vomit - fort worth museum of science and history
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vomit™
Please photocopy this sheet for your students.
Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Vomit Center, GI Slide
and Look Inside.
Investigations in Grossology
vomit
vomit
Feelin’ QueasyWhat is the most disgusting thing your body does? Most
people think vomiting is the most disgusting thing their body does. You vomit
because your body is trying to get rid of stuff that might be dangerous to you.
Vomiting is so important that there’s a part of your brain (called the vomit
center) to control it.
Grossology is brought to you by:
A division of Advanced Animations, L.L.C.
Draw the Vomit Machinefrom
the Grossologyexhibit.
cause of food
poisoning
throwing up
makes bile helps
digest fats
part of brain that
controls pukingbile
salmonella
vomit center
reverse
peristalsis
gall bladder
1. Namefour thingsthat
can cause vomiting.
2. How longdoes it take foryour body to digestfood?
3. What makesyour throatfeelsorewhen you throwup?
4. How longa path does foodtake fromyour mouthto your anus?
5. Howmuch fooddoes the average Americaneat in a lifetime?
6. Whatcan youdoto avoidfood poisoning?
the science of
really gross things
grossology
vomitowl pellets
vomit
Owls eat small rodents, reptiles, and birds. They swallow their prey whole. An owl’s
stomach acids aren’t strong enough to digest bones or hair. Owls vomit up the indigestible
stuff about 24 hours after they eat. If you want to look for owl pellets, look under the tree
where an owl roosts during the day.
What to do:
1. Inspect the pellet. Note the size and any features that might help you figure out where
it came from.
2. Soak the pellet in water.
3. Very gently, pull apart your pellet.
4. Use the toothpicks to separate the bones from the fur and feathers.
5. Roll the last bits of fur between your fingers to find tiny bones or teeth that may have
been overlooked.
6. Try to lay out or reconstruct the skeletons of the animals you found. How many animals
in each pellet? Can you identify the animals?
In the Classroom
Gross ResearchFurtherInvestigations
in Grossology
Answers:
1. Motion, too much sugar,
pregnancy, food poisoning,
bacteria ...
2. 24 hours.
3. Acids and enzymes from your
stomach.
4. 7.9 meters or 26 feet.
5. 30 000 kg or 66 000 pounds.
6. Clean your utensils, don’t let
meat sit out.
reverse peristalsis—throwing up
vomit center—part of brain that
controls puking
bile—helps digest fats
gall bladder—makes bile
salmonella—cause of food
poisoning
grossology—the science of really
gross things
vomit
vomit
What you need (per group):
Owl pellet (you can order
these through scientific
supply houses)
Water
Toothpicks
Bone identification chart
Do a survey at your school. What causes people to throw up? If you
decide to make a poster showing the results of your survey, remember that
even thinking about vomiting makes some people queasy.
GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.
™
™
Please photocopy this sheet for your students.
Find the answers to these questions at the exhibit called Urine the Game.
Investigations in Grossology
peepee
pee
I Gotta Go!Why do I pee? Your blood is full of waste materials (like sodium, potassium
and urea) which come from food you eat. An excess of these materials can
harm your body. Your kidneys are blood scrubbers that clean the waste from
your blood. They drip the waste materials into your bladder. The waste is
washed away in the form of urine. The main ingredient in pee is water. Your
body gets rid of extra water because it slows down important chemical
reactions in your body.
Grossology is brought to you by:
A division of Advanced Animations, L.L.C.
Draw an interesting toilet or
bathroom you have used.
stores urine
clean your
blood
main
ingredient
in pee
tube that
connects kidneys
to pee holewater
urethra
kidneys
bladder
urochrome
makes pee
yellow
1. What’sin pee?
2. How muchcan yourbladderhold?
3. Howmuch urinedo you makeeach day?
4. How oftendo your kidneysproduce
a dropof pee?
5. Whydon’t you makeas much peewhile you’re sleeping?
6. Whatmight happento your peeif you ate lots of beets?
Howabout lotsof asparagus?
the science of
really gross things
grossology
peetoilet tank survey
pee
Have your students try this at home.
What to do:
1. Have an adult turn off the water supply to the toilet. This is usually a tap attached to
the wall under the toilet tank.
2. Flush the toilet. All the water will leave the toilet tank.
3. Measure how much water it takes to refill the tank and the toilet bowl to their usual
levels. Record this amount.
