Adventurers Spring 2016

Let’s Learn about our Bodies!

Lesson Schedule

January 19 – Bones: Structure and Joints

January 26 – Bones: Anatomy and Healing

February 2 – Muscles

February 9 – Co-op Break

February 16 – Digestion: Mouth and Teeth

February 23 – Digestion: Internal System and Process

March 1 – Co-op CANCELLED

March 8 – Assembly Day: Invention Convention

March 15 – Lungs and Breathing

March 22 – Co-op Break

March 29 – Heart and Circulation

April 5 – Brain and nerves

April 12- Assembly Day: Eggonauts

April 19 – Five Senses

April 26 – Five Senses Continued

May 3 – Skin

May 10 – Assembly Day: Field Day

May 17 – Human Body Review

Nervous System

Lesson Supplies: Ice cube, brain picture, nervous system picture, worksheet, clay.

Do you know what makes your muscles contract or what helps you feel the difference between hot and cold? Do you know why you can remember what you had for breakfast this morning? Because of your nervous system!

I. Nervous System

A. Divided into 2 main parts

1. Central nervous system

2. Peripheral nervous system

B. Central Nervous System or CNS for short

1. It is called central because it is the most important part.

2. It is made up of only two things.

a. Brain

b. Spinal Cord

3. The Brain

a. When you get information, whether it is about how cold the pool is, how to do long division, or even whether or not you like broccoli, the information is sorted out in your brain.

b. Today we are going to talk about three parts of your brain

i. The largest part of your brain is called the cerebrum (suh ree’ bruhm) It is the pink part in the picture.

- This is where you do all your big thinking like what does 1+1 equal and how do you spell your name.

- This is also where all your conscious actions are controlled. Do you remember when we talked about voluntary muscles- muscles you control just by thinking about it? Well the cerebrum is the boss that tells our muscles what we want them to do. Try it out. Raise your hand, stick out your tongue, take a deep breath. Now pat your head to tell your cerebrum good job!

ii. The second part of your of your brain is the cerebellum (sehr uh bell’ uhm). Cerebellum means little cerebrum. This is the purple part of the picture.

- This part of your brain controls all the muscles movements you need to do all the time just to stay still without falling over. Even though you are sitting still right now lots of your muscles are relaxing and contracting in very small ways to keep you from falling over. If your muscles weren’t working at all you wouldn’t be able to sit up!

- This is done without you even having to think about it!

iii. The last part on our picture is yellow and it is called the brainstem.

- The brainstem connects the brain to the spinal cord so that all the rest of your body can talk to your brain. (So if your finger touches something cold- like this ice cube- your brainstem helps get the message from your spinal cord to your brain so you can think “That’s cold!”)

- The brainstem also helps you do things you need to do to stay alive like breathing. Do you remember the muscle that helps control your breathing? The diaphragm! (die uh fram) Remember we can control our diaphragm- it is a voluntary muscle. Take a deep breath. You just told your cerebrum to override your brain stem. Now that you aren’t thinking about breathing anymore your brainstem is back in control. Cool, huh!

- The brainstem also controls your heartbeat and tells your salivary glands to make saliva.

c. Cerebral Cortex

i. See all the folds on the cerebrum, the pink part of the brain? They are important because folds make more room to store information.

ii. Inside these folds are neurons- these are like tiny telephones. They give information, receive information, and handle information.

iii. Play telephone

- See! You all just acted like neurons.

C. Peripheral Nervous System

1. Peripheral describes the outside part of something. If your mailbox is by the street then when you go to check your mail you are at the peripheral or outside edge of your yard.

2. The peripheral nervous system spreads out from your central nervous system going all the way to the outer edges of your body.

3. Look at this picture. Do you see the Central nervous system- the brain and spinal cord? All those green lines coming out from the CNS are the PNS and they are called nerves.

4. Nerves

a. Remember the neuron game we just played? Nerves are made of up neurons. That means nerves gather and send information! The tricky think about nerves is that they can only send information ONE way. When the brain sends information to your muscles to tell them to move the information FROM your muscles have to come up a whole different telephone line.

D. Make clay brains and do activity sheet.