Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Veins are blood vessels found all over your body and are part of the circulatory system. Veins collect blood with low oxygen content before returning it to your heart to be reoxygenated. Veins work with other blood vessels, the heart, and other organs to maintain blood flow. The veins store around 75% of your blood.
See the fact file below for more information on Veins, or you can download our 28-page Veins worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
BACKGROUND HISTORY
- William Harvey, an English physician, born in Folkestone, Kent, England April 1, 1578, and who died in London on June 3, 1657, was the first to discover that the blood circulates throughout the human body and to offer evidence to support this notion.
- Harvey spent a lot of time studying how blood flows through the human body. Many doctors at the time believed that the lungs were in charge of distributing blood throughout the body. In Frankfurt in 1628, when Harvey was 50 years old, he published his famous “Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus,” also known as “de Motu Cordis,” which established the circulation of blood throughout the body. Twenty years later, the first English translation was released.
OVERVIEW
- Veins vs. Arteries. The blood carried in the veins is oxygen-poor, while that in arteries is oxygen-rich. The only exception to this is the four pulmonary veins situated between your heart and lungs that transport oxygen-rich blood from your lungs back to your heart. Your heart then circulates the oxygen-rich blood once more throughout your body.
- Venules. These are tiny blood vessels that connect your capillaries to your veins. Your venules play a crucial role in transferring blood that is depleted of oxygen and contains waste from your capillaries to your veins. Your blood then returns to your heart. Venules are wider than capillaries and thinner than veins. Venules come in a variety of sizes, but even the largest venule is roughly 16 times smaller than an ordinary vein.
FUNCTIONS
- Veins have two main functions. One is to gather oxygen-poor blood from various parts of your body and return it to your heart. The other function is to deliver blood that is rich in oxygen to your heart from your lungs. Only at this point do veins transport blood that is oxygenated. Each vein has a different function depending on where it is located in your body.
- The venous system is the network of veins in your body, as well as the connections those veins make with other blood vessels and organs. There are two primary circuits or sections of your venous system β the pulmonary circuit and the systemic circuit. Blood must flow through veins, arteries, and capillaries in order for each circuit to function.
ANATOMY OF VEINS
- A vast network of blood vessels known as your circulatory system runs throughout your entire body. It is largely made up of blood vessels, including veins. There are numerous locations where your veins branch into venules and capillaries.
- The two largest veins in the body are the superior vena cava, which transports blood from the upper body to the right atrium of the heart, and the inferior vena cava, which transports blood from the lower body to the right atrium. Blood vessels have three layers.
- The tunica adventitia (outer layer) provides veins with their shape and structure.
- The tunica media (middle layer) has smooth muscles that enable the vein to enlarge or contract as blood flows through it.
- The tunica intima (inner layer) has a smooth endothelial cell lining that allows blood to flow smoothly.
- Because veins appear blue through our skin, many people believe they are blue. However, this is only a deception our eyes play on us. The blood in your veins is a darker shade of red than the cherry-red blood in your arteries. Venous blood is darker because it doesn’t have a lot of oxygen. Your veins and arteries both contain red blood.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEINS
- Deep Veins. These veins are found in the muscles and along the bones. The crucial task of returning oxygen-poor blood to your heart is carried out by the deep veins. The deep veins in your legs store around 90% of the blood that returns to your heart. One-way valves in the deep veins keep your blood flowing in the appropriate direction.
- Superficial Veins. Blood is transported to the deep veins by superficial veins from the skin’s surface-level tissues (via the perforating veins). However, because the blood is not directly squeezed into motion by the surrounding muscles, it moves more slowly.
- Perforating Veins. Sometimes these veins are referred to as perforator veins or linking veins. They are tiny veins that connect the deep veins to the superficial veins. When the calf muscles contract, valves in perforating veins seal, preventing blood from flowing backward from the deep veins to the superficial veins.
THE SECOND HEART
- Your leg muscles are essential in assisting your blood’s ascent from your feet and legs back to your heart, defying gravity. The muscles in your calves are referred to as your “second heart” for this reason.
- Your body weight squeezes the deep veins at the bottom of your feet as you put them on the ground. These veins push the blood upward toward your leg.
