Get children thinking about the teeth in their mouth and why they look different in this activity designed to promote discussion. Having them think about their own teeth and which ones they use to bite, tear and chew food is a lovely way for children to link structure and function of teeth.
Who better to learn about teeth from, than a dentist! This collection includes a number of resources which explore tooth decay, types of teeth, and how to brush your teeth correctly with an online dentist.
Providing an authentic context for an investigation is a lovely way to make learning meaningful, in this case children respond to a request from a company who make toothpaste. There are a range of lessons which link to science and D&T: first children investigate the effect of sugar in different drinks on eggshells, then they test different kinds of toothpaste for effectiveness. Finally, they design and make their own toothpaste.
Moving on from teeth children explore the other places where digestion occurs within the human body. This short film clip demonstrates a practical experiment which recreates the digestion process in the classroom. Have fun bashing and grinding the chocolate cake to simulate the action of the teeth. Place them in a plastic bag and pour in orange juice to represent gastric juices, then watch them become a squidgy mess. This demonstration enables children to visualise the process of digestion in an engaging, practical way.
Find out about the structure of the digestive system using these visual resources. Ask children to draw what they think the digestive system is and where it is placed within an outline of the body. Then compare children's own ideas about the digestive system with the image supplied. Children often think that the stomach is much lower down, where the intestines are. This visual aid will help clarify where the stomach actually is and how food and drink are both processed within the digestive system.
If focussing on healthy eating and having a balanced diet, this thought experiment will certainly get children thinking and adults too! Imagine what would happen if you only ate chips? You could change the type of food easily, what if they only ate carrots? Stopping to think about what effects an unbalanced diet would have on the body, really help to clarify why balance is important.