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Discover what this means

Insides out

Investigate digestion in the intestine as we take a close-up look at where our grub goes.

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You’ll need

  • Access to water
  • Mixing bowls
  • Wooden spoons
  • Tables
  • Scissors
  • Pens or pencils
  • A4 paper
  • Something to protect surfaces (for example, newspaper or tablecloths)
  • Light coloured tights
  • Leftover soft foodstuffs (for example, juice, bananas or biscuits)

Make a meal of it

  • The person leading the activity should cut the tights in half lengthways, so that the legs of the tights are separated.
  • The person leading the activity should arrange the materials and equipment. The group will need to be split into smaller groups. Each small group will need one leg from a pair of tights, the foodstuffs, some water, two bowls, two spoons, a tablecloth or tarpaulin, and several sheets of newspaper.

Digest this!

  1. The person leading the activity should ask the group what they know about where food goes after it’s eaten. See if anyone already knows something that happens to food during the digestive process.
  1. Everyone should get into small groups of three or four people and move to the tables. Each group should put their newspaper on the floor under their feet. The person leading the activity should explain that the first bowl in front of them is a hungry mouth and tell everyone to put some soft food in. They should then add water.
  2. The person leading the activity should explain that the food needs to be chewed and broken down by our spit before it can be swallowed. Two members of each group should use the spoons to mix and mash the food and water until a softer mixture forms.
  3. Now, the food needs to go to the intestines, where all of the goodness can be taken out of it by the body. The person leading the activity should explain that the intestines are tubes that food is squeezed through and that the tights leg is the tube. Each group should carefully pour their mixture into the top (larger hole) of the tights leg, while one member of the group holds the bottom (smaller hole) of the tights leg tightly. One person should tilt the bowl at the top end while another holds the larger hole open for them. Spoons can be used to scrape any remaining mixture into the tights leg.
  1. Once all of the mixture has been added to the tights leg, the young person holding the bottom end (smaller hole) of the tube should put their end into the second bowl. One person in the group should hold onto this bowl to stop it moving. The group should take turns doing this, while the rest squeeze the tights leg to push the food out through the bottom end into the bowl. The person leading the activity should explain that once all the goodness is taken from the food, it leaves the body as waste in this way.

Reflection

The group has made models that show what happens to food after it is eaten. Was it fun squeezing the mixture through the tube into the bowl? Did it make a mess? Did seeing this model help you understand how digestion works and what it might look like on the inside?

The tights leg represented the small and large intestines of the body, which take important nutrients and extra water from the food we eat. What kind of things might the intestine take from people’s dinners? The intestines absorb nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, as well as water. How can people make sure they get enough nutrients? By eating a varied diet, including fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, protein, dairy and alternatives, and oils and spreads. Some people (for example, vegetarians and vegans) may also choose to take a multivitamin to make sure they get everything they need.  

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Rubbish and recycling

All items should be clean and suitable for this activity.

Food

Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.

Water games and activities

Be careful when doing activities with, in, or near water. Check surfaces and reduce the risk of slipping where possible. Make sure you have appropriate supervision for this activity.

Anyone struggling to make a soft enough mixture could start again with softer foods (for example, more soft fruit, more liquid). Anyone who enjoyed mashing the food up might want to take on something a bit tougher, like leftover vegetables. When the groups work with new foods, encourage them to think about what the body might get from each one. Are there plenty of carbohydrates and proteins to be broken down? What about vitamins? Did anyone know that some vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are fat-soluble, meaning that they’re absorbed along with fats in the diet?

Anyone who doesn’t want to get their hands dirty could wear gloves so they can join in with the fun without worrying about textures. It’s OK if people would rather just watch the messy bits too.

If anyone has any allergies, make sure they’re not exposed to the allergens. You may need to make sure the meeting place is totally free from the allergen.

There are lots of reasons people might find talking about food tricky, including eating disorders, disordered eating, sensory sensitivities, and a lack of access to food or cooking facilities. Be sensitive in how you approach this activity – some people may appreciate knowing you’ll cover the topic in advance, you might need to take extra care to avoid talking too negatively about food (including food higher in sugar or fat), or you may want to keep it general and avoid asking people about their personal experiences, for example.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Cubs Our Skills Challenge Award

Look at what happens next in the food cycle. Food waste is often a useful fertiliser, which means it can be helpful for growing more food. If the meeting place has outside space with plants, any waste from this activity could be placed in soil to help them grow. If not, think about growing some indoor plants and using the food waste to fertilise them.

Let people choose what foods they use from what’s available – as long as there’s enough soft food and water so they can mash their mixture. The model isn’t quite like a body, because humans break down food using their teeth, stomach, and enzymes (including in salvia!).