Cut a sheet of paper that is longer than the height of your friend. (Or, tape sheets of paper together.)
Place the paper on a hard, smooth floor. Have your friend lay down in the middle of the paper.
Use a black marker to draw an outline of your friend's body.
Next, draw the different parts of the nervous system. Then, label them. Use the Explore Your Nervous System (PDF) as a reference.
Hang the drawing on a wall or inside your closet door to show off your nerves!
- Some messages shoot through the nervous system faster than others. When you pet a fluffy dog, one signal races from your fingertip to your brain in 10 to 20 milliseconds, letting you know she is soft. Another signal reaches your brain in a few milliseconds later, telling you she is warm.
- Nerves on the right side of the body connect to the left side of the brain. Nerves on the left side of the body connect to the right side of the brain.
- The nervous system runs on electricity, but the levels are low. Brain signals involve less than one-tenth the voltage of an ordinary flashlight battery.