4. Turn the water supply back on.
5. Leave the paper and pencil near the toilet. Ask people to make a slash mark on the
paper every time the toilet is flushed.
6. After three days count up the marks. Multiply the number of marks by the amount of
water it takes to fill the toilet to find out how much water the toilet uses every three
days. How much water does it use in a year?
What’s going on?
We use a lot of water every time we flush a toilet. Some people put a brick or a rock into
their toilet tank so it takes less water to fill it up.
In the Classroom
Gross ResearchFurtherInvestigations
in Grossology
Answers:
1. Water, urea, vitamins, and
coloring pigments.
2. About 2 cups or 500 ml.
3 1–2 liters or 1–2 quarts.
4. Every 15 seconds.
5. Your body’s chemical activity
slows down.
6. Beets—pink, asparagus—funny
smell.
kidneys—clean your blood
bladder—stores urine
water—main ingredient in pee
urochrome—makes pee yellow
urethra—tube that connects
kidneys to pee hole
grossology—the science of really
gross things
pee
pee
What you need:
Toilet
Big measuring cup or bottle
Paper
Pencil
Generally, girls get potty trained at a younger age than
boys. Is this true at your school? Have other students ask their parents how
old they were when they were potty trained.
Investigate how medical clinics test urine for diseases or drugs.
GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.
™
™
Please photocopy this sheet for your students.
Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called GI Slideand Look Inside.
Investigations in Grossology
absorb nutrients
into your blood
scientific word
for poop
ingredient
of saliva
the last part
of your large
intestine
where poop
leaves your body
fecesvilli
acid
uric acid
rectum
anus
poopA division of Advanced Animations, L.L.C.
Grossology is brought to you by:
pooppoop
and Out the Other
How does food turn into poop? Digestion breaks food down into
molecules that your body can use. It starts when enzymes in saliva break starch
molecules and turn them into short sugar molecules. It ends when the
undigested food is clumped together into poop and exits from your anus.
In One End
Draw two foods that make
your mouth water.
helps break down
food in the stomach
1.List fourthingsthat are in poop.
2. How longare your intestines?
3. How longdoes it
take to digestfood?4. Wasteis pinchedalong by yourintestines. What’s this called?
5. When your rectumis full of poop, and you’ve GOT TO GO, it’s called a ...
6. What makes poopbrown?
7. Your smallintestine is longerthan your
largeintestine. How did it get its name?
™
GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.
poopspit test
poop
What to do:
1. Iodine turns dark bluish black when it touches starch. Prove this to yourself by adding a
couple of drops to some cornstarch.
2. Break up one cracker into bits and put them into one bowl.
3. Chew up the other cracker. Don’t swallow it. Keep chewing until the cracker is all mushy.
4. Spit the cracker mush into the other bowl.
5. Put a few drops of iodine in each bowl. Is there a difference?
What’s going on?
The enzymes in saliva break long starch molecules and turn them into short sugar
molecules. This is the first step in digesting food.
In the Classroom
Gross ResearchFurtherInvestigations
in Grossology
Answers:
1. Undigested food, plant fiber,
water, salt, skin cells, bacteria,
bacteria wastes.
2. 7.9 m or about 26 feet.
3. 24 hours.
4. Peristalsis.
5. Peristaltic rush.
6. Bile being decomposed by
bacteria.
7. It’s narrower.
feces—scientific word for poo
villi—absorb nutrients into your
blood
uric acid—ingredient of saliva
rectum—the last part of your
large intestine
anus—where poop leaves your
body
acid—helps break down food in
the stomach
How is sewage treated in your town or city? Find out from
your city or town hall. Maybe you could even take a class tour!
poop
poop
What you need (per group):
A spoonful of cornstarch
Two crackers (unsalted is best)
Tincture of iodine (you can buy
this at the drug store in the
first aid section)
Two glass bowls or small cups
™
Please photocopy this sheet for your students.
Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Burp Machine, Gas
Attack, Listen to Your Bodyand Toot Toot.
Investigations in Grossology
gasgas
gas
It’s a GasWhy do I burp and toot? There’s always a little bit of gas in your
stomach. When you eat and drink, you swallow air, which adds gas. When the
stomach digests, it adds acid to the foods and creates gas of its own. If you
take antacid or sodium bicarbonate for an upset stomach, these chemicals react
with your stomach acid and create even more gas. When the gas pressure gets
too great, gas escapes—BuRRRRRRP! A toot is not a backward burp. Bacteria in
your large intestine produce gas as they break down food. This gas escapes
from your anus in a toot.
