What is happening in my body?

There are parts of our body that are like tubes and funnels

Balls and tubes

Beads and funnel

Parts of our body are like a branch on a tree

 The branches of a tree get smaller as they get closer to the leaves.  The branches bring the leaves water to help them grow.

You can look at a branch on a tree or your parent can trim a small branch off so you can see how branches get smaller and smaller as they get closer to the leaves.

Can you trace the path to the leaves with your finger, or put little felt circles on the path to the leaves?

Trees are amazing because they push water up, up, up the tree, and then out, out, out to the leaves.

Branches bring water to the leaves.


People don't have leaves, but we do have arms and hands and legs and feet.  We need to bring something special to our arms, hands, legs and feet.

Let's learn how we bring things to our arms, hands, legs and feet!



Does the inside of this tray look like a branch?

See if the bead will move from the top
all the way to the bottom.

The bead is moving from the big branches
to the smaller branches.

Now let's squirt water at the
top and see what happens!
Where does the water go?

Make bubbles by squeezing the blue
bulb syringe in the
water then let it suck up the water

 You made the bead and water move through this ""branch".  Did you know this is how things move around in our body?  Kind of like a road or a river in our body.  This is how we bring things to our arms, hands, legs and feet.


What is this boy doing?

He is blowing air out of his mouth
and into the bubbles.

After he blows the bubbles, he has to take air into his body.  Air has oxygen in it.  Where does the oxygen go?  Now you try it!  Blow some bubbles, did you feel the air and oxygen coming back into your body after making the bubbles?

Oxygen goes on the roads in our body to our arms, hands, legs and feet.  Just like the tree branches bring water to the leaves, our body's roads bring oxygen to our hands and feet.


Red blood cells are like the cars on the roads


Red blood cells carry the oxygen to all parts of our body.  Sometimes the red blood cells change shape.

Can you sort the round red blood cells and the sickle cells?

Color a picture of normal red blood cells and sickle cells.  Sickle Cell Disease is when normal red blood cells change to sickle cells.  Sickle cells get stuck in the road and then the oxygen can't get to all the parts of your body.

http://search.myway.com/search/AJimage.jhtml?&pn=1&queryTerm=What+Is+a+Sickle+Tool&cb=Y6&p2=%5EY6%5Exdm401%5ES12864%5Eus&qid=4d5d5db27c564a0fbd745e61fa864abd&n=781b3b6d&ptb=48C53073-F593-4ED3-B278-6106B22DA91E&si=CO_Vvv2vrsUCFZBefgod2ZUAVA&pg=AJimage&ss=sub&st=tab&searchfor=What+Is+a+Sickle+Used+for%3F&ord=0&tpr=jrel2&ots=1431547170006&imgsize=all&safeSearch=on&imgDetail=true

Parent's Section

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************Note to Parents:  

Tubes and Funnels:  This activity is to allow your child to play with balls and tubes.  Use different size tubes and balls so your child can experiment.  The funnel and bead activity should have different types and sizes of beads.  If your child is younger, use a bigger funnel with pompoms, cereal, or whatever is safe for your child.  The purpose of this activity, besides being lots of fun, is for your child to discover that things can get stuck in the funnel.  It is important for your child to discover that the beads can get stuck.  The concepts from these two activities offer important information to your child that will help him/her understand how red blood cells go through the arteries (the tubes) and how they get stuck when they sickle and go from big arteries to smaller arteries (the funnel).

Branch of Tree:  Connecting nature to life is important for children.  Nature is all around them and it has a natural order and beauty to it.  If possible, cut a small branch for the child to feel, examine and play with.  Talk about the branch and how the tree needs water to live.  Branches deliver water to the leaves. Some children like to take care of a small plant.  They can notice that if the dirt is dry, the leaves may be limp, then when it is watered, the leaves regain their shape.  This activity is an important introduction into the circulatory system that brings oxygen carrying red blood cells to all parts of their body.

Artery/Roads Tray:  It is easy to make a tray with an "artery" for your child to experiment with...

Yellow tray and peel and stick caulking strip

Caulking strip for artery construction

The caulking strip is for showers/tubs so it is fine with water. Abutt the caulking strips for support and cover up the sticky parts.  An upside-down "Y" design would work just as well!

Your child can push beads (if they are old enough not to put beads in their mouth) or cheerios, or just pouring water from a cup through the "artery".  This will allow them to visualize how blood moves through their arteries.

Bubbles:  By blowing bubbles, your child will feel the air leaving their body and the air coming back in when they take a breath after blowing the bubbles.  Ask them where they think the air is going?  Is it going to their toes?  Will their thumb get some?  Remind them, our bodies feel good when they get lots of air.

Red Blood Cells:  To learn more about how normal red blood cells change to sickle cells watch this Youtube on Sickle Cell Disease.

You can give your child a chance to sort shapes that are round like normal red blood cells and shapes that are crescent shaped like sickle cells.  Satsumas and bananas would be an easy sorting activity to make.  Full moons and crescent moons could also be fun.  The red felt circles and hard foam crescents that I show in the picture could also be used to explain to your child how normal red blood cells are round and flexible while sickle cells are crescent-shaped and not-flexible.
                                                     
Print out the picture of normal red blood cells and sickle cells here for your child to color or fingerpaint (easier for 2-3 year olds).  Talk to your child about the differences between the normal red blood cells and sickle cells.  


Normal Red Blood Cells:  shaped like a donut, round, smooth, flexible, carry oxygen to all parts of your body

Sickle Red Blood Cells:  shaped like a banana/sickle*, not very flexible, carry oxygen
*Show them a picture of someone using a sickle to cut grass.

Story books can be a good way to teach your child about SCD.  The Sickle Cell Information Center keeps an update to list of books for children here.