Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Mucus, Boogers, and Snot - How GROSS!
"Quit picking your nose." Ever hear your mom say that? Why do we pick our noses? Everyone does it. Most people think it's best to do it in private. Even blowing your nose in a tissue is not done in front of others in polite company. Whether its blowing your nose or picking it, we all need to clean out our noses often.
Our nose is lined with a MUCOUS (mew-kuss) membrane. This membrane makes (what else?) mucous, which is also called PHLEGM (flem).
In the nose, mucous has two roles. Inside the nose are tiny hair-like projections called CILIA (sill-ee-uh). The nose hairs (cilia) trap dust, pollutants, bacteria, and other small particles we breathe in. The mucous works like a sticky doormat that helps to trap the finer particles before they go too far. The mucous and hairs work together to keep these particles from entering your lungs. The watery mucous cleans out dead skin cells, particles, and dust. Mucous also adds moisture to the air you breathe in and keeps your nasal tissues from drying out. Blowing your nose empties it of all the trapped debris.
