Noggin @ WSUV Kindergarten!

We’re heading to the WSU Vancouver campus kindergarten this morning!  The students (4 and 5) are currently engaged in what’s called the “Mind Up” program  –  according to Kelsey Day, their teacher, she has “already been talking to the children about the frontal cortex, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus..!”

We should come prepared to talk/answer questions about these regions and how they develop and interact (e.g., how you have strong feelings/drives related to subcortical structures like amygdala, and require frontal lobe networks  –  under construction!  –  to inhibit… 🙂

Jeff will bring a big drawing of the brain, with some subcortical structures illustrated (particularly the amygdala and nucleus accumbens) –  then we can ask students (maybe in small groups?) to tell us when they’ve felt strong feelings (really angry, or really motivated)  –  and whether they were able to control their feelings or not.  We can write down their examples on post-it notes and place those experiences directly on the areas of the brain involved.

The class meets in the McClaskey Building, Room 136.