How Breathing Works

Science · The Human Body · ages 5-7

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What do your lungs take from the air you breathe in?
- Carbon dioxide
- Water
- Oxygen
Where does air first go into your body?
- Your stomach
- Your nose or mouth
- Your ears
We breathe out carbon dioxide as waste.
Circle one: True False
After running fast, why do you breathe faster?
- Your lungs get smaller
- You are breathing out water
- Your body needs more oxygen
After air goes in your nose or mouth, where does it travel next?
- The stomach
- The windpipe
- The heart
Lungs remove oxygen as waste and supply carbon dioxide for your body to use.
Circle one: True False
If your lungs could not take oxygen from the air, what would happen to your body?
- Your body would make more carbon dioxide
- Your breathing would slow down but you'd be fine
- Your body would not get the oxygen it needs
Nora says the windpipe turns oxygen into food. What is wrong with her idea?
- The windpipe makes carbon dioxide
- The windpipe just carries air to the lungs
- The windpipe is in your stomach

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Oxygen · Lungs pull oxygen from the air. Your body needs oxygen to work.
Your nose or mouth · Air first enters through your nose or mouth, then moves further in.
True · Carbon dioxide is waste your body makes. You breathe the extra out.
Your body needs more oxygen · Moving fast uses more energy, so your body needs extra oxygen from the air.
The windpipe · The windpipe is the tube that carries air down to your lungs.
False · It's the other way around. Lungs take in oxygen, and you breathe out carbon dioxide.
Your body would not get the oxygen it needs · Oxygen from the lungs is something your body needs to stay alive.
The windpipe just carries air to the lungs · The windpipe is only a tube for air. Oxygen leaves the air in the lungs, not the windpipe.