Organ Systems Flashcards
A group of organs and tissues that work together to help you breathe. It includes the nose, mouth, trachea (windpipe), bronchial tubes, lungs, and diaphragm. What is it?
Respiratory system
“The respiratory system is like a set of pipes in your body that helps you breathe in air and breathe out air. It starts with your nose and mouth, which are like the openings to the pipes. Then the air goes down a big pipe called the trachea or windpipe. This pipe divides into two smaller pipes called bronchial tubes, which lead to your lungs.
Your lungs are like sponges that fill up with air when you breathe in, and squeeze the air out when you breathe out. There are tiny little sacs in your lungs called alveoli, which are like balloons that help you get oxygen from the air you breathe and get rid of the waste gas called carbon dioxide.
Your diaphragm is like a big muscle that helps push the air in and out of your lungs. When you breathe in, the diaphragm moves down, and when you breathe out, it moves up.
So all together, your respiratory system helps you breathe and get the oxygen your body needs to stay alive!”
A group of organs and tissues that work together to help your body break down and absorb the food you eat. It includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (also called the colon), rectum, and anus. What is it?
Digestive system
“The digestive system is like a food factory inside your body. It starts with your mouth where you chew your food and your saliva helps to break it down. Then, the food goes down a long tube called the esophagus and into your stomach, which is like a big bag that mixes the food up with special juices that help break it down even more.
Next, the food goes into the small intestine, which is like a long, twisting slide where your body takes all the good parts out of the food and sends them to different parts of your body that need them to work properly. What’s left then goes into the large intestine or colon, which is like a big, curved tunnel that absorbs any water left in the food and forms it into poop.
Finally, when you go to the bathroom, your rectum and anus help you get rid of the poop. All of these organs work together to turn the food you eat into the energy and nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy and strong!”
A group of organs and tissues that are responsible for both the urinary and reproductive functions of the body. It includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, as well as the testes, ovaries, uterus, and other reproductive organs. What is it?
Urogenital System
“The urogenital system is a group of organs and tissues in your body that help you pee and make babies.
Your kidneys act like a filter to remove waste and extra water from your body, and they send that waste out through a tube called the ureter. That waste collects in a storage tank called the bladder, and when it gets full, you have to go pee!
The other part of the urogenital system helps make babies. Boys have testes that make sperm, and girls have ovaries that make eggs. When a sperm meets an egg, it can grow into a baby inside a special place called the uterus.
A group of organs and tissues in your body that work together to pump blood throughout your body. It includes the heart, blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries), and blood. What is it?
Circulatory system
“The circulatory system is like a big transportation system in your body that helps move important things like oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body. It’s kind of like a big highway with different kinds of vehicles. The heart is like a big pump that pushes blood through the blood vessels (the highways). The blood vessels include arteries, veins, and capillaries, and they help carry the blood to different parts of your body. The blood is like a bunch of little trucks that are carrying important things like oxygen and nutrients to all the different parts of your body that need them. So the circulatory system helps keep your body healthy by bringing it the things it needs to work properly!”
A system is a network of vessels, tissues, and organs in the body that helps remove waste, toxins, and excess fluid from the body. What is it?
Lymphatic system (lymph vascular system)
“The lymphatic system is like a big clean-up crew that helps keep your body healthy! It’s made up of tiny tubes called lymphatic vessels and small bean-shaped structures called lymph nodes. These tubes and nodes work together to collect and get rid of waste, extra fluid, and germs from your body.
Just like how you clean up your toys after playing with them, your lymphatic system cleans up your body to keep you healthy. It’s an important part of your body that helps you stay strong and happy!”
A group of organs and tissues that work together to transport blood throughout the body. What is it?
Blood vascular system (cardiovascular system)
“Body needs food and water to keep going. Well, it also needs something called “blood” to help it work properly. The cardiovascular system is like a big highway in your body that helps move this special “blood” around.
The heart is like a really strong pump that pushes the blood around your body through special tubes called “blood vessels.” The blood vessels come in different sizes: the big ones are called arteries, and the small ones are called capillaries.
The blood carries important things like oxygen, which helps you breathe, and nutrients that give you energy. When the blood drops off these important things, it also picks up waste and brings it to the organs that can get rid of it.
So just like how roads help cars move around a city, the cardiovascular system helps blood move around your body so that your body can keep working properly!”
A complex network of nerves and cells in the body that transmits signals between different parts of the body. What is it?
Nervous system
“The nervous system is like a big telephone system in your body. It helps your body send messages back and forth, just like you can talk to your friends on the phone. Your brain is like the main control center of the telephone system, and your nerves are like the wires that send messages all over your body. This system helps your body do things like move, feel, and think!”
A group of glands in your body that make hormones. What is it called?
Endocrine system
“The endocrine system is like a special messenger system in your body. It includes a group of glands that make hormones, which are like tiny messengers that travel throughout your body to tell different organs and tissues what to do. These hormones help regulate things like growth, mood, and metabolism, and help your body stay balanced and healthy.”
A group of organs and tissues that give your body shape and allow you to move. It includes your bones, muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments. What is it called?
Musculoskeletal system
“The musculoskeletal system is what helps your body move and stay strong. It’s like the frame of your body. Just like how a building needs a frame to stay up, your body needs bones to keep its shape. And, just like how strings hold up a tent, your body has muscles, tendons, and ligaments that work together to move your bones and help you do things like run, jump, and play.”
