Build the Major Brain Parts with Playdough

Here's an activity to do if you want to learn some of the brain parts

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Firstly, you need some playdough or modelling clay. If you don't have any, you can use this recipe to make some!

You can also download this image of a brain to use as a guide. Just right click on this image and select "Save Target As" to save it to you hard drive.

Hints and tips:

 

Brain Stem

Does many things such as helps us to breathe, controls our heart beat and regulates our temperature.

Make a short sausage that has a little bulge in the front (the pons). This is the inner-most piece of the brain.

Cerebellum

It is partly responsible for controlling movement and posture (standing, sitting, lying). It may also store some of our rote memories - things that we practice over and over.

There are 2 cerebellums joined together in the middle but we will show them cut open so that you can see the inside. Try to make the pattern inside the cerebellum with a pencil.

Hippocampus

This is home to our short-term memory. It is also the brain's librarian, knowing where to find memories.

Make a slug shape then curl it around the top of the brain stem. You can put notches in it with a pencil if you wish.

Corpus Collosum

This joines the 2 halves of our brain together, letting the left side communicate with the right.

Make an upside-down smile and place it around the top of the hippocampus.

Cerebrum

This is the largest piece. It stores long term memories and makes sense of the information coming from our ears and eyes.It is also responsible for problem solving.

This is the hardest piece to build. Try rolling thin sausages and placing them around the outside of the corpus collosum. Make sure the outside shape is about right.

Thalamus

The brain’s relay station or telephone exchange. Most information from the outside world passes through here.

Make a big blob and place it inside the hippocampus. Try not to leave a gap around it.

Amygdala

This part controls fear and anger. It tells our bodies how to react in situations where we are scared or angry.

Make a small almond shape and place it in front of the pons, below the hippocampus.

..and there you have it! - your very own brain half.

Try to remember what the major pieces are and what they do. Try explaining the pieces to a friend or parent - that will help you learn them.

Want to try something harder? - try cutting out a piece of cardboard the same size as your brain half and build the outside on top of it. Then you can place it over the half. If you were explaining this model to someone, you could remove the top to show the detail inside.