Make a Human Lung Model

Air! It is what keeps us alive, keeps us breathing! Some of you may know that plants help make oxygen, and oxygen is the air we breathe, but how do we breathe? How do our cells get oxygen? Part of the reason is our respiratory system, and our lungs! For this project we will be learning about how our lungs work by making a model of the lungs that include the diaphragm.

How do our lungs work?

When we breathe, our lungs bring in fresh oxygen for our body and remove carbon and dioxide and other waste gases our bodies don’t need.

When we inhale, or breathe in, we use the muscles in our rib cage, especially the muscle called the diaphragm.

To get the oxygen your body needs, you inhale air through your mouth and nose and air passes through the throat into the trachea. Also called the windpipe.

The trachea divides into the left and right bronchi, like a branch, each bronchus divides again and again, becoming narrower and narrower. Kind of like tree branches.

Your smallest airways end in the alveoli, al·vee·uh·lai, small, thin air sacs that are arranged in clusters. Alveoli are an important part of the respiratory system. It is their job to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to and from the bloodstream and thus to and from our cells!

Supplies:

● Plastic bottle with screw top cap

● Straws x 2-3

● Rubber Bands x 2

● Tape

● Balloons x 2

● Plastic Wrap

● Scissors

● Exacto Knife (ONLY AN ADULT SHOULD USE THE EXACTO KNIFE)