Types of enhanced competences
There was no coding in this activity.

Duration and timeline of implementation
A series of lessons.

Strategies and activities
1. Heart
We started our lesson by watching a video about the human heart to get a quick overview of what we were learning. We learned that the heart is an organ made of very strong muscle that pumps blood through the body. It is the main organ of the cardiovascular system and carries substances to and from all parts of the body in the blood. Our hearts are about the size of our fist and are pear-shaped.
This is how we got to the kids' favorite part – the Working Heart Model.
Instructions:
1. We filled the jar halfway with water and added a little red food coloring.
2. We took the balloon and cut off its neck.
3. We stretched the top part and placed it on the top of the jar so that it was taut. We also kept the neck part.
4. We used a sharp toothpick to poke a hole in the top of the balloon, once towards one side of the jar.
5. We made a second hole near the first.
6. We took the straws and inserted one into each hole, with the curved part sticking out at the top. We took the neck of the balloon and covered the hole of one of the straws sticking out of the glass.
7. Then we pushed up and down on the balloon between the two straws. Fast and firm pumping worked best. Blood started to flow up the open straw and out into the glass.
2. Lung model
Instructions:
1. We printed and cut out a template.
2. Cut the straws at the top.
3. Add some tape to the bottom to hold the two straws together.
4. Glue or double-sided tape your nose and lips to the straws
5. Cut out the zippered part of the sandwich bags.
6. Glue your lungs for printing onto the back of the straws.
7. Glue your bag to each lung tightly so no air escapes.
3. How the gallbladder breaks down fats
Instructions:
1. We poured the milk into a plate.
2. We placed drops of food coloring in different places in the milk, far apart from each other.
3. We sprayed some dish soap on the milk.
4. We dropped the cotton ball's soapy side down into the plate.
5. We immediately noticed that the food coloring drops were starting to swirl around.

Material Sources
Heart - jar (or other container), water, food coloring, balloon, toothpick, straws
Lungs - straws, scissors, tape, two balloons, double-sided tape or glue
Gallbladder - Fresh milk (at least 2% fat), food coloring, dish soap, cotton ball

Methodology
Team Work, Learning By Doing, Inquiry-Based Science Learning

Observed Benefits
We made a model that moved water from the jar through the straws and into the tray. The cut end of the balloon worked as a valve to stop the water from flowing back up the straw. Our hearts pump blood around our bodies through our arteries in a similar way.
Human hearts have four separate chambers inside. This heart pump model shows how a chamber and its valve work. The valve is used to prevent blood pumped from one chamber to another from flowing back into the chamber it came from.
We removed the “balloon” valve from the straw and tried pumping the water again. We noticed something different. Water still came out of the straw, but without the valve there was nothing to stop the water from flowing back up the straw.
To keep blood moving through our blood vessels and throughout our bodies, our hearts need valves to separate their chambers.
Making a lung model with children is a great way to teach them anatomy and biology in an interactive way. Children learn about the different parts of the lungs. This model is a great visual way to help children understand how the body works and is a great starting point for further exploration of how the respiratory system works.
In this way, we encourage creativity and imagination. Making a lung model is also a great way to foster creativity and imagination. It encourages them to think and helps them develop problem-solving skills.
It encourages teamwork and cooperation. By working together, children learn how to work together and share ideas. They also learn to be patient and understanding towards each other. This is a great way to encourage social-emotional skills and teach them how to work effectively in a team.
A model of gallbladder action:
Soap contains a chemical similar to the one found in bile. It surrounds the fat in milk and tries to break it into smaller pieces. It does the same thing with dirt, which is why we use it to wash our clothes and dishes. As the soap swirls around the fat in the milk, trying to break it down, the food coloring is also moving. You can watch it continue to swirl as the soap tries to do its job. This also happens in the small intestines. Bile surrounds the fat particles to break them down.

Challenges Faced
None reported

Future Improvements
Including coding activities in the practice. Further explanation given below.

Recommendations
Given the fact that this STEM practice is based on hands-on activities and the creation of functioning models of basic human organs, it would be beneficial and interesting for the children to also program these same models in Scratch with the help of a teacher or mentor. They can also think of different scenarios or stories in which they not only observe how the organs work but also simulate various conditions (such as heart disease, high cholesterol, or blood thickening). In this way, they will enrich their knowledge and gain a visual understanding of the dangers and diseases that exist.
Such simulation can provide a realistic view of how various conditions affect the heart's ability to pump blood, as well as educate the player about the consequences of these health issues. You can further enhance the game by adding more conditions, detailed feedback, and a scoring system that rewards players for making healthy choices or learning about the heart's function.
A quiz can also be coded, which challenges students to test their knowledge in a playful, game-like format.
Expected outcomes:
• Students use Scratch and code the above activities – practicing their skills with the software.
• They interactively test their knowledge and gain a real and visual understanding of the functions of organs in the human body.
• Students can explore storytelling and work on creating different scenarios.
The same approach could be applied to all parts of the lesson.