Grossology is brought to you by:
A division of Advanced Animations, L.L.C.
Draw a lunch that would give
you lots of gas.
something
your stomach
can’t digest
stomach
growlsburping
vibrates to
make a tootsmells like
rotten eggs
make gas in
your intestine
plant fiber
hydrogen
sulfide
borborygmieructation
bacteriaanus
1. Name four foodsthat
can cause tootgas.
2. People pass gasabout times a day.
3. Whatare the stinkygases in toots?
4. Whatis in plantfiber thatbacteriause to make gas?
5. How longdoes it take for airto travelthroughyour digestivesystem?
6. Findtwo ways gasgets into your stomach.
™
GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.
gasmodel a belch
gas
What to do:
This experiment is messy! Do it over a sink or a washtub.
1. The balloon represents your stomach. Put some vinegar into the balloon to represent
stomach acid.
2. Use the funnel to add baking soda. The reaction represents what happens when your
stomach acids react with food to produce gas.
3. Pinch the balloon neck closed with your fingers—this
represents a sphincter in your esophagus. Watch the
balloon stomach fill with gas.
4. Release the sphincter to let the gas go in a belch!
In the Classroom
Gross ResearchFurtherInvestigations
in Grossology
Answers:
1. Onions, garlic, cabbage,
eggplant, mushrooms ....
2. 14.
3. Indole, skatole, hydrogen
sulfide.
4. Complex sugars.
5. 30 minutes.
6. You swallow it, comes from acid
digesting food, antacids.
borborygmi—stomach growls
eructation—burping
bacteria—make gas in your
intestine
hydrogen sulfide—smells like
rotten eggs
plant fiber—something your
stomach can’t digest
anus—vibrates to make a toot
gas
What you need (per group):
Vinegar
Baking soda (sodium
bicarbonate)
Large balloon
Funnel
Spoon
gasWhen your stomach is too acidic, it can hurt or feel upset. Antacids react with the acid to
neutralize it. Watch the neutralizing power of antacids in action.
What you need:
Purple cabbage
Kettle
Vinegar
Three clear plastic or glass cups per group
Several kinds of antacids (Tums, Rolaids, Alka Seltzer)—one dose of each per group
What to do:
First, make an indicator solution. Chop up two cups of purple cabbage and pour about
four cups of boiling water onto it. Let it sit for about half an hour. You should get a dark
purple liquid. Purple cabbage contains a chemical that changes color depending on pH. In
an acid it turns red. In a base it turns blue or green. In a neutral solution it stays purple.
Now test some antacids. Pour about 1/2 cup of water into each cup. Add 3 teaspoons of
vinegar to each. The vinegar represents stomach acid. Add enough cabbage juice to each
cup to make a bright red color. Leave the first cup alone.
Add a Tums or Rolaids tablet to one cup. Watch what happens. The fizzing is a reaction
between the “stomach acid” and the calcium carbonate in the tablet.
Add Alka Seltzer to another cup. Watch what happens. Alka Seltzer contains sodium
bicarbonate and citric acid, which react with each other and with the vinegar.
Compare the color of the vinegar-only cup to the cups that have been treated with
antacid. Did the antacid neutralize the acid?
™
Please photocopy this sheet for your students.
Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Nose Plumber, Tour du
Noseand Up Your Nose.
Investigations in Grossology
snotsnot
snot
The Nose KnowsWhy does my nose make snot? One of the important things your
nose does is to keep junk from reaching your lungs. It does this in lots of ways.
You have nose hairs or vibrissae (vye BRIS ee) which trap dirt and dust. Snot,
made of mucus and special bacteria-killing chemicals, coats the nose hairs to
help the dirt stick. Tiny hairs called cilia swish the mucus (and the trapped dirt
and germs) to your throat. You swallow the dirty snot and the junk is
destroyed in your stomach. Your nose-cleaning crew does such a good job that
your nasal area is actually one of the cleanest parts of your body.
Grossology is brought to you by:
A division of Advanced Animations, L.L.C.
