In Term 1, the grade 5 students learned about three different human systems in science and how these systems function to help our body regulate everyday. We started off the unit by talking about the digestive system, then the respiratory system, and lastly the circulatory system.
In the respiratory system, we learned how our lungs are an important organ in our body that helps us breathe and gives our body oxygen. To demonstrate how our lungs work, we created a lung model using: 2 paper straws, 2 balloons, and tape.
In the circulatory system, we learned about the different parts of the heart and how the heart pumps blood to the rest of our body. In one of our lessons, we learned that there are four different components that make up blood (plasma, platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells).
To demonstrate the four different components that make up blood, we had a fun science experiment where we made our own blood!
First, we added 4 drops of yellow food colouring and 1 tbsp of salt and sugar into the water which represented the plasma.
Then, we added red food colouring in a Ziploc bag that contained Star Puff cereal, which represented the platelets.
Next, we added red food colouring in a Ziploc bag that contained Cheerios, which represented the red blood cells. Once the platelets and red blood cells were prepared, we added them to the plasma.
“White Blood Cells”
Finally, we added marshmallows which represented the white blood cells. When all the components were in the container, we mixed it all together to make “blood”.
The grade 5 students enjoyed this science experiment and had fun learning about the 4 different components that make up blood!
