vomit - Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

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.

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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibit called Urine the Game.


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.



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


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.


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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called GI Slideand Look Inside.


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.


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?

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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


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


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

™


Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Burp Machine, Gas

Attack, Listen to Your Bodyand Toot Toot.


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.



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.

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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


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


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?

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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Nose Plumber, Tour du

Noseand Up Your Nose.


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.



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


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


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”.


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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Climbing Wall and YU

Stink.


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.



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


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


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.


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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.


would like to name their favourite gross thing that they saw at the exhibit.


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


would like to name their favourite gross thing that they saw at the exhibit?


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).

Documents

vomit - Fort Worth Museum of Science and History