From Crunch to Squish – Following the Journey of Food!

Today, we carried out a fun science experiment to help us understand how the digestive system works. We recreated the journey that food takes through the body using everyday materials.

First, we put some cereal into a bowl. This represented the mouth. We crunched it up with a spoon to represent the teeth and added some water to represent saliva. This showed how food is broken down in the mouth before we swallow it.

Next, we carefully poured the mixture into a plastic bag. The plastic bag represented the stomach. We added milk and washing-up liquid to represent stomach acid.

After sealing the bag and squeezing out the air, we mashed the food together by pressing the bag between our hands for about two to three minutes. This mimicked how the muscles in our stomach squeeze and break food down into a soft mixture.

Once the food was well mashed, we cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and poured the mixture into a stocking. The stocking represented the small intestine and the large intestine.

We gently squeezed the stocking and watched as liquid seeped out. This liquid represented the nutrients that our body absorbs and uses for growth and energy. The thicker food left inside the stocking represented the waste that our body cannot use. We used a paper towel to soak up the liquid to show that water leaves the large intestine and enters the bloodstream to keep us hydrated.

Next, we noticed that the food had formed a lump near the bottom of the stocking. This represented the waste being stored in the rectum. Finally, we cut the toe off the stocking and squeezed the remaining mixture through the hole. This represented the final stage of digestion when waste (faeces) leaves the body.

This experiment helped us see how food changes as it moves through the digestive system. It was messy, fun, and a great way to understand what happens inside our bodies when we eat!