March 7-11, 2016
How Does My Brain Work?
Put on your thinking caps! We're about to get a close-up look at the brain! A cauliflower brain, that is :)
I color-coded each area of the cauliflower to represent a different section and its function: yellow= frontal lobe (personality/emotional traits, cognition, memory, problem-solving, etc.), purple= parietal lobe (integrates sensory information, processes visual and spacial perception, some speech, pain and touch sensation), blue= temporal lobe (forms long-term memory, auditory receptive area, high-level visual processing (faces & scenes)), green= occipital lobe (visual processing center), and red= cerebellum (controls and coordinates muscle movement, balance).
With the 4-year-olds, we discussed this in greater detail, as well as what we would find inside the brain (cerebrum- the largest part of the brain and is made up of two parts- left and right hemispheres, in charge of "thinking", reasoning, and controlling voluntary muscles; cerebellum- controls balance, movement, and coordination; pituitary gland- regulates growth hormones so we can continue to grow; hypothalamus- acts as a thermostat to regulate our body temperature; and the brain stem- in charge of involuntary muscles, like the heart, lungs, and digestion). Here is a great children's resource, if you'd like to continue the discussion at home!
I also found this awesome template for brain "caps", and I constructed one for each of the children to wear as we investigated the cauliflower brain. They looked adorable in them!
Super Sleuth Questions
1. Where is your frontal lobe located? (answer: in the front, or your forehead)
2. What side of your brain controls the right side of your body? (answer: the left side)
3. What side of your brain controls the left side of your body? (answer: the right side)
4. What type of vegetable did Ms. Kelli B. bring that looks like a brain? (answer: cauliflower)
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
Photo by Kelly V