Draw your nose. Draw a
friend’s nose.
cleans, warms
and moistens air
causes
allergies
nose hairs gives some
people
hay fever
pass snot
towards throat
divides nose
into two
passages
pollen
cilia
nose
vibrissae
septumrhinotillexomania
dust mite
poop
keeps food
out of
lungs
epiglottis
nose
picking
1. What’sin snot?
2. What partsof yourbodymake mucus?
3. Namethree thingsthat can causea runnynose.
4. Most snotdoesn’t dripout of your nose. Wheredoes it go?
5. How oftendoes your nosemake anew batchof snot?
6. How fastis a sneeze?
snottissue testing
snot
What to do:
The absorbancy test
1. Fold one tissue from each brand in half, then in half again.
2. Put the folded tissues on top of a piece of colored construction paper.
3. Use the dropper to put one drop of water on each tissue.
4. Check the paper under the tissue to see if any water leaked through.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the tissues leak.
6. The brand that holds the most drops of water before leaking is the most absorbent.
The strength test
1. Take one tissue and wet the center with two drops of water.
2. Have a friend hold the tissue up by the edges.
3. Put one nut (or bolt) on the wet spot. Does it rip?
4. Add nuts or bolts one at a time until the tissue rips.
5. Repeat with the next brand.
6. The brand that holds the most weight without ripping is the strongest.
What’s going on?
Tissue manufacturers make lots of claims about their product. These are two scientific tests
you can do to see how true the claims are. You could display the results with the cost per
tissue to show which brand was the best value.
In the Classroom
Gross ResearchFurtherInvestigations
in Grossology
Answers:
1. Mucus and a bacteria-killing
chemical.
2. Nose, throat, lungs, stomach,
large intestine.
3. Colds, allergies, crying, cold
weather ...
4. Your stomach.
5. Every 20 minutes.
6 160 km/h or 100 mph.
cilia—pass snot toward throat
septum—divides nose into two
passages
epiglottis—keeps food out of
lungs
rhinotillexomania—means nose
picking
dust mite poop—causes allergies
nose—cleans, warms and moistens
air
pollen—gives some people hay
fever
vibrissae—nose hairs
snot
snot
What you need (per group):
Several brands of tissue
Colored construction paper
Nuts and bolts
Dropper
Water
Cup
What medication gets rid of a cold? No medication “gets rid of”
a cold. Colds are caused by viruses, which are not affected by antibiotics. Cold
medicine helps relieve symptoms—it might suppress coughing, clear your
sinuses of congestion, or soothe your sore throat, but it doesn’t kill the virus.
When you get a cold, your best bet is to rest and drink lots of fluids. Take a
survey at your school about people’s
favorite cold “remedies”.
GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.
™
™
Please photocopy this sheet for your students.
Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Climbing Wall and YU
Stink.
Investigations in Grossology
absorb nutrients
into your blood
skin oil
stinky
armpits
keeps you
warm
layer of dead
skin cells
caused by
bacteria infecting
hair follicle
sebum
scab boil
epidermis
dermis
fatskin
skin
skin
What’s the largest organ of the human body? The skin! Your skin
probably weighs about 7 pounds (3 kg) altogether. It’s alive and constantly
changing, as you shed flakes of skin and grow new skin cells. You get a whole
new layer of skin every 28 days. Tiny pores in your skin contain oil and sweat
glands to keep your skin elastic and cool, and to protect you from bacteria.
Grossology is brought to you by:
A division of Advanced Animations, L.L.C.
Birthday SuitYour
Draw a hair follicle.
bromidrosis
dried
blood clot
1. Wherecan you findkeratin
in your body?
2. You growa whole new layerof skinevery days.
3. What’s the largestorgan of the human body?
4. Which partsof your body
don’tproduce oil?
5. Whichparts of your bodyhave themost sweatglands?
6. What causeswarts?
7. What’s pusmadeof?
skinsweat equity
skin
What to do:
1. Get the cotton ball wet with rubbing alcohol.
2. Swipe your forearm to get it wet with the alcohol.
3. Blow on the wet part of your forearm. What do you feel?
4. Try this with a friend: swipe one arm with alcohol and the other
with water. Which feels cooler to your friend when you blow on it?
What’s going on?
When alcohol or water evaporates, it takes heat
from your arm. Rubbing alcohol evaporates faster
than water, so it takes away heat more quickly. Sweat
works the same way—as it evaporates, you feel cooler.
In the Classroom
Gross ResearchFurtherInvestigations
in Grossology
Answers:
1. Hair, soles of feet, palms of
hands.
2. 28.
