The Magic School Bus For Lunch

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Field Trip Notes
Arnold's dream comes true! Ms. Frizzle lets him skip the field trip. What he doesn't know is that HE is the field trip: The Bus takes the rest of the class on a rip-roaring ride through Arnold's digestive system. When they arrive at the large intestine, the kids refuse to finish the trip as waste products. Instead, they exit Arnold by traveling back up his digestive system. With the help of a burp, the class returns, and Arnold's friends give him a trophy for being the best field trip ever!

Food Crushers

Going Hands-On

When the Magic School Bus shrinks and goes into Arnold's mouth, the children watch his teeth chew Cheezie Wheezies while the Bus swerves to avoid being crushed! The kids meet up with much smaller pieces of the Cheezie Wheezies again in the stomach. It's all part of the normal digestive process. In this activity, children can explore the mouth, where digestion begins.

What You Need (for each group)

• Small mirrors
• Paper plates
• A piece of apple, banana, and celery for each child
• Copies of FOOD CRUSHERS page

Talk About It

Ask Children: Where do you think digestion begins? What happens to food in the mouth?

What To Do

1. Give children copies of the FOOD CRUSHERS page. Have them wash their hands before beginning activity.
2. Have kids look at their teeth in the mirror.
3. Pass around plates with the food.
4. Help children make and record their observations on the activity page. 

Next Stop 

Ask children: How does chewing food help the body digest it? What happens to the pieces of food along the digestive tract?

Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Outdoor Art - Rub and See
Children will investigate objects and develop observation skills as they work together to make a variety of rubbings, in this ready-to-use teaching idea in science and art for mixed ages.

Collecting Caterpillars or Other Insects
Explore the environment through specific organisms. Caterpillars and other insects are interesting, plentiful, and quite varied. With some care, you can raise some caterpillars to adults and learn about their life histories.

The Magic School Bus Flexes Its Muscles
Ms. Frizzle's class uses a fantastical machine to see inside the human body. Your children can explore bones and joints by comparing their own hands and arms with a chicken wing.

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