Digestive Tract Simulation for 24 Students
(can be adapted for more or fewer students)
Materials List:
3 spray bottles (labelled SALIVA, ENZYMES, BILE)
5 paper bags
1 small plastic or paper bag
M&Ms or other small candies
To build food particle:
Count out enough small candies for each person in the class. Place into 5 more paper bags.
You can label the bags as follows:
Bag #1 (outermost bag): Food Particle
Bag #2: Sugars / carbohydrates
Bag #3: proteins
Bag #4: fats
Bag #5: fibre
Bag #6: no label
Write each letter (e.g. two ‘M’s) on a scrap of paper, or sticky note, and hand out one to each
student.
Call out each letter in order, and have them line up, facing their partners. The Saliva, Pancreas
and Liver stand just behind the line, between the appropriate roles.
As the food particle is passed along, explain the role of each part of the system, and give
instructions.
Repeat twice or three times for best effect, and alternate student roles.
Letter
Number of
students
needed
Running total
of students
Role
Function
Action
M
2
2
Molars
chew
tear apart
outside bag
#1 and
remove
S
1
3
saliva
digestive
juices break
down sugars
spray bag,
remove bag
#2
E-1
1 or 2
5
Esophagus
transport
food
squeeze and
pass along
food particle
E-2
1 or 2
7
esophagus
transport
food
squeeze and
pass along
JL Durnford 2019
food particle
St
3
10
Stomach
squeeze and
mix
squeeze,
pass back
and forth
P
1
11
Pancreas
add enzymes
to break
down protein
and fat
spray bag
and remove
bag #3
SI - 1
2
13
Small
intestine
transports
and digests
squeeze and
remove bag
#4
L
1
14
Liver
adds bile to
break down
fats
Spray bag
and remove
bag #5
SI - 2
2
16
Small
intestine
transport and
digest
squeeze and
pass
SI - 3
2
18
Small
intestine
transport and
digest
squeeze and
remove final
bag #6
- pour into
teacher’s
bowl (teacher
plays role of
blood)
LI -1
2
20
Large
intestine
transport
waste,
remove water
pass waste
along
LI - 2
2
22
Large
intestine
transport
waste,
remove water
pass waste
along
C
1
23
Colon
compress
waste into
stool
squeeze
bags into one
small clump
R
1
24
Rectum
remove
waste
drop clump of
waste into
the garbage
JL Durnford 2019