This Kapow pupil video is part of the Kapow Science – Animals including humans scheme of work. It explains how the digestive system breaks down food and absorbs useful nutrients into our blood in a clear, pupil-friendly way.

Food enters the mouth where teeth chew it into smaller pieces and saliva softens and helps break it down further. Swallowed food moves down the oesophagus into the stomach, where strong acid continues the breakdown process and destroys germs. The mixture then enters the small intestine, which, although narrow, is very long. Here, nutrients are absorbed through the intestine wall into the blood to be carried around the body. Finally, the large intestine absorbs water, and the remaining waste is passed out of the body through the anus.

The video is designed to be shown to pupils as part of Science, key stage 2, Year 4, Animals including humans: Digestion and food, Lesson 1: The human digestive system