We breathe through our nose.
The nose smells things.
Hairs inside the nose trap dust and dirt.
The nose also helps us to taste things.
Breathing through the nose
© Getty Images
When we breathe in through our nose, air goes in through the nostrils. Inside the nostrils there are lots of tiny hairs. They catch bits of dust that are in the air. Damp, sticky stuff called mucus (say mew-cus) traps more dirt and germs as they enter the nose.
The part that divides the nostrils is called the nasal septum.
Messages to the brain.
There are nerves inside the nose. They take messages to the brain about the smells that come into the nose. Then the brain tells us what we are smelling. Our sense of smell also helps us to taste things.
Experiment!
Try tasting something while you pinch your nostrils shut. Does it taste the same?
Gas in, gas out!
When we breathe in, we take in a gas called oxygen that our body needs. The nose warms the air before it goes down the throat and into our lungs. When we breathe out we are letting out a gas called carbon dioxide that our body doesn't want.
Sneezing
A sneeze is the nose getting rid of something in the air such as pollen from plants, or dust, that it doesn't like.
Cleaning and blowing your nose
To clean the nose, blow gently into a tissue. © Getty Images
If you need to clean your nose, blow into a tissue. Putting your fingers into your nostrils can cause an irritation and maybe an infection. Use a tissue to do this too. Always cover your nose with a tissue when you sneeze. This will catch germs and stop spreading them around
It’s a good idea to get information from more than one source!
Read about the respiratory system, or how we breathe
https://kids.kiddle.co/Breathing
Read about how a sneeze works
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/sneeze.html
Watch a video about the respiratory system
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyqt7ekkP2E