- Your second heart only begins to pump when your legs move, unlike the one in your chest. And it changes its pace to match the speed of your legs. Therefore, the pumping action of your calf muscles will increase according to whether you’re running or walking.
VENOUS DISEASES
- Venous diseases may cause damage to the valves inside your veins, preventing them from closing completely and enabling blood to seep backward or flow in both directions.
- Blood Clot. When blood transitions from a liquid to a partially solid state, clots resembling gel-like clumps form in the veins or arteries. Clotting is a healthy process that prevents excessive bleeding when you are wounded. Blood clots in specific locations and don’t naturally dissolve, however, might be harmful.
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in a deep vein, including the upper extremity β arms β and lower extremity β legs β known as a pulmonary embolism. This condition is potentially life-threatening.
- Phlebitis, also known as superficial venous thrombosis, is the name for a blood clot that forms in a vein near the skin’s surface. Unless they first move from the superficial system into the deep venous system, these blood clots typically do not reach the lungs. However, they frequently cause pain.
- Varicose Veins. Swollen blood vessels that develop in your lower body just beneath the skin’s surface are called varicose veins. Blood backs up in your veins when your vein walls are thin and your valves aren’t functioning properly.
- Ulcers. Venous ulcers happen when oxygen-poor blood is unable to flow from your extremities back to your heart. Instead, it pools, creating pressure in your veins. This damages skin tissue and leads to an ulcer. Wounds that don’t heal or continually come back are called ulcers.
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF VEIN PROBLEMS
- The particular disease will determine the indications and symptoms. They often include:
- Swelling or edema in your legs, ankles, or feet, particularly after prolonged standing
- Pain or tenderness
- Throbbing, worn-out, or aching legs
- Itchy or flaking skin on your legs or feet
TAKING CARE OF YOUR VEINS
- It’s simple to forget that your heart and blood vessels are working hard even while you’re at rest, and you can continue to move since your circulatory system is still active. Because of this, it’s advisable to take reasonable steps to maintain a steady blood flow.
- Avoid remaining still in a lying or sitting position for too long. Make sure to get up and move around for a few minutes every hour if you spend most of the day sitting down. Lift your lower legs while sitting and flex your ankles. The more your lower legs move, the more your muscles can contract, forcing blood up toward your heart.
- To avoid infection, keep your feet clean. Maintaining clean, dry feet is a part of this. Additionally, moisturizer can stop your skin from bleeding or cracking.
- To keep your blood circulating throughout the day, get up and walk around.
- To help you keep a healthy weight, eat a heart-healthy diet.
- To break up lengthy automobile or aircraft trips, take breaks to stretch and move around.
Veins Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Veins across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Veins. Veins are blood vessels found all over your body and are part of the circulatory system. Veins collect blood with low oxygen content before returning it to your heart to be reoxygenated.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- Veins Facts
- William Harvey
- Veins vs. Arteries
- Hurting in Vein
- Veins or False
- Red or Blue?
- Anato-veins
- Pulmonary Veins
- Twisted Veins
- Help Me Vein
- My Second Heart
Frequently Asked Questions
What are veins?
Veins are blood vessels that carry blood back to the heart. They are responsible for returning oxygen-poor blood from the body’s tissues to the heart, where it can be re-oxygenated and pumped back out to the body through the arteries.
How do veins differ from arteries?
Veins differ from arteries in several ways. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body’s tissues, while veins carry oxygen-poor blood back to the heart. Veins are also generally larger and less muscular than arteries, and have thinner walls.
What are the different types of veins in the body?
There are several different types of veins in the body, including superficial veins, deep veins, and pulmonary veins. Superficial veins are located close to the surface of the skin, deep veins are located deeper within the body, and pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.
Why do varicose veins form?
Varicose veins form when the valves in the veins that keep blood flowing in one direction become weak or damaged. This allows blood to flow backwards and pool in the vein, causing it to enlarge and become twisted.
How can varicose veins be treated?
Varicose veins can be treated with several options such as compression stockings, sclerotherapy, endovenous laser treatment, and surgery. The treatment option will depend on the severity of the varicose veins, the individual’s medical history, and the preferences of the patient and the doctor.
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Veins Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 28, 2022
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.