1. Five Points of Life in the Classroom K-2 Education Program
A program of:
Hi. My name is ____________. I work for LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. Does anyone here know anything about LifeSouth? Do you know what we do?
LifeSouth has a very important job because we collect blood from people that volunteer to donate that blood and then get it to our hospitals for people who need it. I am here today to teach you about the blood in our body and why it is so important. By the end of the presentation, you will understand what your blood does in your body and why it is so important to give to others if you are able.

2. The 5 ways to share life with others are:
Blood
Apheresis
Marrow
Cord Blood
Organ and Tissue
There are actually five ways you can share life with others and blood is just one of them. So, what are the five ways you can save another person’s life?
You can share life through blood (T1), apheresis (T2), marrow (T3), cord blood (T4)
and organ and tissue (T5). Today we are going to just talk about blood (T6). We are
going to learn about its parts and how it keeps us alive.

3. What is BLOOD? How can we save lives through BLOOD?
So, what is blood and how can we save lives through blood? It is time to find out!
Ask kids to get out their Play-Doh that you either hand out to the kids or already have laid out on their desks (Note: It is easier to manage this activity if the Play-Doh is already on a corner of each desk.) Instruct the children to remove the Play-Doh from its container and put the container on a corner of the desk.
Now that you have your Play-Doh out of the container and have put the container back on your desk, I want you to warm up your Play-Doh by rolling it around in your hands while I tell you a little more about blood.
How many of you knew that blood is actually broken into four pieces or parts?
Tell story related to blood components. Example:
When I was in high school and gave blood on a bloodmobile, I thought that the bag that collected my blood went straight to the hospital to the person that needed it. That is not true. Blood is actually broken into four separate parts and has four separate functions in our body. After a person gives blood, their blood goes back to LifeSouth, where we put the bag of blood in this big machine called a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the blood really quickly and the pieces separate into its four parts. Then, we take each one of those parts out a piece at a time, and depending on what the doctor wants for the sick person, that is what we send to the hospital. So, are you ready to learn about the four parts of blood?

4. Red Blood Cells
The first part, or component, of blood is red blood cells. Did you know that red blood cells are what make your blood red? The liquid part of your blood is not red. There are just so many red blood cells in your blood that it makes your blood a red color.
Looking at the picture on the screen, can anyone tell me how to make a red blood cell? Let kids answer. Use one of the suggestions, if you would like, and also give the included direction.
I think that red blood cells (or what we call them at the blood bank “RBCs”) look like a donut without the middle poked through. So, let’s break off a piece of Play-Doh and roll it in a ball. Then, let’s put the ball between our thumb and pointer finger and squash the middle. It should look like a donut without a hole in the middle. Do you want to know how big a red blood cell is in your body? I want you to imagine a grain of rice. If you were to take that grain of rice and smash it with a hammer, one of those tiny specks would be about the size of a red blood cell. T1
There are millions of red blood cells in your body carrying around oxygen to the parts of your body that need it and taking away the carbon dioxide we don’t need. So, red blood cells act like a boat by picking up oxygen in your lungs, dropping it off to other body parts and then carrying away carbon dioxide we breathe out from our lungs.
Demonstration of how RBCs work using Play-Doh RBC. Have kids do this with you.
Place a Play-Doh RBC in front of your lungs.
The red blood cells pick up the oxygen in your lungs. Can everyone take a big breath in? You just gave your red blood cells all kinds of oxygen to take around your body. Once the red blood cell has picked up oxygen, it goes to your heart.
Place Play-Doh RBC in front of your heart. Your heart pushes the red blood cell really fast from your heart out to the body parts that need that oxygen to survive.
Move the Play-Doh RBC from your heart down your body to show how the heart pumps the blood. Keep moving the RBC as you talk. The red blood cell does not just drop off oxygen to the organs and tissues in your body. It also picks up carbon dioxide that our body does not need and brings it back to the lungs for us to breathe out. Can everyone breathe out? You just got rid of all that carbon dioxide you don’t need.
So, how important are our red blood cells? Without them, our bodies cannot function. For a LifeSaver, can anyone tell me what red blood cells do? Now let’s make one or two more red blood cells and place them in front of us.
Act like a boat by picking up oxygen in the lungs, dropping it off to other body parts and then carrying away carbon dioxide we breathe out from our lungs.

5. Kill germs to keep you healthy!
White Blood Cells
Kill germs to keep you healthy!
The second part, or component, of blood is white blood cells. Looking at the picture, how do you think we can make a white blood cell?
Make a ball of Play-Doh and give it spikes.
We are only going to make one white blood cell to put with our red blood cells because there really aren’t that many white blood cells in comparison to our red blood cells. Do you want to know what they do? T1
White blood cells kill germs to keep you healthy. If you have ever had a cold and were coughing and sneezing and wondered if you were ever going to feel better again, you are! The reason you get better is because your white blood cells fight those germs to make you better. So, every time you feel better and are able to go back to school, thank your white blood cells!
Let’s put our white blood cell next to our red blood cells.
For a LifeSaver, can anyone tell me what our white blood cells do? Answer: Kill germs to keep you healthy.
Can anyone remember what red blood cells do? Answer: Carry around oxygen to the parts of your body that need it and take away the carbon dioxide we don’t need.

