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Your heart is in the middle of your chest, close to your lungs. It is a strong muscle that pumps blood all around your body, all day and all night.

Each squeeze of the heart is a heartbeat. You can feel it if you put your hand on your chest.

Your two lungs fill with air when you breathe in. A big muscle under them, the diaphragm, moves down to make room.

The air has oxygen in it. Your body needs oxygen. The lungs pass the oxygen into your blood, and the heart sends that blood everywhere.

Experiment: Feel your heartbeat

1. Sit very still for one minute. Put your hand flat on the left side of your chest. Can you feel your heart going thump-thump?
2. Is it slow or fast? Show the speed by tapping your other hand on the table.
3. Now jump up and down gently, or march on the spot, for one minute.
4. Sit down and feel your heart again. Is it faster or slower than before? Are you breathing faster too?
5. Rest for two minutes and feel again. What happens?

	My heartbeat feels…	My breathing feels…
Sitting still	What will your heart do after you jump? Faster or slower?
After jumping	What will your heart do after you jump? Faster or slower?
After resting	What will your heart do after you jump? Faster or slower?

Questions

1. Draw a person. Draw the heart and the two lungs in the right place.

   🍎

2. What does the heart pump?

3. After jumping, my heart beat…

   faster / slower

4. Why do we breathe faster when we run?

Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/heart-and-lungs/sources/

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