3. The skin.
4. Hands, feet, lips.
5. Palms and soles of feet.
6. A virus.
7. Body fluids, dead bacteria,
dead fighting cells.
sebum—skin oil
boil—caused by bacteria infecting
hair follicle
epidermis—layer of dead skin cells
dermis—layer of living skin cells
fat—keeps you warm
scab—dried blood clot
bromidrosis—stinky armpits
skin
skin
What you need (per group):
Cotton ball
Rubbing alcohol
Water
Your students might want to try the oily skin test.
Each student will need:
Washcloth and soap
Rubbing alcohol
Cotton ball
Small square of tissue paper
Clock
What to do:
1. Scrub your forehead with soap and water using the washcloth.
2. Swab your forehead with rubbing alcohol using the cotton ball.
3. Wait four hours. Do not touch your forehead during this time.
4. After four hours, smear the tissue paper across your forehead.
5. If more than half the paper has an oily mark, your skin is oily.
6. If a light oil smudge is on the paper, your skin is normal.
7. If there is no oil smudge, your skin is dry.
GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.
™
bloodblood
bloodbloodWhat you need:
Materials for fake blood.
Each group will need:
Toothpick
Cup
Spoon
Zipper sandwich baggie
2 spoonfuls of “white” corn syrup
Spoonful of water
Red food coloring
Cornstarch
Cocoa
Materials for fake wound demo.
Demonstrator will need:
Petroleum jelly
Red food coloring
Plate
Tissue
Cocoa powder
What to say and What to do:At the Grossology exhibit, you probably saw all sorts of gross things. Who
would like to name their favourite gross thing that they saw at the exhibit.
Take some suggestions.
Today’s activity is about blood and wounds.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever eaten blood. Blood is very nutritious stuff. It
contains lots of protein and protein is necessary for a balanced diet.
Raise your hand if you have ever tried a blood milk shake. The Masai people
in Africa give blood milk shakes to people who are elderly or ill. The Masai
are a herding people. They make a blood milk shake by cutting a vein in the
neck of a cow and collecting some blood. Then they mix in some milk. A
blood milk shake is actually very nutritious.
continued ...
Blood and Gore
bloodblood
bloodblood
Maybe you haven’t tried a blood milk shake, but have you ever eaten a rare
steak? So you have probably eaten blood after all!
What color do you think of when you think of blood?
Take suggestions.
Most people probably think of red. What color is the blood flowing in our
bodies?
Take a suggestion.
You might be surprised to learn that it’s deep blue or purple. When you cut
yourself, the blood is exposed to air and it oxidizes. That’s a fancy way of
saying that it rusts. Blood has iron in it, and iron turns red when it rusts.
We’re going to make some blood ... fake blood, that is.
Lead the group through instructions for making fake blood.
To make fake blood:
1. Place two spoonfuls of clear syrup inot a cup.
2. Add one spoonful of water.
3. Stir with a toothpick.
4. Add two drops of red food coloring. Stir with the toothpick.
5. Pour the mixture into a baggie.
It deosn’t look much like blood yet, does it? Blood is darker red, and
it’s not clear!
6. Add two pinches of cornstarch and one pinch of cocoa to the
mixture.
7. Write your name on the baggie.
Everyone hold up your bag of blood. Wow, good job!
Your teacher (parent, group leader) will look after the blood until you get
home. The red food coloring will stain your clothes, so don’t use your fake
blood when you’re wearing your favourite white shirt. This blood is
nontoxic, which means you can put it in your mouth and then let it drip out
and say “I want to suck your blood”.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever cut yourself.
Wait while they do this.
continued ...
bloodblood
bloodblood
Seems everyone has had that experience. If you cut yourself really badly, get
an adult—you might need to see a doctor. But if you cut yourself just a little,
how long do you guess it takes before you stop bleeding?
Take answers.
On average it takes about 6 minutes before you stop bleeding. The next
time you get a small scrape you might want to time it!
When you cut yourself, your brain says, ACK! Save me! Your body goes into
immediate action. It sends out special cells called platelet cells to the wound
site. The cells change and become sticky. They form a net that stops blood
from dripping out. Then the macrophages arrive. These are very large white
blood cells that look like pom poms. The macrophages actually surround and
engulf bacteria, dirt and other foreign invaders. Finally, your body sends out
killer cells that come and mop up the dead macrophage and bacteria. The
whole time, a dried blood bandage (or scab) is forming. Do any of you pick
your scabs?
