PARTS OF THE BRAIN
1. First, clasp your hands together in front of you with your fingers interlacing:
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| I’ll call this “Brain Position” during this explanation to help. |
Explain to the kids that this is your brain and is very similar in size to your actual brain.
2. With hands in this Brain Position, wave your pinkies- this area of your brain is the prefrontal cortex. Have kids point to their forehead and explain the prefrontal cortex is the boss of the brain (gesture: put hands on hips), in charge of planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making and moderating social behavior. [source]
3. With hands back in Brain Position, wave your middle fingers- this area is the motor cortex responsible for voluntary movement (gesture: move your arms side to side like you are running).
4. With hands back in Brain Position, wiggle your thumbs- this area is the visual cortex responsible for processing visual information (gesture: point to your eyes).
5. Now, you will be separating your “brain” into left and right hemisphere- have the kids say “ew!” as you move your hands apart, keeping fingers bent toward your palm. You could use this opportunity to describe some of the differences between the left & right hemisphere:
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| [source] |
We will be looking at the left hand (left hemisphere) for the next few areas.
