On Friday 9^th of December, Eimear from APC Microbiome Institute visited Scoil Ursula. Eimear discussed the digestion system, the nervous system and the respiratory system with the children.

The Digestive System

In the pictures you can see Eimear measuring Muireann’s height using wool. Eimear explained that Muireann’s intestines are three times her height in length. To show this to the class she sent Muireann to the back of the class with the string in her hand. Muireann stopped once the string was taught. You can see the length of Muireann’s intestines in the second picture.

The Brain

Eimear showed the children an egg in a plastic tub filled with salty water. She explained that the tub represented the skull, the salty water represented the fluid (CSF) that allows the brain to float and the egg represented the brain. She asked Holly to shake the tub as hard as she could in order to crack the egg. Holly shook the tub vigorously and the egg didn’t crack.

The Nervous System

Eimear discussed the five senses with the students she then asked for six volunteers to demonstrate how neurons work. The children stood in a line and they passed a ball from the start of the line to the end of the line. The child passed the ball either over their head or under their head to the next person. As the children carried out the activity the rest of the students counted aloud. Eimear explained that nerves send messages to the brain in under a second.

Measuring Sugar Content

Eimear brought in a defractometer and explained that she uses it to test the sugar content of liquids. The children tested the sugar content of Fanta orange and Coca Cola. They found that the sugar content was equal in both drinks.

The students of fourth class both thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from Eimear’s visit.