"My Amazing Brain" Program
An educational program on the brain
How does memory work? How does sound travel? Why can’t you smell when you have a cold?
The “My Amazing Brain Sr.” and “My Amazing Brain Jr.” programs for kids will answer these questions and many more! These two educational programs were developed by the Centre for Studies on Human Stress to help teachers, students, and parents discover the wonders of the brain. It is, after all, our brain that underlies our response to stress. We therefore wanted to provide children between the ages of 7 and 12 with a good basic understanding of brain function.
Program Description
Both editions of My Amazing Brain are interactive hands-on programs that follow the work of Dr. Eric Chudler's Neuroscience for Kids at the University of Washington. “My Amazing Brain Jr.” is aimed at children in 2nd and 3rd grade and the more advanced “My Amazing Brain Sr.” was designed with children in 4th and 5th grade in mind. Through a variety of fun and interactive experiments children can become active participants in demonstrations of brain function.
More specifically, "My Amazing Brain Jr." provides students with a basic understanding of how the brain works, what it’s made of, as well as the important role that the brain plays in learning and memory. We also provide tricks that help to remember different types of information. In addition, the program exposes children to fundamental functions of the eye, ear and nose.
In "My Amazing Brain Sr., children follow a path outlined on our ‘Map of the Amazing Brain' and enter each of the 4 lobes (Frontal, Temporal, Occipital and Parietal) of the brain. In each lobe, kids conduct experiments related to that particular section of the brain and its functions. Children learn about the skull, brain cells (neurons), memory, the body's five senses, and how each of the brain areas interact to accomplish sophisticated functions.
Each edition of "My Amazing Brain” provides a lesson plan for the Teacher, Visual aids for the presentation, and activity log booklets for the children. Moreover, both “My Amazing Brain’s” can serve as an introduction to the stress education programs that will be available for older children through the Centre (see DeStress for Success).
We hope to fascinate children with the wonders of scientific discovery and spark interest in future scientific curiosity. But most of all, we want children to have fun while learning about the brain and allow them to shape their own learning experience.
Documentation