Week 4 - Go with my gut!

In this week's science club, we explored the workings of our digestive system, or Gastro-Intestinal Tract (we had fun pronouncing that one!).  

There was an equal measure of fascination and horror on display as the club split into groups and replicated the journey our food takes after we eat. Using piping bags and bowls, each group made a bowl of cereal and watched as it went through the mouth, down the oesophagus, into the stomach, on its slow journey through the small intestines into the large intestines and, well you know the rest!

At each stage we got to add saliva, enzymes, stomach acid and bile. Some of the information we discussed during the experiment included:

• How our digestive system is connected together
• The role each digestive organ plays in the digestive process
• How the digestive system breaks down food to give us energy and keep us healthy
• How long it can take to digest food
• Why it is important to eat a balanced diet

Using some ribbon, we also looked at how long an unravelled small intestine would be - approximately 7 meters!