Wait for hands.
Yeah, it’s tempting, but it’s not a good idea. Scabs are nature’s bandage.
Now, I’m going to show you how to make a really gory wound. Any
volunteers? Oh, did I forget to say that it’s a fake wound?
Pick a volunteer, preferably one with short sleeves.
First, you goop some petroleum jelly onto a plate.
Add some red food coloring and mix.
Hold up the plate.
Does this look like blood?
No.
What did we add to the fake blood to make it more realistic?
Cocoa powder.
Add some cocoa powder and mix. Show what it looks like.
Now you need one layer of a tissue.
Place this on the wound site. Smear the petroleum jelly over the tissue.
continued ...
bloodblood
bloodblood
Now you get to be artistic. Mold the tissue until it looks like ripped skin. Rub
in some cocoa powder around the edges so it looks like it’s scabbing over.
AIIIGH! Look at that awful gash!
Leave some space for reaction, then settle the group down again.
This fake wound will never dry out. That’s both good and bad. Good
because it will always look fresh and disgusting. Bad because it can stick on
things. Suppose our volunteer decided to put on a sweater. Where would
the wound end up?
On the sweater.
Suppose our volunteer leans on the table. Where would the wound end up?
On the table.
To get rid of the wound all you need is some tissue.
Take some tissue and wipe off the wound.
Swipe it off first and then wash up in the sink. Otherwise you could clog the
sink with petroleum jelly and tissue.
Thanks for being part of the Blood and Gore. Enjoy the rest of your day at
(your museum).
gunkeye
fake snot
What you need:Borax solution, made as follows:
Use about 1/4 cup Borax to 1 litre (1 quart)
of hot tap water. Stir well. There
should be some Borax left in the
bottom of the container. If all the
Borax dissolves, add more until no
more will dissolve. Let the solution cool.
For each participant:
Small plate (the lid of a yogurt container works well)
Popsicle stick
Film canister or zipper sandwich bag
To share in small groups:
White glue (not school glue), about 1 tbsp per participant
Water, about 1 tsp per participant
Dropper or spoon for water
Food coloring
Borax solution (about 1 tbsp per participant)
Dropper or spoon for Borax solution.
What to say and What to do:At the Grossology exhibit, you probably saw all sorts of gross things. Who
would like to name their favourite gross thing that they saw at the exhibit.
Take some suggestions.
Today’s activities are about holes in your head!
Turn to the person beside you and point at their caruncle.
Wait for looks of confusion.
The caruncle is the bump at the corner of your eye. Turn to the person
beside you and check out their caruncle.
Wait for them to do this.
continued ...
Holes in Your Head
You can buy Borax in the
supermarket. Look near the
clothes-washing detergent.
The chemical name for
Borax is sodium borate.
eyegunk
gunkeye
Did anyone find eye gunk in the corner of their neighbor’s caruncle? Your
caruncles are actually oil and sweat glands. Besides these glands you have
30 other glands that drip tears into your eyes. These glands have wild names
like glands of Zeis and glands of Wolfring. Tears actually have 3 layers—
mucus, oil and tear. Everybody blink your eyes rapidly.
Wait for them to do this.
You normally blink about 20 times a minute. The tears flow over your eyes
and drain into the little hole by your nose. The drains close when you close
your eyes. At night, when you’re asleep, the drain holes are closed. The tears
pool up. The liquid evaporates and in the morning ... EYE GUNK!
Besides the holes in your eyes, you have many other holes in your head that
collect and ooze stuff ... like the holes in your nose for example. What do
your nose holes ooze?
Take a suggestion if you dare.
Yup, snot. Snot is amazing stuff. You need it to help keep dust, pollution and
other junk out of your lungs. Tiny hairs in your sinuses, called cilia, move the
snot toward your throat, where you swallow it. Glmp.
Good snot is clear and colorless. But when the cilia stop moving, your nose
mucus gets clogged. Bacteria, bacteria waste, and other stuff gets stuck. The
mucus changes from a clear liquid to gunky green. We’re going to make the
gunky green kind of snot ... okay, FAKE snot!
Lead the group through making fake snot.
To make fake snot:
1. Put about a tablespoon of glue on the plate.
2. Add a few drops of water and stir with the popsicle stick.
3. Add a couple of drops of food coloring and stir.
4. Add a teaspoon of Borax liquid and stir. The fake snot should start
to gloop up on the stick.
