Schools
information
pack for Parents,
Teachers and
Pupils
Kids Kidney Research and Kidney Research UK have teamed
up to produce some creative resources to educate teachers,
parents and pupils (up to and including Yr 7) about two amazing
organs – The Kidneys!
What do our kidneys look like?
How much do you know about
your Kidneys and what they do?
Find out here about all the incredible things that your kidneys do.
Kidneys are very important to our overall health and carry out
a number of tasks each and every day, without them we just
couldn’t function properly.
Click here to see your
kidneys in action
Your kidneys work as a team
Police – They act as policemen for your body, deciding what can stay
and what must leave.
• Your body needs the right amount of water for it to work properly.
The Kidneys make sure that they let enough water stay and ask
the rest to leave.
• In order to stay healthy, your body needs the right amount of
nutrients. You get the nutrients from the different foods that you
eat. You need the right amount of minerals, like salt, potassium,
calcium and phosphate – not too little and not too much. The
kidneys make sure that you get the right balance of nutrients and
minerals, by getting rid of any excess.
Dustmen – They get rid of the rubbish that builds up in your body.
• Every day, your body produces chemicals. Whenever you use your
muscles (when you play and run around), they give off something
called creatinine. This is not good for you if you have too much in
your body, so the kidneys make sure that they get rid of it.
• When you eat certain foods, such as meat, your body makes urea.
Again, this is not good for you if you have too much in your body,
so the kidneys get rid of it.
Managers – They tell your body to do important jobs by making
hormones (special chemical messengers made by your body).
• The kidneys make a hormone which tells your bone marrow (the
soft squidgy bit inside your bones) to make red blood cells. Red
blood cells carry oxygen around your body, which keeps your body
working.
• The kidneys make another hormone, which tells the heart how hard
to pump blood round your body – this is called blood pressure.
• The kidneys tell your intestines to get calcium from the food you
eat. Calcium helps to make your bones and teeth grow.
Fact: Your kidneys are amazing; they filter around
180 litres of blood every day!
What can make your kidneys stop working?
There can be lots of reasons why
your kidneys do not work as well as
they could. Some people are born
with pieces of their kidney system
that are already broken.
You might become ill for example,
with a very bad stomach bug called
e-coli and that might hurt your
kidneys.
One way that a doctor can tell
whether your kidneys are working
properly is to take your blood
pressure. The doctor wraps a plastic
bandage around your arm and
pumps air into it, so the bandage
squeezes your arm tightly. As the air
is let out of the bandage, a machine measures how fast your heart
is pumping blood around your body. If your heart is working too
hard, your blood pressure will be high. This is a clue or symptom that
something is not working properly in your body. The doctor then
knows to look more closely, to find out what the problem is.
What happens if your kidneys
stop working?
You probably won’t feel pain, at first, if your kidneys stop working.
Rubbish and fluids that the kidneys normally get rid of, will stay in your
body. This will make you feel tired, your body might swell up, you won’t
want to eat and you will feel awful. It might hurt when you go to the
toilet. Your blood pressure might increase, which can hurt your heart,
brain and eyes, as well as your kidneys. You will have to watch what
you eat and drink, so your kidneys don’t have to work too hard.
Dialysis, which is like a washing machine for your body, is a
treatment that can help you if your kidneys stop working. The
tubes take blood out of the body and into the dialysis machine
– this machine washes or filters the blood then
sends it back into their bodies.
Click here to
Click here to find out more
about the dialysis machine
and how it works.
find out why you
have to limit the
amount you drink
if your kidneys
stop working.
Click here to read about Tom and
how doctors discovered he had
a problem with his kidneys by
taking his blood pressure.
Imaan and Jack* receiving dialysis in hospital
Click here to find out more
about kidney transplants.
*Since this photo of Jack was
taken, he has received a kidney
transplant and is leading a fit
and healthy life.
Now that Jack has his new
kidney he no longer needs
to go to hospital for dialysis.
Alex receives his dialysis at home
Alex has to sleep connected to his machine for
10 hours each night. An alarm signals to his mum
if Alex rolls onto the tubes which can stop the fluid
getting in and out of his body. Sometimes this can
be seven or eight times per night.
There is no cure if your kidneys stop working
but lots of very clever doctors are trying to find
different ways of repairing kidneys.
Dialysis can help you while you wait for a kidney
transplant. A transplant is when a doctor puts
a kidney from someone else into your body to
replace the kidney that doesn’t work anymore.
Find out about kidney
disease and what it means
to some children here.
Kids Kidney Research is hugely grateful to the children and families of Great Ormond Street Hospital who
have allowed their images to be used. They were photographed on Victoria Ward by Duncan Raban, who
has freely devoted his time and energy to create these inspirational images. Great Ormond Street Hospital
is currently raising money through The Tick Tock Club to build a new Children’s Kidney Centre at the hospital.
Further details can be found at www.gosh.org/mgf/tick-tock-club/
Click here to
watch Martha’s video
How to keep your kidneys healthy?
There are many ways in which you can
help your kidneys do their job.
• Drink lots of water every day –
find out here how much water
you need each day.
