Kailan and the Digestive System

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Illustrated and written by Kailan Rumbold

The start of the digestive systemFirst you

chew your food and it goes down your esophagus to your stomach.

When your food reaches your stomach most of it gets broken down by the enzymes in your stomach. Then the partly digested food goes on a little trip to your small intestine.

The small intestineThen the food reaches the small intestine which is a constantly squeezing 5 meter long tube. The gall bladder makes a liquid called bile. Bile helps with the digesting in your intestine.

The small intestine continued

The small intestine has some microscopic holes on the side, so each time it squeezes the nutrients are forced through the holes and into your blood.

The large intestineThe large intestine

gives out a substance called mucus. The mucus softens the faeces (poo). The faeces are sent down your rectum

to your anus and lands for a splash down in the toilet.

Hes.ucfsd.org

www.kidrex.co.nz

Some interesting facts I learned were:

An adults stomach can hold approximately 1.5 liters of material.

Did you know that an adults intestines are 25 feet long! Be glad that your not a horse because a fully grown horse carries around intestines that are 89 feet when they are coiled up!