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THE EXCRETORY SYSTEM

Urine is more than just that drink you had a few hours ago. The body produces urine as a way to get rid of waste and extra water that it doesn't need. Before leaving your body, urine travels through the urinary tract. The urinary tract is a pathway that includes the: Kidneys: two bean-shaped organs that filter waste from the blood and produce urine Ureters: two thin tubes that take urine from the kidney to the bladder Bladder: a sac that holds urine until it's time to go to the bathroom Urethra: the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. The kidneys are key players in the urinary tract. They do two important jobs filter waste from the blood and produce urine to get rid of it. If they didn't do this, toxins (bad stuff) would quickly build up in your body and make you sick. That's why you hear about people getting kidney transplants sometimes. You need at least one working kidney to be healthy.

The production of urine

Kidneys normally come in pairs. Each kidney is about 13 centimeters long and about 8 centimeters wide about the size of a computer mouse. How does the waste get in your blood? Well, your blood delivers nutrients to your body. Chemical reactions occur in the cells of your body to break down the nutrients. Some of the waste is the result of these chemical reactions. Some is just stuff your body doesn't need because it already has enough. The waste has to go somewhere; this is where the kidneys come in. First, blood is carried into the kidneys by the renal artery. The kidneys filter that blood as many as 400 times a day! More than 1 million tiny filters inside the kidneys remove the waste. These filters are called nephrons. URINE The kidneys remove waste from the blood and make urine, also called pee. Urine is mostly water so if you don't take in a lot of fluids (or if you sweat a lot), your urine has less water in it and it appears darker. If you drink lots of fluids, the extra fluid comes out in your urine, and it will be lighter. Urine is stored in the bladder until it's peed out. The Path of Urine The waste that is collected combines with water (which is also filtered out of the kidneys) to make urine. The urine slides down a long tube called the ureter and collects in the bladder, a storage sac that holds the urine. When the bladder is about halfway full, your body tells you to go to the bathroom.
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The urine goes from the bladder down another tube called the urethra and out of your body. The kidneys, the bladder, and their tubes are called the urinary system. Here's a list of all of the parts of the urinary system: the kidneys: filters that take the waste out of the blood and make urine the ureters: tubes that carry the urine to the bladder the bladder: a bag that collects the urine The urethra: a tube that carries the urine out of the body

Keeping a Balance
The kidneys also balance the volume of fluids and minerals in the body. This balance in the body is called homeostasis If you put all of the water that you take in on one side of a scale and all of the water your body gets rid of on the other side of a scale, the sides of the scale would balance. Your body gets water when you drink it or other liquids. You also get water from some foods, like fruits and vegetables. Water leaves your body in several ways. It comes out of your skin when you sweat, out of your mouth when you breathe, and out of your urethra in urine when you go to the bathroom.

Urinary Tract Health

You might not think much about your urinary tract, but here's how you can help keep everything flowing as it should: .Drink enough fluids. There's no magic amount, but be sure to drink plenty of water, especially when it's warm out or you're exercising and playing. .Go to the bathroom when you need to go. Holding too long isn't good for your urinary tract. .If some bacteria end up in the urinary tract, you could get an infection known as a UTI (urinary tract infection).

E coli is responsible for 80% of urinary tract infections.

DRINK WATER

Visit this web page, listen to the audio and answer:

What is a Urinary Tract Infection?

http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/urinary/uti.html#

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ACTIVITIES
1-Label the following diagram of the urinary system:

2-Where is urine produced?......................................................................................................................................... 3-What other organs of the body are responsible for excretion? ............................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4-What is urine?.......................................................................................................................................................... 5-In which organ is the blood filtered? A) B) C) D) heart liver kidney bladder 7-What tubes take urine from the kidney to the bladder? A) urethra B) renal artery C) nephrons D) ureters 8-What is a UTI? A) an infection B) bacteria C) urine with blood D) urinary tubes

6-What is the main component of urine? A) waste B) water C) mineral salts D) pee

9-What can you do to keep your urinary tract in good health conditions?. .......................................................................................................................................................................................... .........................................................................................................................................................................................

10-What is homeostasis?. .......................................................................................................................................................................................... ..........................................................................................................................................................................................

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