6. Platelets clot.
The next component of blood is platelets. Can anyone tell me what platelets do? What about the picture? Can you tell me how we can make platelets?
Take a piece of Play-Doh and roll it between your hands until it gets long and skinny. Place it right over the red blood cells and white blood cell. Repeat 4 or 5 times.
Platelets keep blood inside our bodies so that they can do their jobs. Platelets clot to create a natural bandage or what we call a scab. If you have ever wondered why your scab is a red color, now you know it is because the platelets have trapped the red blood cells when they clot, just like what the picture shows. I want everyone to do me a favor and go home and ask your parents why scabs are red. See if they can tell you. . . If not, you get to teach them something tonight.
Platelets are really special. They only live five days outside of the body and only eight days inside the body. So, to make sure they are available for all the people who need them, LifeSouth has to work hard to get platelets.
Who wants to tell me what platelets do? Answer: Clot to stop bleeding.

7. The liquid portion of the blood.
Plasma
The last part of blood is plasma. Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. The red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are all floating in plasma. What color is the liquid portion of the blood? So, you see that the liquid part is not red, but it is the red blood cells that make the blood red.
How can we make plasma out of our Play-Doh? Let’s take our extra Play-Doh and mix it all up with our red blood cells, white blood cell and platelets and put it all back in its container, which would be our bodies. The red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma are all moving around our bodies doing their job.
Make sure students pick up all the extra pieces of Play-Doh before placed back in its container.
For a LifeSaver, what are the four parts of blood?
Answer: Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, plasma
What can you tell me about red blood cells?
Answer: Act like a boat by picking up oxygen in the lungs, dropping it off to other body parts and then carrying away carbon dioxide we breathe out from our lungs.
What can you tell me about white blood cells?
Answer: Fight germs to keep you healthy.
What can you tell me about platelets?
Answer: Platelets clot to stop bleeding.
Plasma?
Answer: Liquid portion of the blood.
What is your favorite part of blood and why?
Answers will vary.
The liquid portion of the blood.

8. Let’s Make Some Blood!
*Note: If you have pre-packaged activity kits, have students take out their materials and place them on their desks. If no activity kit is provided, use the following set up instructions.
Suggested set up:
 Plastic cup of gummy worms. Each child should be able to have 5 gummy worms.
 Container of red Kool-Aid open, with a plastic spoon for scooping.
 2 packs of white mint Tic-Tacs
 Plastic cup filled ¼ of the way with water
Are you ready to make some blood?
Now, using what we learned from the presentation, we are going to make some blood. I say that if we are going to make blood, we should start with the liquid part of blood. Can anyone tell me what the liquid portion of the blood is called? Answer: Plasma
Can you tell me what would be the plasma out of the materials before you? Answer: The water
Pull the plasma in front of you. What component of blood carries oxygen around the body? Answer: Red Blood Cells
What in front of you do you think would be your red blood cells? Answer: The Kool-Aid
Listen to my directions and then I will give you 3 minutes to put your red blood cells in your plasma. Since red blood cells make your blood red and there are millions of red blood cells in one drop of blood, I want you to take a good spoonful of Kool-Aid (or packet included in activity kit) and pour it into your plasma. Make sure to watch as the plasma turns red. Then, I want you to take the spoon and mix your red blood cells into your plasma (or cap the water bottle included in the activity kit and gently shake). Then pass it on to the next person in your group.
Walk around and keep the kids moving on pouring and mixing. You want the water to be a nice red color, not watery looking.
I am looking for everyone’s eyes on me to know that you are done mixing your plasma and red blood cells. Now, someone raise their hand and let me know, what is the next component of blood you would like to add to our plasma and red blood cells?
What would be the white blood cells? Answer: The Tic-Tacs
What do white blood cells do? Answer: White blood cells fight germs.
Since there are not many white blood cells in one drop of blood, we are only going to put 2 Tic-Tacs in with our plasma and red blood cells. So, put 2 white blood cells in your blood and you can have one for yourself to help fight off germs. I will give you all 3 minutes to put your white blood cells in your blood. When all eyes are on me, I will know you are done.
We have gummy worms left to add. What component of blood do the gummy worms represent? Answer: Platelets
What do platelets do? Answer: Platelets clot.
I want you to put 3 platelets in with your plasma, red blood cells and white blood cells and then you can have one to boost the platelets in your body. I will know you are done when all eyes are on me. Now, it is time to drink your blood. When I count to three, I want to see how many vampires we have in this class. Who will like the taste of the blood? Are you ready? One, Two, Three. . . drink your blood!
Give the students a minute to drink the blood and then have them put it to the side of the table.

9. Donate blood to save up to 3 people!
Can anyone tell me why we say by giving blood you can save up to three lives?
Answer: Because when you take the four parts of blood and give them to different people who need that specific part, you can save three different lives. White blood cells are not commonly collected.
For a LifeSaver, does anyone want to tell me what you learned today?

10. Let’s go visit a bloodmobile!
It is time to go tour the blood mobile. On your way out you will get an I am the Donation Generation sticker and your teacher will get a Five Points of Life Activity Book and pencil to hand out to you before you go home. And maybe, just maybe, you will get a snack from the people giving a tour of the bus. I hope you had fun and be sure to tell you parents what you learned today!