It’s important to protect your brain.

Description:

In this activity, students learn how their skulls protect their brains and how they, too, can protect their brains. By the end of the activity, they will be able to describe ways that they can protect their brains when biking, riding a scooter or roller-skating.

What you will need:

• Eggs
• Markers
• Bike helmet
• Cardboard box
• Newspaper
• White or black board, or chart paper for making a list

Step-by-Step:

Show students an egg. Discuss how the egg shell protects the yolk inside like our skull protects our brain. Ask students to predict the outcome if we drop an egg onto the ground. Choose two students to help with this activity.

First, ask one of the students to drop his egg onto a newspaper on the floor. Note what happens to the egg. Next, have the second student drop her egg into the cardboard box containing Styrofoam pellets. This egg will survive, showing that Styrofoam provides cushion for impact.

Now show students the inside of a bike helmet, pointing out the Styrofoam lining.

Use the following questions as a guide for a follow-up discussion:

• What happened when the egg fell on the ground? Did it crack? Did it break open? How is it damaged?
• What happened when the second egg fell into the pellets? Did it survive?
• Why do we wear a helmet?
• Why are helmets cushioned with Styrofoam?
• What happens if we fall off our bikes and we’re wearing our helmets? What about if we’re not wearing our helmets?

Now ask students to give other ideas about how they protect their heads. Make a list on the board or a chart.

Use a diagram or model of the brain to show students where the Cerebellum is located.

Explain that the Cerebellum is what controls balance, movement and coordination. These are all things we need when we ride our bikes, our scooters and when we roller-skate!

If you wish, gather students in a circle or circles to play and sing the nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosie. Change the lyrics to add ‘wearing a helmet!’ at the end.

Ring around the rosie, A pocketful of posies. Ashes, ashes. We all fall down. [wearing a helmet!]

Provide students with the Brain coloring page, available below, during centers or free choice time. Highlight the Cerebellum area to color.

Further Exploration:

Play these games, stories and songs in Every Body Has a Brain to learn more about the Cerebellum.

• It’s Important to Protect Your Brain
• Brainboard
• Maze
• Phoebe Rides a Bike
• Cerebellum Helps You Move and Go