• Don’t eat foods with too much
salt – this makes it difficult
for your kidneys to work
properly and can make
your blood pressure rise,
which can hurt other
parts of your body.
• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables.
• Play sport so that you are
healthy and this helps
to keep your blood
pressure low.
How can we make things
better?
There are lots of doctors who are trying to research
(find out more about) kidneys – how they work, why
they go wrong, improving treatments and trying to
find ways of fixing them.
Both Kids Kidney Research and Kidney Research UK
help doctors by giving them money so they can find
out more.
Click here to find out about the research projects that
Kids Kidney Research have helped with.
Visit Kidney Research UK to see our latest research
projects and breakthroughs, or click here to see a
news clip about a research breakthrough (titled
World Kidney Day 2011).
For further information about kidney disease
and support groups
Kidney
Research UK – Founded in 1961, Kidney Research UK is the leading
UK charity funding research that focuses on the prevention, treatment and
management of kidney disease. Kidney Research UK also dedicates its work to
improving patient care and raising awareness of kidney disease.
Kids
Kidney
Research – Kids Kidney Research was set up by a group of people
who had friends and family with kidney disorders. Although they were all adults
with kidney disease, they decided to support paediatric kidney research since
many would not have been in the position they were in had their conditions
been treated in childhood.
Transplant
Kids – information for children and their parents who have either
had or are going to have a transplant – a site created and maintained by a
transplant family. Contains stories about transplants, forums and information
about transplants for both children and adults.
UK
National Kidney Federation – National patient group, run
by kidney patients, for kidney patients, their aim is to promote
the best renal medical practice and treatment. Provides on-line
forums and medical information on specific conditions.
There is a series of useful booklets aimed at children and
their families, which explain about kidney disease, dialysis,
kidney transplants as well as a range of kidney tests and
treatments. Young@NKF is a contact point for young
patients, where they can get support and share
experiences with other young patients.
The
British Kidney Patient Association was
founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Ward, whose son
Timbo was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of
13 years. The BKPA helps kidney patients and their relatives
with their material and physical needs and lobbies for more and
improved facilities and increased Governmental funding so that
all patients may benefit from improvements in technology and
pharmaceutical achievements.
Great
Ormond Street Hospital – Medical information for families about
a variety of kidney conditions.
The
Kidney Patient Guide – Medical information and support for
kidney patients and those who care for them.
Activities Pack
We have compiled a variety of activities that
you can use in the classroom or at home.
•
•
•
•
Water themed activities
Kidney quiz
Online activities
Fun and games
Water themed activities
In this section, find out how to make water, build a rain gauge and filter dirty water.
You can ‘make’ water!
Water is a chemical. It’s made of two gases, hydrogen and oxygen. Water acts like a gas
sometimes (when it evaporates) but we usually think of water as a liquid – something wet.
You can make hydrogen and oxygen join to form water. Here’s how…
You will need:
• A birthday candle
• A plate
• A clear drinking glass
• A match or lighter
• An adult to help you with the match or lighter
1. Set the birthday candle on the plate and light it (ask an adult to help).
2. Cover the burning candle with the clear glass (it should be large enough to cover the whole
candle).
3. When the candle goes out, look closely at the inside of the glass. What do you see?
The tiny drops of liquid inside the glass are water! The hydrogen in the candle joined with the
oxygen in the air to form water. The candle flame went out when all of the oxygen in the air
inside the glass was used up.
Wood, paper, natural gas, heating oil, and gasoline all contain hydrogen, which joins with the
oxygen in the air as they burn. Do you think burning any of these fuels will form water?
You can make your own rain gauge!
A rain gauge is a tool that measures the amount of rain that falls.
You can make a rain gauge to find out how much water falls in your garden (or anywhere else!)
the next time it rains.
You will need:
• A clear plastic drinks bottle
• A pair of scissors
• A permanent marker with a sharp point
• Small stones or aquarium gravel
• Water
• Ruler
1. Cut off the top part of the bottle (you may want to ask an adult to help).
2. Fill the curved part of the bottom of the bottle with small stones or aquarium gravel.
This will add weight to your rain gauge to keep it from falling over.
3. Pour enough water into the bottle to cover the stones. Use the marker to draw a line
at the top surface of the water.
4. Mark a “0” next to the line. This is your baseline.
5. Use the ruler and marker to measure 1cm, 2cm, and 3cm up the bottle from the baseline.
Draw a line at each mark and label the lines. (Tip: you may want to empty the water out
of the bottle before doing this, so you can lay the bottle on its side to measure).
6. Wait for rain!
7. When the weather forecast predicts rain, or rain starts falling, add water to your rain gauge
up to the baseline.
8. Put the rain gauge outside to catch the rainwater.
9. When the rain stops, check to see how many centimeters of rain fell into your rain gauge!
You may want to make a chart to keep track of how much rain falls in a week or a month.
On the chart, list the date it rained and how many centimeters of rain fell. Add up the rainfall
at the end of the week or month.
Important! Be sure the rain gauge is filled to the baseline
before you begin collecting.
Filtering fun!
