Download Performing Tonight: Your Body

Performing
Tonight: Your Body
The Circulatory System
Starring: YOUR BLOOD!
Blood is something we cannot live without.
Blood gives us:
 Oxygen and nutrients
 A way to keep warm
and cool
A way to fight infections
 A way to get rid of

waste products
Where does it all come from?
Blood is made in your bone marrow. This soft
tissue, found in our bones, constantly works to
make the blood!
Bone marrow is especially
active in the vertebrae, ribs, pelvis, skull, and
sternum. Why do you think that is?
Bone marrow makes three different parts of
your blood. The cells made in the bone
marrow travel in plasma, a yellowish fluid
that is 90% water and contains nutrients,
hormones, and waste products. Blood is a
mixture of plasma and blood cells.
Getting to Know Your Blood:
Red Blood Cells
•There are more RBC in the body
than any other cell type!
•Each RBC has the life span of
about 4 months.
•New RBC are made daily.
You can recognize red
blood cells by their
shape: they look like
indented, flattened
discs! The RBC give
the blood its red color
when hemoglobin, a
protein in the blood,
releases oxygen into
tissues.
Defend Yourself: White Blood Cells
to the Rescue!
White blood cells are
essential in defending your
body from infection. WBC
move in and out of the
bloodstream to reach
infected tissues. When you
are sick, your body builds
up the WBC to fight off the
infection. Some WBC
“remember” how to fight
germs so that they can
quickly attack them in the
future.
•There are several types of
WBC in the body.
•Their life span can last a few
days to a few months.
Can you clot it? Platelets can!
•Platelets survive only about 9
days!
•When large blood vessels are
cut, sometimes platelets need
some help. That’s when we get
stitches!
•In one cubic cm of blood, there
are about 250,000 to 450,000
platelets.
The tiny, oval shaped
cells in blood are called
platelets. They help
clot your blood when a
blood vessel breaks.
Platelets will gather in a
certain area to seal off
the leak. Proteins with
clotting factors helps
the platelets form solid
lumps to stop blood
flow.
Veins or Arteries? How can
you tell?
There are two types of blood vessels
in your body because there are two types of
blood.
Veins – Carry blood that needs oxygen
Arteries – Carry blood that has oxygen
In pictures, veins are usually blue. Why?
In pictures, arteries are usually red. Why?
Veins
 Veins carry the blood to the heart. The
smallest veins, also called venules, are
very thin. They join larger veins that open
into the heart. The veins carry dark red
blood that doesn't have much oxygen.
Veins have thin walls. They don't need to
be as strong as the arteries because as
blood is returned to the heart, it is under
less pressure.
Arteries
 Arteries are tough, elastic tubes that carry
blood away from the heart. As the arteries
move away from the heart, they divide
into smaller vessels. The largest arteries
are about as thick as a thumb. The
smallest arteries are thinner than hair.
These thinner arteries are called
arterioles. Arteries carry bright red blood!
The color comes from the oxyegen that it
carries.