung to make room for the heart.
• Laughing is good exercise for your lungs!

Recap: What did we learn today? What do the lungs do? (Bring in oxygen). What does the heart do? (Pump blood/oxygen). How do they work together? (Lungs get O2, heart pumps it around). Great job being a body detective, Phoebe!

Optional Extension: Draw a picture showing oxygen going into the lungs, to the heart, and then out to an arm or leg.