Neurons
“Combining art with science really makes it feel more interactive and feel more real”
Rationale
Sherrington was fascinated by our nervous system. This activity allows pupils to look at images of neurons and find beauty in our body at a microscopic scale.
Neurons look a bit like trees with branches and roots to make connections with each other. Our brain is mind-bogglingly complicated with around 100 billion neurons, responsible for our thoughts, feelings and controlling our body. Each neuron can make thousands of connections through synapses which act like switches.
Activity
Show pupils microscope images of neurons as inspiration to create artwork based on a bit of the brain.
This activity allows pupils to think about themselves.
For secondary schools – this can be accompanied by introducing synapses as named by Sherrington, as well as nuclei and to discussing action potential.
“the whole crust of the brain is one thick tangled jungle of exchanges and of branches going thither and coming thence”
