When students begin learning about the respiratory system, I would start with doing some breathing exercises. A simple but pointed way to show the importance of the respiratory system. Have the students remember anytime they tried to hold their breath, and ask how long they could do it for. Explain how our bodies need to be breathing all of the time. We need air more urgently then we need food or water, and oxygen is necessary for all the parts of our bodies.
When showing the diagrams or other visual components of the respiratory system, explain the pathway that air takes into the body. Explain how the lungs are filled with little sacs like balloons that fill up with air and let it out. Lungs can hold as much air as a basketball! Explain that the diaphragm is a muscle, like the heart, and its function is to support the lungs and help them with the breathing process. Students can feel their diaphragm working by placing their hand directly below their sternum and taking a few short rapid exhales. Lastly remind students of the important relationship between the circulatory system and the respiratory system.
The following is a list of possible activities to help illustrate the function of the respiratory system. As with the circulatory system, keep focus with a few activities that lend to the understanding of the concept of the systems function and importance within the body.
-
· Show how air goes in and out of the lungs using a plastic bottle colored water (which will represent air), clay (which will represent the throat), and a straw as your windpipe. Pushing on the bottle will make the bottle smaller and the water will come out. Releasing makes the bottle big again allowing the water to fill up again.
-
· Feel our own bodies work. Press on ribcage when breathing in and out. Feel the diaphragm working using varying forceful breathes.
-
· Experience and talk about how our breathing changes depend on our level of activity.
-
· Use balloons to illustrate capillaries and lung capacity.
-
· Make a collage of things that help or hinder breathing.
-
· Illustrate and explain the difference between aerobic and anaerobic activity.