BRAINS in 2nd grade!

If your 2nd grader said "hippocampus" or "pre-frontal cortex" or "amygdala" around the dinner table, you can be proud of them for becoming little neuroscientists!  We have been learning about the difference between growth mindset and fixed mindset this year, but we are to the point where I finally get to "prove" to them why its a real thing and not just something I made up.  

Learning how the brain functions allows kids to understand what is going on when they feel certain ways.  As we dig deeper into the brains, we will be talking about neuroplasticity - how our neurons wire together to learn new things.  Which explains why when we do something for the first time, it is hard!  The wiring isn't solid yet.  But the more we practice, the stronger that connection gets, and that same new skills or task becomes easier and easier because it takes less brainpower to pull it off. 

I tricked the kids into thinking I had brought in a real brain.... as realistic as this was, don't worry - it was just jello :)  Still, the reactions were priceless!