Frankie’s Farting Friends

The question

What is a fart? Do all animals fart?

After this lesson, you will be able to describe what is a fart is, which animals do it, and why!

Student learning objectives

• Explain what a fart is.
• Explain different ways for gas to be introduced to the gut.
• Determine which common species are able to fart and which are not.
• Understand how and why farting is different in different animals.

Lesson

Lets start by reading this story together about Walter the Farting Dog, which was written by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray

Lets explore more about why animals fart.

Activities

Follow along with this experiment to see what it is like when our bodies make gas!

In this video, the vinegar can represent the fluids in the stomach that are used to break down food, and the baking soda can represent the food that is eaten. Then, watch how the balloon fills up, thats gas!

When your balloons have filled up, that is the gas that is released from the body by burping, farting, or other methods!

What do you think would happen if there was no way to release the gas from the balloon? Would it maybe pop? If the balloon is supposed to be our stomach, that would be very bad! Well, luckily we can burp or fart to let that gas out. If that can’t happen, veterinarians can perform surgeries to relieve gas.

Assessment

Check your knowledge:

Further exploration

For more information on farting, watch these videos!