Plan
- What materials will you need for this activity?
- Will you do this activity on your own or in pairs?
- What do you already know about how your heart works?
Do
- Gather all your materials
- Take 2 bottle caps and put a straw sized hole and small hole in one, and 2 straw sized holes in the other
- Add food colouring to the water (optional), then fill the first 2 bottles 80% of the way full
- Take 2 bendy straws and join them at the top and secure with tape. Repeat for the other 2 straws
- Put the caps on the 2 bottles, and then put the straws through the holes into the bottle to connect all 3. The 3rd bottle does not need a cap
- Use playdough on the top of the middle bottle (the one with 2 straw sized holes to make it air tight
- Pinch the first straw and squeeze the middle bottle and watch the “blood” flow
Review
- What surprised you about this adventure?
- What was the most challenging part of this adventure? What will you do differently next time?
- How is the model heart like your heart? How is it different?
Materials
- 4 bendy straws
- Tape
- Playdough
- Red food colouring (optional)
- 3 bottles with caps
- 3 cups of water
Keep it Simple
- Learn about what gets your heart pumping. Count your heart rate (how many times your heart beats in a minute) while sitting still. Then, play a high energy game like tag or capture the flag. Count your heart rate right at the end of the game. Did it change?
Take it Further
- Learn more about how your body works as you make a model lung.
