Fifth Grade
Worksheets
How Do We Smell Things?
The nose is the organ for our sense of smell. The end of your nose is made of cartilage. Cartilage is a flexible tissue that is softer than bone. It is firmer than muscle or skin. If you press on the end of your nose, you can feel it wiggle. The top part near your eyes feels hard. There is bone there to protect the parts inside your nose. You can feel the difference between the hard bone and the softer, wigglier cartilage.
There are two openings where air comes into your nose. These openings are called nostrils. The nostrils are separated by the septum. Inside the nostrils are hairs. The hairs trap dust and other large particles that may be in the air. Air is warmed in the nostrils. It is also made moist. This is important for your sense of smell.
Behind your nose is a large open space. It is called the nasal cavity. When you breathe, air comes in through your nose into the nasal cavity. The nasal cavity opens to your throat. You have eight other openings. These branch out from the nasal cavity. Each of them is called a sinus cavity. You have four pairs of sinuses.
