The Respiratory System
We decided to learn about the respiratory system. My primary goal was to keep the information simple, ensuring that my 5-year-old daughter wouldn’t feel overwhelmed by complex concepts. There are many complicated medical terms associated with this topic, and the respiratory system itself can be challenging to comprehend. So, I aimed to establish a foundational understanding of the major functions and mechanics of the respiratory system, with the intention of introducing terminology and facts later in our educational journey.
During my research, I came across the Lund Model on the Kiwi Co. website, which I found particularly helpful. It featured two balloons representing “lungs” and provided a step-by-step explanation. After constructing our lung model, I stumbled upon the hands-on activity called “Working Lungs: Just Breathe.” This activity not only assisted in assembling the lung model but also included a lesson on the respiratory system.
My daughter was delighted that she could watch the entire assembly process and help tape the “windpipe.” It was a valuable experience as it taught her about the presence of the left and right lungs in our bodies and how the windpipe splits and enters each lung. She enjoyed manipulating the “diaphragm” to simulate air pumping in and out of the “lungs.”
While this activity was enjoyable, I felt that it still seemed somewhat abstract when compared to the actual respiratory system. To make our model more realistic, we added “ribs.” While cutting out the paper ribs, we discussed their purpose in our bodies.
Our model became a little bit more realistic but still lacked the mouth and nose through which air enters and exits. So, we decided to add a head using a large Easter egg. My daughter actively participated by adding eyes, a nose, and a mouth to our breathing person.
A few days later, we sat in front of the computer and explored several slides from the “Lungs and Respiratory System” lesson. To review what we had learned during our work on the Lung Model, I asked my daughter several questions:
- What happens inside of us when we blow out the candles on a birthday cake?
- How does air enter our bodies?
- How many lungs are inside the human body?
- Why do we need lungs?
As we delved into the structure of the lungs, we compared them to an upside-down broccoli tree. I guess this makes it somewhat easier to remember the term “Bronchioles.” We learned that oxygen enters our lungs when we inhale and then travels through the alveoli into our bloodstream. Conversely, carbon dioxide exits our lungs when we exhale.
In our quest for knowledge, we also enjoyed an entertaining cartoon titled “How Your Lungs Work.”
Additionally, we obtained a coloring picture of the Respiratory system from the Coloring Home website. My daughter organized her stuffed animals and I suggested that she take on the role of a teacher, explaining the respiratory system and how it functions to her “students” (the stuffed animals). She placed her coloring page on a tracing pad and used a marker as a pointer.
As we navigated our educational journey, I couldn’t help but recall an insight from the article ‘How People Learn: Common Beliefs Vs. Research‘ published by Princeton University, suggests that “teaching someone else that which we are ourselves striving to learn is a highly effective way for deepening our understanding and making our knowledge more retrievable in the future.”
Hence, it appears that we will be engaging in more practice sessions of teaching our stuffed animal “class” in the days ahead. 🙂
Hence, it appears that we will be engaging in more practice sessions of teaching our stuffed animal “class” in the days ahead. 🙂