What's a better way to learn about the brain than by making your own mini model?! The first Brainstorm event at the Claremont branch of the Berkeley Public Library system is all about brain structure and function. We think the little ones are going to be super excited about creating their own brain models.
The concept behind this hands-on activity is to allow kids to make their own unique brains out of the four lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal), the brainstem, and the cerebellum. In fact, they don't even need to make "human" brains! We encourage them to create an imaginary animal and describe some important characteristics that their animal may have; for example, a model brain with a large occipital lobe might have super eyesight!
Our participants can be as creative as they want, all the while learning about important brain functions and the parts of the brain associated with those specific functions. Stay tuned for our post-event blog to learn how the workshop turns out!
An example model brain I put together! Rolling out balls of Play Doh makes for fairly authentic brain folds. Here I made a cross section of the brain rather than a 3D model.