May 11-13, 2016
Respiratory Rejuvenation!
Nutrition Expedition was like a breath of fresh air after having a week off! We rejuvenated our lungs, which we'll be exploring for the month of May.
We started this week's lesson by discussing what happens to our chest when we take a deep breath. We discovered that it expands, or gets bigger! We found out that our lungs were filling with air (oxygen), causing our rib cage to rise and fall as we exhale. After reviewing what happens to the oxygen molecules (our red blood cells pick them up and deliver them throughout our body), I showed them some pictures of lungs and our respiratory system. We were surprised to find that when we turned the photo of the lungs upside down, they resembled a tree! Coincidentally (or is it :) ?), trees function much like our lungs do, only opposite! They take in our carbon dioxide that we release into the air, and give us oxygen to breathe! We release our carbon dioxide, and give it to the tree to "breathe"! How interesting!
I brought "lung rejuvenation food" for the children to try: apples (contain flavonoids that have been shown to open up airways), cantaloupe (contains vitamin C, which wards off lung damage by fighting free radicals in the body), carrots (contain beta-carotene that is converted to vitamin A, which may prevent exercise-induced asthma), and avocado (contains glutathione, an antioxidant that protects cells from damage inflicted by free radicals). Read more about beneficial and harmful food for your lungs here.
Super Sleuth Questions
1. What is inside our body that fills with oxygen when we breathe? (answer: lungs)
2. Can you think of something we see outside everyday that looks and works like our lungs? (answer: a tree)
3. What does the oxygen in our body turn into? Hint: we breathe this gas out of our lungs when we exhale, and the trees need it to make food. (answer: carbon dioxide)
