Below is a lung science experiment with tobacco prevention resources geared for middle school students.
Before we get settled in with our lung science experiment, which gives a great visual of how smoking affects the lungs check out that Stay Smart About Tobacco magazine above. It had GREAT information on the toxic chemicals actually in tobacco products (EW!) and there was even a mini-poster with information for both students and teachers! Unfortunately Scholastic has unexpectedly pulled all of their anti-tobacco resources off of their site so they do not have any of their free printables anymore. But you can head here for more printable tobacco resources.
I had NO idea there were so many chemicals in tobacco products! It was extremely informative to learn these facts—even as an adult! The magazine also talks about electronic cigarettes, which is a big topic now and is growing popular with youth today. It’s a great foundational basis for kids to visualize what’s in tobacco products, and how tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, have been marketed with features that are appealing to young people.
To set up our lung science experiment which illuminate these facts for kids check out how we did it below. What I love is that these instructions are specifically geared for a classroom-sized group, including reproducible instruction pages that can be handed out to kids. Here are some related Lesson Plans and other printable resources on Tobacco Prevention.
Materials Needed for Lung Science Experiment:
- Duct Tape
- 2 Straws
- 1 Liter Clear Plastic Bottle
- 4 Balloons
-
Lung Science Experiment Directions:
To set up our lung experiment we carefully cut the bottom off of our clear plastic bottle. For the healthy “lung” we taped one balloon end tightly around a straw so there were no air leaks. For the “lung” affected by smoking you will actually need to put a balloon inside of another balloon and then duct tape it to a straw.
This represents how smoking damages the elasticity of the alveoli tissue.
Once you have inserted the two straws with attached “lungs” into the bottle opening you will need to take a small lump of clay and connect/seal the straws to the bottle opening. Make sure to seal them tightly so there are no air holes. To further help the visual affect of an unhealthy lung you will also need to push some clay down inside the straw of the unhealthy “lung” to mimic the blockage that smoking can cause.
The last step in preparing your lung science experiment is to cut the bottom off a balloon, tie it off, and wrap the cut end around the bottom opening of your clear bottle.
We had several balloons break due to the sharp plastic edges of the bottle so if this occurs you can simply add a layer of duct tape around the bottle to cover the sharp edges and then wrap your balloon around the bottom opening of the bottle. Once your balloon is set in place add one final layer of duct tape around the edges to help hold the balloon in place.
When you tug on the bottom balloon piece you will immediately notice that the suction created inside the bottle will help the healthy “lung” to inflate more easily than the damaged “lung,” which struggles to inflate properly.
The entire lung science experiment took us only a few minutes to put together!
This campaign has provided invaluable resources for our family to not only understand how smoking affects the lungs ability to function but also to understand what tobacco is actually made of.
diaz-zapata says
awesome project worked out awesomely
traci says
lol i cant get the balloon on the bottom
Khushi says
This is real got! I am legit using this for my Science fair project
Rebbeca says
You mean *GOOD
paradox Yelllow says
LOL SAME HERE
JustSomeStudent says
lmao same, I’m kinda worried because what if people think I’m lazy? But then again everyone else in my grade is also still copying from others, some are creative because they want to go to the county. Does anyone else have any other science fair ideas so I don’t worry next year?
Khushi says
I am LEGIT using this for my Sci fair project
Rebbeca says
Looove it
Amily says
looooove it
Alanna says
wowiie, this is pretty good
Laur says
What would the tested variable be in this experiment? What would the control group be?
Crystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary says
It would depend what you are experimenting for but you can make a regular “healthy” lung as a control.
Caroline says
What did you observe in the world that made you ask your question
Me says
Going to use this in class
Alora says
Im so using this for my sci fair. 6th grade ROCKS!
Crystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary says
WHOO!! Sounds awesome!
jay says
good
Ellery says
ok, heres the problem. i dont know how to graph my results, what do i graph.
Crystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary says
It depends on what you are looking for! Just make sure you set up a control too.
Pavan Dhesi says
I love this experiment but here’s the catch i don’t know how to write a hypothesis about this but otherwise best experiment that anyone can do!!!!!!!!!!!I still need help to do the hypothesis though.
Crystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary says
A hypothesis is simply your best guess as to what will happen in the experiment. Best wishes!
jessica perez says
This worked well and for sure using this first my 6th grade science project
Crystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
(Nope) says
This is cool. Me and my friend are doing a science comp think we should do this?
Acaciamunoz says
I’m using this idea for my science 🧪 fair. Project
nobody says
this is pretty cool i think i will do this for my science fair project as well!
Wendy Villarreal says
Are the links still available?
Crystal @ Surviving a Teacher's Salary says
Hi Wendy – oh no! It appears Scholastic has updated their resources which is causing error links! I have reached out to them and will fix asap! Thanks for catching this!
James says
Your welcome babe
Anonymous says
I have an observation tomorrow and i learned about Blood and Breathing and i saw this while we were studying so, i’ll try to do this and see how it goes