Exciting Hands-On Homeschool Co-op Activities on the Digestive System

We studied the human body in our homeschool, and I wanted to do some hands-on group activities to learn about digestion for our homeschool co-op.

So here are some fun, hands-on homeschool co-op activities on the digestive system that will make the topic of digestion fun and memorable! We did this activity with mostly first graders, but this would be perfect for kids ages 4-8.

Human Body Anatomy Model

First, we had the kids play with this Squishy Human Body model. After taking it apart, they took turns putting all the organs and pieces on the organ organizer paper foldout. Then they re-assembled the organs following the directions (with a little help). Even if your group has kids who can’t read yet, the pictures and graphics are all they need to figure it out.

They LOVED playing with this human body model. And the organs are squishy, which makes them extra fun to touch! Putting it back together is almost like doing a puzzle. And while they were putting it back together, we talked a bit about which organs are involved in digestion.

Hands-on Human Body Activity

1. Split the kids up into groups of 3-4 
2. Have each group work together to draw a life-size boy or girl body outline on a large roll of plain paper. (Of course, they are going to draw faces, hair, and other cute details.)
3. After this, give each group a Ziplock (with a stomach drawn on it) mixed with crackers and water and have the kiddos squish them up to show what the food might look like when it hits the stomach. 
4. Then, give each group a straw (esophagus), a long string (small intestine), and an empty cardboard paper towel tube- folded into 3 sections (large intestine). Then have them put these (and the Ziplock stomach) on their life-size model to represent the digestive organs.

Going through the organs, I mentioned that the small intestine was about 10 feet long, and we decided to get out the measuring tape to see how long it was. One of the kids asked, “How does something that long fit inside your body?” And another kiddo answered, “It has to be folded up inside.” I love it when the kids answer each other’s questions. 

For extra fun we had each group make “healthy poop” with brown Play-Doh while we discussed how healthy digestion creates healthy poop! (see below)

Circle Time Questions and Discussion

Here is a short list of questions I asked the kids while we sat around our projects, and these led to a lively discussion:

• Where does digestion start? In the mouth, chewing and saliva help to break down food and begin the process of digestion.
• What happens to our food after we chew it up in our mouth? It goes down the esophagus, mixes with acids and enzymes in the stomach, gets broken down and absorbed in the small intestines, bacteria further digests the food in the colon and prepares waste, and then the waste comes out of the anus.
• What kinds of foods promote healthy digestion? Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and yogurt. We didn’t get too technical with the diet here, but we did discuss the role of fiber. We talked a bit about which foods have fiber, and how eating fiber and drinking water promotes healthy poops.
• What does a healthy poop look like? We also talked about what healthy poop looks like (like one long healthy bowel movement). And we got really into it using brown Play-Doh for visuals! We made a long, healthy-looking bowel movement with Play-Doh, and then we made smaller, circular separate pieces to show what constipation might look like. Then we discussed how eating fiber and drinking water can help constipation go away. (As a dietitian, I love talking about healthy poop!) This discussion kept the kids’ attention with no problem, and the kinesthetic learners could play with Play-Doh while we talked. I can tell you, the kids were 100% engaged in this conversation!

Snack Time

Then we took a break to eat our snacks. Thinking about how we’re digesting our snacks while eating was a nice way to round out the learning activity!

Coloring Page

Lastly, we colored a digestive system coloring page from this Human Body Coloring Book on Amazon. This book was an awesome find, and covers all the major organ systems!

I think all the kids were appreciative of how their bodies work, and they learned a bit about nutrition. Win-win!

List of Supplies for Hands-On Digestion Activities:

• Squishy Human Body Model
• Large Role of Plain Paper (or you could use large pieces of cardboard- one for each group)
• Markers/Crayons
• A couple of containers of brown Play-Doh
• Human Body Coloring Book
• For each group:
  • Straw (esophagus)
  • Ziplock with crackers and water (stomach)
  • Long string (small intestine)
  • Paper towel tube (large intestine)

I absolutely love it when the kids are excited and engaged in whatever they are learning! There were no glazed eyes for these activities, as they were all super into it! Hands-on activities are the way to go to make learning fun! I hope your homeschool co-op enjoys these hands-on learning activities to learn all about how we digest our food!

Read Next: How to Host an Awesome Homeschool Co-op about Germs

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