Brain Awareness

Memory, Attention and Distraction
Activities about memory, attention and distraction by the University of Utah.

Sensory Systems
The neuroscience of our senses by the University of Utah.

How Your Brain Works
Spend a few minutes on this page to learn the basics about your brain.
Also explore The Human Brain on the Franklin Institute Online Web page.

BrainyKids
Online science resources for students, teachers, and parents.

The Whole Brain Atlas  
The Whole Brain Atlas is an information resource for central nervous system imaging.

Create a Model of a Neuron
Use clay, recyclables, food or anything else you can get your hands on to create a model of a neuron. Pictures from books and the Internet may help you get an idea of where the components of a neuron should go and what shape they should be.

Another Day, Another Neuron
Discover how you can become a Neuroscientist.

Basic Neuroscience
Intro to Neuroscience by the University of Utah.

Brain Awareness Week (Dana Alliance)
Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an international campaign dedicated to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research.

Your Amazing Brain
You carry around a three-pound mass of wrinkly material in your head that controls every single thing you will ever do. Learn more from the National Geographic.

Internet Tour of the Brain
Take a tour at the Exploratorium Web site. After the tour, spend five minutes listing everything that memory helps you with.

Neurosicences Gateway at the University of Utah
Learn what the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT is leading the field in brain research.

Neuroscience for Kids
This site has been created for all students and teachers who would like to learn about the nervous system.

Don't Forget: Playing Games with Memory  
Here are some activities to test your memory -- and some things you can try to help you remember things better.

Exploratorium: Memory  
Memory, a major exhibition at the Exploratorium, ran from May 22, 1998 through January 10, 1999.

Maintain Your Brain
Visit this web page created by the Alzheimer’s Association and discover four ways to make brain-healthy life choices.

The Your Brain and Nervous System
Your brain is the boss of your body. It runs the show and controls just about everything you do, even when you're asleep. Not bad for something that looks like a big, wrinkly, gray sponge.

Brain Facts
Brain facts that make you go, "Hmmmmm".

Alzheimer's Association: Resources for Kids and Teens
This page provides resources to help you learn about Alzheimer’s disease and understand how it affects you.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
NIDA's mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.

NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Heath (NIH), created this Web site to educate adolescents ages 11 through 15 (as well as their parents and teachers) on the science behind drug abuse.

Mind Over Matter
This series is designed to encourage young people in grades five through nine to learn about the effects of drug abuse on the body and the brain.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the largest scientific organization in the world dedicated to research focused on the understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health.

Probe the Brain
Visit this web page from PBS. Read the page, and then complete the probe activity.

Pain and Why It Hurts
Read this short article. After the reading, answer these questions:

• What would happen if you couldn't feel pain?
• How does smell help you protect yourself? What about taste?
• Do you know anyone who is hearing or sight impaired? What other senses do they use to navigate their way through the world?
• Could you survive if you had none of the five senses?
• What does your brain do with the information it gets? (For instance if you taste something it tells you to cover your ears.)

Brain Jigsaw Puzzles
Scramble these puzzles and see if you can put them back together.

Neuro-Jeopardy
Test your knowledge about the nervous system. The game is contained in a PowerPoint file, therefore, your computer must have the ability to read ppt files.

Brainy Games
Play these online interactive games to help you learn about the brain and nervous system. [The Shockwave plug-in is required.]

Interactive Brain Games
Check out this collection of interactive brain games for 7-12th grade students.

Synaptic Tag
Students will review the parts of the synapse and their functions by playing a game called "Synaptic Tag".

Face Recognition Game
How easy is it to recognize faces when they are upside down? Find out with this game.

Neuroscience Hangman
Read the clue about the brain and then type a letter. Keep the man from being hanged.

Stroop Effect Experiment
Try this experiment, say the color, don't read the word. How successful were you? Why do you think some people have trouble with this activity?

Brain Awareness Week Lessons
These lesson ideas are intended to give teachers a head start in planning classroom activities during Brain Awareness Week.

Coping with Changes - [Grades 6 - 8]
Understand how the nervous system allows us to learn, remember, and cope with changes in the environment.

The Laughing Brain 1: How We Laugh - [Grades 9 - 12]
Explore gelotology (the science of laughter) and its benefits to our social, mental, and physical well-being.

Brain Hieroglyphics
"Read" the pictures to make a single word or phrase. Each word or phrase has something to do with the nervous system.

The Laughing Brain 2: A Good Laugh - [Grades 9 - 12]
Explore various theories about laughter, laughter’s effects on our mental health, and the benefits of laughter to our immune system.

Short Term Memory Test
Think you have a good memory? Then take this little test..

The Model Neuron
Students will learn about the structure of a neuron by constructing a model.

Wipe Out (pdf) - [Grades 7- 12]
In support of the documentary Wipe Out, this lesson plan raises students' awareness of traumatic brain injuries.

Color Your Brain!
Color the parts of a neuron and the lobes of the brain.

Reaction Time Experiments
How fast are you? Test your response time using these reaction time experiments.

• Start/Stop Test
• Hit-the-Dot Test
• Colorful Reaction Time Tester
• Check Box Test