Let’s Talk Digestion

Let’s Talk Digestion

How does the body turn the food we eat into energy?

The human digestive system in an adult can be about thirty feet long: around twenty-one feel alone in the small intestine! However, way before the food we eat reaches the small intestine, the process of digestion begins in the mouth with the teeth, tongue, and saliva all taking the delicious whole food we eat and breaking it down into smaller pieces. After being chewed and swallowed, food travels down the esophagus (about ten inches in length) and into the stomach. The stomach is a J-shaped, stretchy, muscular organ that breaks down pieces of food with the help of gastric juices into a liquid mixture. In the journey through the small intestine, important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates are absorbed and taken into the body, and in the large intestine (only about five feet in length but much thicker than the small intestine) the most important nutrient, water, is absorbed.

Learning about parts of the body and how they function, and important body processes like digestion, is just one vital step in taking care of the amazing bodies we have! Byrnes Health Education (BHE) has been dedicated to its mission of educating and inspiring people of all ages to make healthy choices since 1995. In addition to synchronous in-person and live-virtual health education programs, www.LearntobeHealthy.org is the BHE’s fully online delivery platform built with thirteen different (synchronous or asynchronous) eLearning kits.

This free “Let’s Talk Digestion” edition of our “Home Health Worksheets” series is a great way to encourage interest in learning about the body! With content inspired by our in-person/live-virtual programs “My Healthy Body”, “Fueling My Special Body”, and “Cells to Systems: Digestive” and activities within our “Fueling My Special Body” eLearning kit, this free worksheet is suggested for students in grades 2nd-4th (depending on learning level and adult assistance, if any). With this free worksheet, students will read and use an age-appropriate article (or any other school/parent approved source) to answer five basic questions about the digestive system with an additional STEM bonus question and Digestion Maze! (Adults – please click here for an answer key to the worksheet.

If you are looking for more comprehensive health curriculum, activities within our “Fueling My Special Body” eLearning kit on www.LearntobeHealthy.org can help students experience the process of digestion. For full access to all of the health content on the website, specifically the activities in this eLearning kit (including pre/post tests, worksheets, games, tip sheets, podcasts, and family practice handouts, Digestion Journey, Well-Fed Wolf, Body System Detective, MyPlate: Food and Fun, Susie’s Café, Food As Fuel Lab, Nutrient Superheroes, Coach Says, Track That, Fueling Up, Spin the Wheel, Nutrition Video,), join www.LearntobeHealthy.org today!