Let’s turn something “boring” into something that we want to research and find out more about – our nervous system and how it works. It is incredible if you know and understand the complexity of it.
Students can use previous studies to help them carry out experiments and fun projects. There are many complete lesson plans and lots of links to help you. Get hands-on with the nervous system!
1. Hands-on Bead time
To understand neurons, we need to know exactly what we are looking at. Students can color code the parts of the neuron and then put it all together to make up our nervous system.
Learn More: BrainU
2. The importance of “Zensational” breathing and your nervous system.
6th-8th graders have a lot of anxiety and stress and find themselves on edge. These breathing techniques are fun to do in class. Make colorful posters about the nervous system for the class.
Learn More: Zensational Kids
3. Fun Fact time – How do the nervous system and brain work together?
The nervous system and how it works is a very complex process to understand. We need to teach it in a fun way with visuals and videos. On this website, you have lots of info to use in the classroom. It also has some great links for games and extra activities too.
Learn More: The School Run
4. 6 steps to a Nervous System
Making a brain cell model is a hands-on activity and project that will help them remember the 6 parts and functions of the neurons.
Learn More: Adventures in a Messy Life
5. Read, watch, do, and play – Brain Games
This activity page is mind-blowing for middle school students. First, read the article for comprehension, do the worksheets and now, sit back and enjoy the short movie about the brain and the nervous system
Finally, after a quick team revision, it’s trivia time with questions from the site and prepared in your groups.
Learn More: Kids Health
6. Research and Write
Get your pens and paper and get on your thinking caps. Time to research and write.
Have students do some research on how the 5 senses actually work. Investigate in small groups and each student draws a diagram with notes and then presents it!
Learn More: Study Ladder
7. Memory time
Take a fairly large bag or box and put some simple objects in it. You will need 20 Explain to the class how the senses send signals to the brain and store memory. Having a good memory will help your future studies.
Have the children wear blindfolds and touch all the objects and touch the objects quietly. Then 5 at a time write them down on a piece of paper. Then explain to them again about the hippo campus and what part of the brain do we draw on to help us remember.
Learn More: Caactus Care
8. A Neurons Experiment- make your predictions now!
With a simple paper clip, a ruler, and pen and paper, you can do a fun experiment. If two points touch the same neuron, how many signals does it send to the brain one or two? Where do you think the nerves are closer together on your fingers, upper arm, or back? Have fun with this hands-on experiment. What will be your reaction time in detecting one or two things touching you?
Learn More: Ask a Biologist
9. Neuron Play-by-play basketball
Divide the class into teams and some of the students can reenact a “play by play “of how a regular basketball pass and shoot would be carried out but in a neurological way. Some students will be neurons and have toilet paper on their arms to represent the Myelin Sheath.
Learn More: Web Adventures
10. Mouse Party – How Drugs or Alcohol will affect our nervous system
Middle school children must be exposed to what could be the serious side effect of drugs and alcohol. It is important to know how the brain works so that you can see how poor diet, drugs, and alcohol affect the neurons. Such a cool educational video to show in the class. Children can do a creative writing project to explain the experiment. It is amazing how the drugs affect your reaction time.
Learn More: Learn Genetics
11. Power of the Brain-Body – Connection
6th -8th graders feel stressed out. It is a difficult time. Everyone should learn how the brain can control our stress level and what can we do to stay calm. Label the brain and then now move on to movement techniques and breathing activities. Knowing how to breathe will help your anxiety and improve your concentration.
Learn More: Pure Edge, Inc.
12. Creative Crafts about the nervous system
Kids love doing art. These “Brainy” crafts are so easy to do and so much fun. So get out your craft supplies. Pipe cleaners work well for the neurons and check out the link for some fun neuron crafts.
Learn More: The Crafty Classroom
13. The architecture and art of the human brain
By looking at the brain images as works of art and highlighting the different parts of the brain. This lesson plan features brain anatomy using art skills. In groups of 3-4 students, they can work together to create masterpieces. The images can be printed, traced, painted, and put up around the school.
Learn More: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
14. Are you a trivia buff?
NeoK12 brings us great trivia questions to use in the digital classroom, where students can click on the different trivia questions and see a range of answers to choose from. This covers the nervous system unit and can be done after the unit completion as a revision. Fun classroom activities that they can do in teams. Drag and drop matching activity with an answer key included.
Learn More: Neo K12
15. Worksheet week!
Understanding and comprehending the nervous system isn’t a piece of cake. This comprehensive unit needs a lot of repetition in many ways. This science class is filled with worksheets that will help transmit the ideas, from how the nervous system functions, to how the brain functions.
Learn More: Penfield
16. Human Body Life- Size
Get the students to lay down on the floor or stand against a wall and have their classmates trace their silhouettes on butcher paper. Once completed give them the hand out of the human body in life-size and as they are putting their bodies together, they can take note of how the nervous system works in relation to these organs.
Learn More: Adventure in a Box
17. Nervous Nellie’s study game
Middle school students and teens feel invincible. They do sports, jump walls, climb trees and go to great lengths to show how strong and fast they are. But as we all know kids get concussions and this can really affect your nervous system but how? Check out this very informative lesson plan for tweens and teens to find out.
Learn More: The Nemours Foundation
18. GET YOUR GAME ON
Board Games, Loop Games, Crossword Puzzles Card games, hidden pictures, and Bingo – all of these games are fun past times in the classroom and if you use these printable nervous system handouts and set up game stations in your classroom – kids will love to study the nervous system! Material can be printed and laminated for reuse!
Learn More: Tes
19. Are you alright?
Have you ever had a blurry vision or felt dizzy? Perhaps you complain about headaches or you feel tired. All of these aches and pains are affecting your nervous system. Listen to the audio text and read along and find out how lack of sleep or not wearing your glasses can really mess up your nervous system. Have children find out how other illnesses we have to affect our nervous system.
Learn More: Ted-Ed
20. Make a human brain model
With recycled materials and some things that you can easily find. Students can make a colorful brain model. Each student can choose different material to use that has different textures and colors to display the parts of the brain.
Learn More: 20 Engaging Body Systems Activities for Middle School
21. Ice Ice baby Nervous System Groove
Get Rapping with this fantastic Nervous System rap written and performed by middle-school students. Have your students watch, sing along, and then write and perform their own. The class will love doing this Nervous System Rap Challenge.
Learn More: Brandon Howard
1st Grade Classroom Management: Tools, Tricks, And Techniques For Teachers