A few years ago I was in charge of teaching an anatomy class for children ages 5-9 at our homeschool co-op. The nervous system was one of our favorite lessons. Since most of the children in the class were boys, I tried to keep things active and so they could burn off some energy while we went over our lesson. Here are a few of the activities we did:
Is the Water Hot or Cold?
What you will need:
* three bowls of water, one filled with very warm or hot water (not burning), one filled with room temperature water, and one filled with ice water
* a clock to time yourself
What to do:
Place one hand in the hot water and one in the ice water. Keep them there for at least 60 seconds. Now place both hands in the bowl of room temperature water. Does the room temperature water feel hot or cold?
Your brain just received confusing messages from your hands about what the temperature of the third bowl was. The hand originally in the hot water told you the third bowl was cold, but the hand originally in the cold water told you the third bowl was hot. This is because our skin does not perceive the exact temperature of an object. Instead, it senses the difference in temperature of a new object in comparison to the temperature of an object the skin was already used to ("relative temperature"). This is why entering a body of water, such as a pool or lake, seems really cold at first (your body was used to the warmer air) but then gradually "warms up" after being in the water for a while (your body adjusts to the temperature of the water).
Your brain just received confusing messages from your hands about what the temperature of the third bowl was. The hand originally in the hot water told you the third bowl was cold, but the hand originally in the cold water told you the third bowl was hot. This is because our skin does not perceive the exact temperature of an object. Instead, it senses the difference in temperature of a new object in comparison to the temperature of an object the skin was already used to ("relative temperature"). This is why entering a body of water, such as a pool or lake, seems really cold at first (your body was used to the warmer air) but then gradually "warms up" after being in the water for a while (your body adjusts to the temperature of the water).
Protection For Your Brain
* raw eggs (at least 2)
* plastic container slightly larger than the egg, with lid
* water (to fill the container)
* water (to fill the container)
What to do:
Place a raw egg (brain) into the container (skull) and put the lid on. Shake the container. The shaking should result in damage to the egg. Clean up the mess. Put a new egg in the container, fill the container with water, and put the lid on. Shake the container again. This time the cerebrospinal fluid (water) should protect the brain from damage.
Neuroscience For Kids
Kids' Health: How The Body Works
Look under the Brain activities for a worksheet for Labeling The Parts of The Brain
- Synaptic Tag
- Message Transmission
- Simple Neuron Model
- Create a model of the brain
- Connect the Dots
- I've Been Working On My Neurons(sung to the tune of "I've Been Working On the Railroad" )
Kids' Health: How The Body Works
Look under the Brain activities for a worksheet for Labeling The Parts of The Brain
Q: What works even after it is fired?
A: a neuron
A: a neuron
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