Hey there! Did you know that your lungs are the only part of your body that can float on water? It’s true! Today, we’re going to explore the wonderful world of your lungs and the super important system they belong to, called the respiratory system.
The main job of the respiratory system is to bring oxygen into your body. Oxygen is something all living things need to survive, including you! The key parts of this system are the lungs, nose, mouth, trachea (which is like a windpipe), and pharynx (also known as your throat).
Your lungs help you breathe in oxygen, get rid of bad air, and even talk! You have two lungs in your chest, protected by your rib cage. They are pink, squishy, and sponge-like. Fun fact: your left lung is smaller than your right lung because it needs to make room for your heart.
When you’re tired, your brain tells your body to yawn to get more oxygen. Cool, right? Below your lungs is a muscle called the diaphragm. It helps you breathe by moving up and down. Try taking a deep breath and feel it work!
Sometimes, your diaphragm moves suddenly, causing hiccups. This can happen if you eat too fast or if something in your blood irritates it.
You breathe in air through your nose or mouth. If it goes through your nose, tiny hairs called cilia filter out dust and other stuff. The air then travels down your throat (pharynx) and through your windpipe (trachea), which also has cilia to keep your lungs clean.
Your throat is special because it helps with both breathing and eating. There’s a little flap called the epiglottis that keeps food and drinks from going into your lungs when you swallow. Without it, you could choke!
After leaving the trachea, air travels through tubes called bronchi, which lead to each lung. These tubes branch into smaller ones called bronchioles, which are as thin as a hair. The air finally reaches tiny air sacs called alveoli, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are swapped.
Inside your cells, carbon dioxide is made through a process called diffusion. Your blood carries it away, and you breathe it out. The swapping of oxygen and carbon dioxide is called respiration, just like the respiratory system!
Red blood cells pick up oxygen from the alveoli and carry it through tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Did you know there are 600 million alveoli in your lungs? They work hard to keep your body full of oxygen!
Your lungs, heart, and most of the respiratory system are in your chest, also known as the thorax. Sounds like a character from a Dr. Seuss book, doesn’t it?
Fill in the blank: the pharynx is another name for your ________ (throat). True or false: the process where oxygen and carbon dioxide are swapped is called diffusion. (False! It’s called respiration.) Name one main part of the respiratory system. (You could say lungs, nose, mouth, trachea, or pharynx.)
Great job, respiratory system explorers! In the time it took to learn this, you probably took about 75 to 100 breaths. By the end of the day, you’ll have taken around 20,000 breaths! That’s a fun fact to share with your family and friends!
Hope you enjoyed learning with us! For more fun and educational resources, visit learnbrite.org.
Breathing Buddy: Pair up with a friend or family member and take turns being the “Breathing Buddy.” One person will lie down and place a small stuffed animal on their belly. The other person will watch as the stuffed animal moves up and down with each breath. Count how many times it moves in one minute. Switch roles and compare your breathing rates. Discuss why breathing might be faster or slower at different times, like after running or when resting.
Make a Lung Model: Create a simple lung model using a plastic bottle, two balloons, and a straw. Cut the bottom off the bottle and attach a balloon to the end of the straw. Insert the straw into the bottle’s neck and seal it with clay or playdough. Cover the open bottom with another balloon, securing it with a rubber band. Pull the bottom balloon gently to see how it inflates the balloon inside, mimicking how your diaphragm helps you breathe!
Air Quality Detective: Go on a walk around your neighborhood or school and observe the air quality. Use your senses to notice any smells, smoke, or dust in the air. Discuss with an adult how these might affect your lungs and the importance of clean air. Draw a picture of what you observed and write a sentence about why keeping the air clean is important for your respiratory system.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Welcome to the respiratory system for kids! Did you know that the lungs are the only human organ that can float on water? Seriously, it’s true! Today, we are going to talk all about your lungs and how they are part of a bigger, super important system in your body called the respiratory system.
