Amazing Journey: Exploring Your Body
Right now, three organs inside you are working without you having to think about it: your lungs, your heart, and your brain.
The Lungs
Your lungs work like a pair of balloons. They take in air filled with oxygen, which your body needs to work, then let out air filled with carbon dioxide.
- Tiny air sacs inside your lungs are bunched together like grapes.
- Breathing brings in the oxygen your body needs to run, play, and think.
- Take a breath right now — that is your lungs at work.
The Heart
Your heart is a pump that never stops. Day and night, it sends blood all around your body, carrying oxygen and food to every cell.
- Feel your pulse — that is your heart working.
- Your heart is about the size of your fist.
- Exercise makes your heart stronger.
The Brain
Your brain is the control center. It works like a supercomputer, handling thinking, learning, and remembering. It also tells the rest of your body what to do.
- Your brain is letting you read this right now.
- It is also behind what you feel — happy, sad, excited.
- Learning new things keeps your brain working.
Three organs, three jobs
These three are working together right now, while you read this line.
Pick an organ to see the job it is doing for you at this moment.
- Lungs — taking in air full of oxygen, and letting out air full of carbon dioxide. Inside them are tiny air sacs bunched together like grapes.
- Heart — pumping blood everywhere, carrying oxygen and food to every cell. Day and night, without stopping.
- Brain — the control center. It is reading these words, and it is also quietly telling the other two to keep going.
Right now, while you read this sentence, all three are working at once: your lungs pulling in oxygen, your heart pumping it to your cells, and your brain making sense of these words.