Your Heart: The Pump That Delivers Oxygen Everywhere

Hi, I am Atlas! Make a fist and hold it near the center of your chest, slightly to the left. That is about the size and spot of your heart. Your heart is a strong muscle with one big job: it squeezes over and over to push blood all around your body. You can feel it working as your pulse. Here is the cool part — blood actually travels two loops, not one. In the first loop, your heart pumps blood to your lungs. The blood picks up fresh oxygen there, then returns to the heart. In the second loop, the heart pumps that oxygen-rich blood through tubes called blood vessels — arteries carry it out to every tiny cell, even in your toes. At the cells, blood drops off oxygen and nutrients. Then the blood travels back to the heart through vessels called veins, ready to start the loops again. Think of it like a delivery truck that first stops at the warehouse (the lungs) to load up, then drives to every house in town (your cells) to make deliveries, then comes back to do it again. Why does this matter? Every cell needs oxygen and nutrients to live and do its job. That is why your heart never stops pumping, even while you sleep. If this feels tricky, just remember: heart pumps to lungs, lungs fill the blood, heart pumps to body, body uses it, blood returns. Say that out loud, then try the activity below!