Excretory System Worksheets for Elementary Students
This is the one unit your kids are going to be both fascinated by and repelled by, as we’re talking about body wastes. The Excretory System Worksheets for Elementary Students are the next chapter in our unit study on the human body. Are you prepared for the giggles and gross-outs?
You can check out the other Human Body Worksheets. These are free printable worksheets, and contain everything you need for an introduction to the human body. For the excretory system worksheets for elementary students, the worksheets are non-gender specific, so you don’t have to worry about going into detail about boy parts and girl parts, if you aren’t ready for that yet.
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Recommended Worksheet Supplies
- Printer (I have this one)
- Paper
- Pencil
What you need to know about the Excretory System
What the excretory system does:
The excretory system are all those organs that are part of going pee, and getting rid of those body wastes. Basically, this is how your body “cleans” your blood.
Think of your kidneys like a car wash system for your blood. Your blood goes through the kidneys, and the kidneys pull out the excess water and water-soluble wastes.
The kidneys pass that waste on through the ureter to the bladder. When the bladder gets full, it sends a signal to your brain. Then the muscles are released to open up the bladder to let the urine out through the urethra and out of the body.
The kidneys do a bit more than just clean the blood. Attached to the kidneys are the adrenal glands, which monitor and release a variety of hormones. These hormones keep the body in “homeostasis” or balance.
Problems with the excretory system
Since some of the waste products the kidneys help filter out are excess mineral salts, sometimes those salts can get caught and left behind. When too many collect inside the kidney, they can crystallize and turn into a kidney stone. And those can cause the whole system to become irritated and quite painful!
Another common problem is infection. And most often, infections of the excretory system are caused by a failure of proper hygiene. So this is a good way to discuss hygiene and the consequences of not paying attention to it.
For example, not wiping properly after using the bathroom can lead to urinary tract infections. And if left untreated, these UTIs can lead to kidney infections. Those can have some serious, long-term health consequences, because too many kidney infections can cause the kidneys to not work as well, or even fail.
Fortunately, almost all of us have two kidneys, and we can survive on one. Kidneys are one of the few organs that can be donated by living donors because of that.
Recommended Excretory System Books for Kids
Learn more about the Excretory System with our favorite books! Check out the list here:
Gee Whiz! It’s all About PeeMy Messy Body (Body Works)Immense Intestine Plush – Go With Your Gut! – I Heart Guts SeriesHuman Body (Discovery Kids)The Human Body Atlas: How the human body worksThe Digestive and Urinary Systems (Building Blocks of Life Science)
Recommended Excretory System Toys
So one of our favorite human body educational tools are these great plushies. Take the plush kidney, for example! You can make those giggles about bathroom talk turn into fun, with these great toys. And check out some of these other hands-on toys to help you show what really goes on inside your kids’ bodies.
TEP38913 – Trend The Human Body Learning Chart
nerdbugs Kidney Plush – Urine for a Treat!Colossal Kidney Plush – When Urine Love! – I Heart Guts SeriesGIANTmicrobes Kidney Stone PlushGIANTmicrobes Kidney Cell (Podocyte) Plush Toy
Download the Excretory System Worksheets below:
More Human Body Worksheets
Elementary Endocrine System Worksheets
Human Reproductive System Worksheets
Learn the Body Parts by Itsy Bitsy Fun