Fight or Flight? The Science of Stress - Virtual
Main Image
Main Image
Subjects
Students will explore what happens in their nervous system, endocrine system and circulatory system when their brain detects stressful situations.
What You Need
Materials:
- 4 pipe cleaners (Alternatively: paper and tape, or paper and colouring supplies)
- Scissors
- A cup (large enough to hold the plastic counters)
- Plastic counters (approx. 45-50/student) (Alternatively: uniform shape/size cereal (Shreddies, Cheerios, etc.), dry pasta, or plastic beads)
Slideshow:
Guide:
Safety Notes
Be careful with scissors and pipe cleaners.
What To Do
Build a Neuron:
- Scrunch a pipe cleaner into a ball to represent the cell body
- Take a pipe cleaner and cut it into 4-5 pieces to represent the dendrites
- Twist the dendrite pipe cleaner into the cell body
- Twist long pipe cleaner into the cell body to represent the axon
- Twist the axon pipe cleaner's end into a loop and form a heart shape by bending the loop inwards to represent the synapse
- Wrap the axon with another pipe cleaner to represent the myelin sheath
- Describe the functions of each part while demonstrating how to make them
Stress Test :
- Demonstrate where students can feel their pulse on their body
- Set a timer for 30 seconds
- Tell students to count their pulse until the timer stops
- Multiply the number that they counted by 2 to determine their resting heart rate
- Have students place a cup and counters flat on a table
- Place a hand behind their backs
- Demonstrate how to pick up the counters, one by one with one hand
- Set a timer for 30 seconds and have them compete for who can get the most counters in their cup
- During the competition set a separate timer for 15 seconds
- Immediately after the competition, get students to count their pulse for 15 seconds
- Multiply the number that they counted by 4 to determine their heart rate after the competition
Discovery
Students will explore the biology of stress in their own bodies and discuss the importance of reducing stress.
It is important to learn to manage short term stress to reduce long term stress
What's Happening?
Students will explore the biology of stress in their own bodies and discuss the importance of reducing stress.
Why Does It Matter?
It is important to learn to manage short term stress to reduce long term stress
