Activity: Life's a Kick — But Not When You Can't Breathe!

(Note: if a youth or adult has asthma, do not have him or her do this activity. But involve them by having them help you pass out the straws.)

Focus:

The effects of smoking and secondhand smoke.

Purpose:

To help youth understand how it feels to have trouble breathing because of smoking- related illness such as emphysema.

Materials:

Straws (two or three different sizes)

Time:

10 minutes

Procedures:

Hand out two or three different sizes of straws and have the youth breathe out of each of them. Now have them pinch their noses closed and breathe only through the straw.

Reflection:

• Ask the youth how easy or hard it was to breathe with the different sized straws and their noses pinched closed. Have them compare those attempts to breathing without the straws. How did it feel? Did you have any trouble breathing? (A long term side effect of smoking can be breathing problems.) Have them think about what parts of their body help them breathe.
• Ask the youth how participating in physical activities would be affected if they were able to take only the amount of oxygen that the straws allowed them.

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Last Updated: October 31, 2009
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