You will need:
• A large clear plastic bottle
• Two clear jars or beakers
• Cotton wool
• Clean, washed sand
• Clean, washed gravel
• Paper/kitchen towels
• Garden soil
• An old spoon
• Scissors
What to do
Carefully cut the bottom off the bottle, turn it upside down and plug the neck with the cotton
wool. Next put a good thick layer of gravel in on top of the cotton wool. Now spoon in a deep
layer of sand. Finally cut out a disc of kitchen/paper towel big enough to cover the sand and
place it on top.
You have now constructed your filter and are nearly ready to test it. All you need to do is stand
the filter (with the cotton wool at the bottom!) on top of the beaker.
Next take three spoonfuls of the garden soil and mix it in with some water so that you have a
beaker containing a runny muddy water solution.
Carefully pour the muddy water solution into your filter, on top of the paper towel disc and
wait to see what comes out at the other end.
What’s happening?
Rivers and lakes supply us with most of the water we need for drinking, cooking, washing and
cleaning. Before we use river or lake water it has to be cleaned – you have just made a water
filter that will clean dirty water.
The filter process allows the water to flow slowly through a granular bed (or filter) of varying
grades – in this case the paper towel followed by the sand, gravel and finally the cotton wool.
These filters hold onto most of the solid matter (the mud, small stones etc) and allow the water
to pass through.
In large scale commercial factories this process is repeated a number of times to ensure that
enough of the unwanted particles are removed to make the water safe to drink. The process,
generally referred to as slow sand filtration, is one of the oldest methods and is still used today
in many water treatment plants. That’s why more than one kind of filtration is used at the water
treatment plant. Do you think your sand filter would remove germs from the water?
(Hint: how big are germs?)
Welcome to the kidney quiz
Q.1 How many kidneys does a human
being typically have?
Q.7 What factors put a person at a
higher risk for kidney disease?
A. One
A. Family history of kidney disease
B. Two
B. High blood pressure
C. Three
C. Diabetes
D. Four
D. All of the above
Q.2 Where are the kidneys located?
A. Near the armpits but in front of the heart
B. In the back, behind the lungs
Q.8 How many UK adults are
currently at risk of chronic kidney
disease?
C. In the front, above the stomach
A. 1,000
D. In the back, just below the rib cage
B. 26,000,000
C. 3,000,000
D. 50,000
Q.3 How big are the kidneys?
A. About the size of your fist
B. About the size of a football
C. About the size of a kidney bean
D. About the size of your ears
Q.4 Which of the following are
primary functions of the kidneys?
A. To help clean your blood
B. To support healthy bones and tissues
C. To help regulate blood pressure
D. All of the above
Q.5 What happens if your kidneys
fail?
Q.9 How many litres of blood do the
kidneys filter each day daily?
A. 10
B. 50
C. 180
D. 2
Q.10What can be done to
keep the kidneys healthy?
A. Eat a healthy diet
B. Exercise
C. Watch your blood pressure
D.
All of the above
A. You have to go on dialysis
B. You need to have a kidney transplant
C. Nothing, kidneys are like your tonsils
or your appendix
Q.11How many people in the
UK need treatment because
their kidneys don’t work?
D. Both A and B
A. 10,000
B. 25,000
C. 50,000
D. 100,000
Q.6) Who are potential victims of
kidney disease?
A. The old and infirm
B. Babies
C. Anyone
D. Women
(Answers on the back page)
Online activities
Take a look at our ‘Are your kidneys ok’ leaflet which contains information and facts about the role
of our kidneysand signs and symptoms to look out which could indicate a kidney related problem.
• Try out our online kidney disease health check
If you’re concerned about your risk of CKD, talk to your doctor or health care professional. It could save
your life.
• Water Aid Site – Drink more Water – tells you why you need to drink water and helps you create a
better hydrated you!
calculator – how much water do you need each day? Find out here!
• Hydration
• Find out what your kidneys do, and what happens during dialysis and transplantation by visiting
the Kidney Patient Guide website.
• Watch our ‘cool’ kidney Ice Sculpture video titled ‘Your blood is poison’. This visually stimulating
project was put together last year to raise awareness of kidney disease.
• Find out about a breakthrough in kidney research by watching a news clip here.
Fun and games
• Run a colouring competition, download your picture here.
• Organise a fancy dress competition with a water theme; mermaids, pirates, sea creatures....
let your imagination run wild!
• Hold a fundraising activity at schools to raise money to help fund research into Kidney disease.
Ideas such as face painting, cake sales, tombola’s, sponsored sporting events always go down well
in Schools.
• Pin the kidneys on the body. Wearing a blindfold, can you stick the kidneys onto the body
in the right place, prize for the pupil who gets both the closest!
Answers to the Kidney quiz
Q.1) B
Q.4) D
Q.7) D
Q.10) D
Q.2) D
Q.5) D
Q.8) C
Q.11) C
Q.3) A
Q.6) C
Q.9) C
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Kidney Research UK
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Telephone: 0845 070 7601 Fax: 0845 604 7211
Email: [email protected]
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Kids Kidney Research
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Telephone: 01403 732291
www.kidskidneyresearch.org
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