======Making Poo: Modeling the Digestive System ======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
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**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Alternative titles:** Digestive System in Action
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Place 50 ml of vinegar into a plastic sandwich bag to represent stomach acid.  
  - Break up a cracker and part of a banana into pieces and place them in the bag to represent chewed food.  
  - Add 50 ml of water to represent saliva, seal the bag, and squeeze out the air.  
  - Mash the mixture by hand for 2–3 minutes to model the stomach churning food into chyme.  
  - Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze the contents into a stocking over a tray, modeling food entering the small intestine.  
  - Continue squeezing until the liquid drains out, representing nutrient absorption into the bloodstream.
  - Optional: Squeeze the mix in a sponge to remove more liquids, representing the large intestine.
  - Cut off the toe of the stocking and push the remaining solids into a cup with a hole in the bottom to represent the large intestine.  
  - Push the solids through the hole in the cup into the tray to model excretion of waste as poo.  




====Links==== 
How to Make Poo : A Food Digestion Demonstration for kids - Danny Nicholson : Think Bank Education: 
{{youtube>3Awa5Wxk06I?}}\\

Making Poo:The Digestive System - O2LearnThinkBig: 
{{youtube>aemI64NAK08?}}\\

📄 Making Poo - Telethon Kids institute: [[https://discoverycentre.thekids.org.au/siteassets/pdfs/poo-and-you/for-teachers/8---lesson-plan---making-poo-final.pdf]]\\

====Variations====
  * Add food coloring to represent digestive juices from the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas.  
  * Use different foods (e.g., bread, fruit) to show how various types break down.  
  * Extend the activity with a drama performance where students act as different organs in the digestive system.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Cover tables with plastic sheets or newspaper to contain mess.  
  * Students should wash hands thoroughly after the activity.  
  * Use safety scissors for cutting the bag and stocking.  
  * Do not eat any food used in the demonstration.




====Questions to Consider====
  * What happens to food when we eat it? (It is broken down into smaller pieces, digested, and nutrients are absorbed.)  
  * Why does food look so different when it becomes poo? (It has been chemically and physically broken down, nutrients removed, and waste remains.)  
  * Where do nutrients from food go after digestion? (They are absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to where the body needs them.)  
  * What gets left behind after digestion? (Waste materials and substances the body cannot use.)  
  * How does each part of the digestive system contribute to digestion?  
  * What might happen if one part of the digestive system didn’t exist? (Certain steps of digestion or nutrient absorption would not occur properly.)  
  * Why do scientists study poo? (To learn about gut bacteria, digestion, and health.)