The main purpose of the respiratory system is to bring oxygen into your body, which is vital because all living things need oxygen to survive, and that includes you! The main parts of the respiratory system include the lungs, nose, mouth, trachea, and pharynx. There is also an exchange of gases that happens between the circulatory system and the respiratory system inside the lungs, which we will discuss more later.
First up, the lungs! The lungs allow you to take in oxygen, get rid of bad air, and talk. Your body has two lungs that take up most of the space in your chest and are protected by your rib cage. The outside of the lungs is pink, sponge-like, and squishy. Fun fact: the lung on the left side of your body is smaller than the one on the right side because it needs to make extra room for the heart.
When you are tired or sleepy, your body has less oxygen, so your brain sends a signal that causes you to yawn, allowing your body to take in more oxygen. Amazing, right? Located just below the lungs is the diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle that works with the lungs to help you breathe. When you breathe in or inhale, the diaphragm tightens and flattens out, allowing the lungs more room to fill up with air. Once the air is released or exhaled, everything returns to its normal size. Go ahead, take a nice deep breath and see for yourself!
Another fun fact: hiccups can be caused by sudden movements of the diaphragm. The diaphragm might be irritated if a person eats too fast or if there is something in the blood that causes the hiccups.
You inhale air through your nose or mouth. If the air enters through your nose, it is filtered by tiny little hairs called cilia, which line the passageways of the nose and keep dust and other substances from entering the body. Cilia are also found throughout the respiratory tract. Once the air enters through the mouth or nose, it travels through the pharynx (or throat) down the trachea (or windpipe), which is also lined with cilia. The cilia in the trachea remove fluids and other unneeded substances from the airway so that these substances do not enter the lungs.
The pharynx is part of both the respiratory system and the digestive system because it carries both food and air, dividing them into two separate pathways. Here’s an interesting fact: the epiglottis is a flap of tissue that covers the air passage of the pharynx when a person swallows, keeping foods and liquids from entering the lungs. Without the epiglottis, you could choke, and your lungs would not work the way they are supposed to. Who knew something so small could be so important?
After the air leaves the trachea, it travels through a series of branches located in the lungs. The bronchi are two air tubes located at the end of the trachea that carry air into the lungs. One of the tubes goes to the left lung, and the other goes to the right lung. These branches eventually turn into thousands of tinier tubes called bronchioles, each about the same thickness as a hair on a person’s head. From there, the air ends up in air sacs called alveoli, which are located throughout the lungs. This is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.
Ever wonder where the carbon dioxide in your body comes from and what this process is called? Well, we are going to tell you! Carbon dioxide is produced in your cells through a process called diffusion. It is then removed from the body via your blood, which is pumped through the heart and finally released when you exhale. The exchange of oxygen from the air and carbon dioxide from the cells is called respiration, just like the respiratory system!
After respiration, the red blood cells that surround the alveoli in the lungs absorb the oxygen and pass it into the blood through tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Here’s a fascinating fact: there are 600 million alveoli inside a person’s lungs to help with this process, constantly supplying your entire body with oxygen.
Finally, the lungs, heart, and most of the respiratory system are located in the chest cavity, also called the thorax. Sounds kind of like a Dr. Seuss character, if you ask us!
Now that we have learned together, let’s review! Fill in the blank: the pharynx is another name for your ________ (throat). True or false: the process where oxygen from the air and carbon dioxide from the cells is exchanged is called diffusion. (False! Diffusion is the process by which carbon dioxide is created in your cells; respiration is the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.) Name one main part of the respiratory system. (Answers can include lungs, nose, mouth, trachea/windpipe, or pharynx/throat.)
Well done, respiratory system sorcerers! In the time it took to watch this video, you probably inhaled and exhaled at least 75 to 100 times. Without the respiratory system, our bodies would not be able to breathe, which means we cannot survive without it. By the end of the day, you will have probably taken about 20,000 breaths or more! Talk about a cool fact to share with your family and friends!
Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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