Gain more knowledge about how our brain and nervous
system work WALT 3 (Brainy Bunch)
Activity 3.1 Let’s Experiment
Learning Areas
Health
Personal Growth and Physical Development
 Personal growth and development
Key Competencies – Thinking,
Participating and Contributing
English
Listening, Reading and Viewing
 Purpose and audience
Speaking, Writing and Presenting
 Purpose and audience
 Ideas
Teaching Ideas
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Using a poster or picture of the Nervous System, students identify the spinal cord,
brain and nerves.
After confirming “touch” as one of the five senses, brainstorm a list of advantages in
having a sense of touch (e.g. handle things, keeps us safe from hot things).
Discuss the path a message would take from the foot to the brain. Is this the same
path for messages from all body parts?
Establish with the students that the purpose of the experiment is to test the
sensitivity to touch of various parts of the body.
Working in pairs, students are given two toothpicks. One student closes their eyes
while the other lightly touches their skin with one or two toothpicks (if using two
they should be about 1cm apart). Good places to test – palm, back of hand, finger
tip, lip, heel, back of the neck.
The student with closed eyes indicates whether they felt one or two toothpicks on
their skin. On the worksheet (template Brainy Bunch WALT 3.1a) the student draws
a small cross to indicate where the tooth pick touched the skin. Two crosses should
be drawn if the student felt two toothpicks.
Students discuss with their partner the number of toothpicks felt e.g.:
1. Was one toothpick felt when two were used?
2. Why might this occur?
Swap roles and repeat the experiment.
Students should conclude that some parts of the body are more sensitive to touch
than others. Establish with the students that increased sensitivity in certain parts of
the body is due to the presence of a greater number of nerve endings in that area.
Discuss the advantages of having more nerve endings in certain parts of the body.
Students, using the diagram of the back view of the body, connect the crosses to the
spinal cord using a yellow pencil. These lines should be relatively straight.
Resources
Brainy Bunch WALT 3.1a
Toothpicks (not too sharp)
Teacher Notes
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