5. Pick the fake snot up and roll it in your hands until it has a nice
texture.
6. Fake a sneeze into your hand. Let the fake snot goop out between
your fingers. GROSS!
7. Store your fake snot in the film canister.
continued ...
snotsnot
snotsnot
Get everyone’s attention again.
You may be wondering how boogers fit into the snot picture. Does anyone
know?
Take suggestions.
The mucus coats the hairs inside your nose. The scientific name for nose
hairs is vibrissae. When you breathe in, dirt gets trapped in the goopy hairs.
The dirty mucus clumps up, dries out with your breathing, and a booger is
formed!
Thanks for being part of Holes in your Head. Remember to keep your fake
snot stored in the film canister, and have a great day at (your museum).
How did that happen?
The glue is made of long stringy molecules.
When the Borax is added, it connects the
glue molecules together. The mixture gets
thick and gooey. You can think of the result
as a ladder, with Borax making the rungs
and the glue molecules as the sides.
pooppoop
pooppoopWhat you need:
Loud jacket and tie (to impersonate a game show host)
Scoreboard (chalkboard, or felt board with poop-shaped cutouts ...)
Game show questions as follows, written on index cards.
What do you call bat poop? (2 points)
a) manure
b) guano
c) cave whitewash
What do you call farm animal poop? (1 point)
a) manure
b) dung
c) cow patties
What do you call wild animal poop? (2 points)
a) droppings
b) scat
c) bear berries
What is the scientific name for poop? (2 points)
a) dookie
b) manure
c) feces
How long is your large intestine? (2 points)
a) 1.5 metres (five feet)
b) 100 metres (300 feet)
c) 30 centimetres (one foot)
About how long does it take your body to turn food into poop? (1 point)
a) 24 hours
b) two weeks
c) ten minutes
True or false—you can sometimes see corn kernels in your poop. (1 point)
True, your body can’t digest plant fiber.
continued ...
The Poop on Poop
pooppoop
pooppoop
True or false—poop is made entirely of bacteria. (1 point)
False, bacteria makes up about half of poop.
What part of your body does poop exit from? (1 point)
a) anus
b) small intestine
c) belly button
What’s the scientific name for taking a poop? (This should always be the last
question! Assign an appropriate number of points so that the score is tied.)
a) intestinal attack
b) peristaltic rush
c) number 2
Materials for the peristalsis pinch:
Hollow rubber tube (but not a garden hose). If you can’t find one, try a
hollow plastic jump rope or a long balloon with both ends cut off.
Funnel
Cooking oil
Marble
What to say and What to do:At the Grossology exhibit, you probably saw all sorts of gross things. Who
would like to name their favourite gross thing that they saw at the exhibit?
Take some suggestions.
Today’s activity is about poop! But before we begin, it’s time for the poo poo
IQ quiz. Are you ready?
Put on your game show host costume.
We’ll divide the group into two teams. You’re the large intestines, and
you’re the small intestines. I’ll keep score. Each question is worth a certain
number of points.
Alternate asking questions to each group. If the large intestines don’t get
their question, the small intestines can try to answer it and get the points
(and vice versa). Keep score. Assign the appropriate number of points to the
last question so the score ends up tied.
Wow, a tie! You guys really know your poop!
continued ...
pooppoop
pooppoop
The scientific name for taking a poop is peristaltic rush. Everyone say it—
PERISTALTIC RUSH.
Peristalsis is a pinching action that moves poop through your intestines. It’s
the same action that pushes food down your throat. We’re going to make a
model of peristalsis in your intestines.
This rubber tube represents your intestines.
Have a couple of volunteers hold the intestines.
These people represent the muscles in your intestines.
Your intestines have mucus in them. This oil represents the mucus.
Use the funnel to pour some cooking oil through the tube.
This marble represents poop.
Put the marble in one end of the tube.
Your intestines pinch the poop along like this.
Pinch behind the marble to make it move forward. Have your volunteers do
the same thing.
When your rectum (the last 8 inches of your large intestine) fills with poop,
it’s time for the peristaltic rush. Your body sends a message to your brain to
let it go.
Have one volunteer push the marble right out the end of the tube.
You can probably imagine what this end of the tube represents!
So the next time you’ve really GOT TO GO, you can say “Pardon me, it’s time
for a peristaltic rush.”
Thanks for being part of The Poop on Poop. Enjoy the rest of your day at
(your museum).
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