Digestion Dash: The Ultimate Body Adventure!

Digestion Dash: The Ultimate Body Adventure!

Get ready to race through the human body in Digestion Dash! In this game, you’ll follow food on an epic journey—from the first bite all the way to the end. Along the way, you’ll play mini-games and learn how your digestive system turns food into nutrients your body can use.

Mouth – Bite It & Chew It

Digestion begins in the mouth!

Your teeth break food into smaller pieces. This is called mechanical digestion. As you chew, your tongue moves the food around and mixes it with saliva.

Saliva starts chemical digestion, breaking food down even more. All together, this forms a soft ball of food called a bolus.

Mini-Games:

Esophagus – Swallow It

Time to swallow!

The bolus travels down the esophagus, a stretchy tube that pushes food toward your stomach using squeezing motions. The squeezing motion is called peristalsis.

Mini-Game:

Stomach – Churn It

Welcome to the stomach!

Here, food is mixed with strong acid and enzymes like pepsin. The stomach muscles churn the food, continuing both mechanical digestion and chemical digestion.

The food becomes a thick liquid as it prepares for the next stage. This thick liquid is called Chyme.

Mini-Game:

Small Intestine – Enzyme Dash & Nutrient Dash

This is where the magic happens!

In the small intestine, especially the duodenum, your body breaks food down into usable nutrients.

The pancreas sends enzymes like lipase to break down fats. The liver produces bile, which helps digest fats even more.

Now the nutrients are small enough to be absorbed into your bloodstream!

Mini-Games:

Large Intestine – Hold It

Next stop: the large intestine.

Here, your body focuses on removing water from the leftover material. What’s left becomes solid waste.

Mini-Game:

The Finish Line – Poop

The final stage!

Waste is stored in the rectum until it leaves the body through the anus.

🎮 Mini-Game:

Why This Matters

Every time you eat, your body is hard at work using mechanical digestion and chemical digestion to turn food into nutrients that give you energy, help you grow, and keep you healthy.

Play the Game!

Ready to test your skills and race through the digestive system?

Digestion Dash Game

Let's talk about video games

Video games open the door to countless learning opportunities.  Children are naturally curious and want to learn about things.  Video games do a phenomenal job of keeping children engaged and providing immediate feedback.  They often spark interests for our children to explore.

My son was playing the video game Subnautica last night before dinner.  He was proudly telling us about how he had crafted a new submarine, much larger than our apartment, that was named The Cyclops.  During our discussion we dove into the Latin roots of the word - “round and eye” like cycle and optometrist - and then busted out Edith Hamilton's Mythology to read about the Cyclops Polyphemus.  Our conversation meandered into Homer and his epics, how stories are passed down through time, and then back to why the submarine might have been named The Cyclops.  We could have dismissed him at the beginning, by saying leave the video game talk to kids, but instead we explored it.  Many seeds of interest were planted in a short amount of time by simply talking about a video game during dinner.

Unlike consuming entertainment such as movies, cartoons, and youtube; video games are interactive.  Children have to put thought into the video game and make decisions as they play.  They have to solve problems and overcome obstacles.  Rather than simply consuming, a video game requires thought, planning, strategy, and input.

Many parents unnecessarily see video games as a waste of time.  They wish their child would do something else, but do not offer up anything more exciting than the screen.  I encourage you to embrace video games as a worthwhile use of time.  

Use the following talking points to connect with your child and add more value to their video gaming interest.

*Keep an eye out on the answer to this question.  Hopefully it’s about the fun, playing with friends, learning a new skill, or accomplishing a goal.  Be on the lookout for gaming as an escape from reality or better than the real world.  That response could indicate an increased tendency towards depression or isolation.

Healthy gaming is a productive use of your child’s time.  They are spending time with a hobby that entertains them and can generate interest in a huge number of activities away from a screen.

Books to read on the topic:

Cover Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash