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Body Lab 3-5 / Week 10 / Tuesday
2/6
Week 10 · Skin, Touch, Smell and Taste

Tuesday

Just right temperature
// The senses that touch, sniff and sample the world
⏱ about 15 min

Tuesday: Just Right Temperature

Rocket races around the yard testing his new rocket sneakers. He stops, puffing, with a damp, warm face.

"My face is wet and red!" he says. "Are my sneakers broken?"

Raven grins. "What do you notice when you run hard on a hot day?"

Nova hums beside Rocket. "Your skin is doing a job right now," she says. "Think about cooling."

Keeping your temperature steady

Your body works best at about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That is 37 degrees Celsius.

A part of your brain acts like a thermometer. It sends messages to your skin.

Your skin can help you cool down or stay warm.

When you are too hot

  • Sweat glands in your skin make sweat. Sweat is almost all water.
  • Sweat comes out through tiny holes called pores.
  • When sweat evaporates off your skin, you cool down.
  • Blood vessels bring warm blood close to the skin to let heat out. Your face may look red.

When you are too cold

  • Blood vessels near the skin get narrow. Warm blood stays deeper inside.
  • Tiny muscles pull on your hairs so they stand up. We call these goosebumps.
  • The fat in the bottom layer of skin helps keep you warm.
HOT OR COLD?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Rocket runs on a hot day and sweats. What does the sweat do?
Raven sleds on a snowy day and gets goosebumps. Is she too hot or too cold?
Blood vessels near the skin get narrow. What does that help?
Try it
Dip a cotton ball in room temperature water.
Dab a little water on the back of one hand. Keep the other hand dry.
Wave both hands gently in the air for ten seconds.
Which hand feels cooler? That is how evaporating sweat cools you.
Safety first
Use room temperature water only, never hot water.
Wipe up any spills so nobody slips.
StatementTrue or false?
Sweat is almost all water.?
Sweat warms you up.?
Goosebumps can show up when you are cold.?
Sweat comes out through tiny holes called pores.?
WHY THIS EXERCISESweat is mostly water. It leaves through pores and cools you as it evaporates.
What are the tiny holes in your skin that let sweat out?
WHY THIS EXERCISESweat leaves your skin through tiny holes called pores.
When you are hot, sweat glands make ____.
When you are cold, tiny bumps called ____ can pop up.
HOW SWEAT COOLS YOU
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last

You figured out your skin's cooling trick! Tomorrow we explore how skin feels touch.

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