The liver is a super important organ in our body that helps keep us healthy. Even though it’s not as big as some other organs, it works really hard all the time to help our body do many different things.
The liver is located in the upper right part of your belly, just below your ribs. It’s a reddish-brown color and, by the time you’re an adult, it can grow to be about the size of a football and weigh around 1.4 kilograms (3.1 pounds). The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in your body because of all the amazing things it can do.
The liver does over 500 important jobs! It’s like a factory that helps process and clean things in our body. Here are some of the main things it does:
One of the liver’s biggest jobs is to clean the blood that comes from the heart and intestines. This blood has fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients from the food we eat. The liver processes these nutrients, storing and changing them as needed.
The liver makes bile, a greenish juice that helps break down fats, get rid of germs, balance stomach acid, and remove toxins from the body. Bile is stored in the gallbladder until it’s needed in the intestines.
The liver also makes cholesterol, which is important for our body even though it sometimes gets a bad reputation. With the help of vitamin K, the liver makes proteins that help our blood clot when we get a cut.
The liver helps break down old or damaged blood cells to keep our blood healthy and working well.
One of the coolest things about the liver is that it can regrow itself if it gets damaged. Even if only 25% of the liver is left, it can grow back to its full size, showing how strong and important it is.
To keep your liver healthy, it’s important to take good care of it. Here are some ways to do that:
By living a healthy lifestyle, we can help our liver do its important jobs and keep us feeling good.
The liver is an amazing organ that plays a big role in keeping our body working well. By understanding what it does and taking care of it, we can enjoy better health and well-being.
Observe and Draw: Take a moment to feel where your liver is located by gently pressing on the upper right side of your belly, just below your ribs. Now, grab some paper and colored pencils. Draw a picture of where the liver is in your body and color it reddish-brown. Think about all the amazing jobs it does and write down at least three functions next to your drawing.
Glucose Energy Experiment: Let’s see how the liver helps manage energy. You’ll need a small piece of bread, a timer, and a notebook. Take a bite of the bread and start the timer. Chew it slowly and notice how it starts to taste sweet. This is because your saliva is breaking down carbohydrates into glucose, just like your liver does. Write down how long it takes for the sweetness to appear. Discuss with a friend or family member why glucose is important for energy.
Liver Care Pledge: Create a “Liver Care Pledge” poster. List three things you can do to keep your liver healthy, like exercising, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding harmful substances. Decorate your poster with drawings or stickers and hang it in your room as a reminder to take care of your liver every day.
