Heather and Rhiannon's Science Fair Project

"Taking Your Breath Away"

Asthma Triggers

·      House Dust  

·      Dust Mites

·      Plants and Pollen

·      Furry animals

·      Smoke

·      Cleaning materials

·      Perfumes

·      Smelly Soaps

·      Cold Weather

·      Air pollutions

·      Viruses

·      Exercise

·      Crying

·      Getting angry 

Did you know??? 

·      Over 100 million people around the world have asthma

·      The word asthma means “difficulty in breathing” or “panting”

·      Many famous people have asthma including Pro Athletes, World Leaders and famous actors.

·      Teddy Roosevelt had asthma as a child. He was the 26^th President of the United States of America.

·      Asthma is a chronic lung disease that can develop at any age.

·      It is most common in childhood and occurs in approximately 7-10% of children.

·      Asthma is the most common respiratory disease of children; it accounts for 1/4 of school absenteeism. 

·      It affects twice as many boys as girls in childhood; more girls than boys develop asthma as teenagers, and in adulthood, the ratio becomes 1:1 males to females.

·      Asthma affects children in varying degrees, from very mild (only during vigorous exercise) to very severe. Children with severe asthma may have symptoms every day that may cause some lifestyle restriction; in these children symptoms occur more easily and more often.

·      There is a general trend of increased deaths and hospitalizations from asthma recorded in all the industrialized countries of the world, Canada included.

·      In Canada, approximately 20 children and 500 adults die each year from asthma. However, with adequate treatment most deaths from asthma can be prevented. 

                        In our demonstration we ask people to run on the spot for about two minutes. Then we ask them to plug their noses and try to breathe through a straw. It's not easy, and it is also what it is like to breathe when you are having an allergic reaction.

Asthma Quiz!!!!! 

1.          Asthma only happens to kids

2.          Asthma often runs in families.

3.          Asthma is Contagious.

4.          Asthma isn’t something you imagine. Its as real as a cut on your finger.

5.          Asthma is nothing to be ashamed of.

6.          Asthma will go away if you don’t want to have it.

7.          Asthma can’t be cured. But there is a way to control it.

8.          Asthma shouldn’t stop you from exercising. 

Score: 8- You really paid attention to this Project! Thanks!

5-7:You’re really smart about asthma!

3-4:You’re taking a step in the right direction

1-2: Nice try… You did pretty well.

Project Summary

How did we come up with our project idea? 

       We came up with our project idea because we wanted to know what asthma really was.

 What did we learn from our experiment?

        We learned that during an asthma attack, boys can last longer without an inhaler than girls.

 How close was our hypothesis and conclusion?

        Our hypothesis was correct. Boys could last longer without an inhaler during an asthma attack and people who play sports can breathe easier.

 Did we learn anything from our project?

       We learned that asthma is nothing to be ashamed of and it shouldn’t stop people from being physically active.

 What was the most interesting part of our project?

       The most interesting part of our project was when we learned about the lungs closing up when you have an asthma attack.

Heather and Rhiannon

Grade 5

St. Bonaventure's College

St. John's N.L.