Every Body Has a Brain has launched !!
It’s a video game, 16 brain songs and website for 4-6 year olds funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health’s Small Business Innovation Research Program. The songs are available now as downloads on Amazon and iTunes and you can purchase the game online.
The Songs
These sixteen songs from the video game Every Body Has a Brain, an interactive musical brain game, awaken children to the growing power of their brain. Musically enchanting, lyrically playful, the songs draw from a variety of styles to infuse kids with a sense of wonder about their brain and a mindfulness about caring for it. Each song teaches something new like the importance of protecting your brain and that you’re always using your brain. Along the way, kids learn what different parts of their brain do and that your brain helps you walk and talk and sing and play and a whole lot more!
The Game
You’ll meet Phoebe Brainheart, a girl who loves finding out new things about the brain – all kinds of brains! One day, Phoebe’s pet computer mouse accidentally causes her brain parts to stop cooperating with one another. You go inside her brain to get the parts of her brain working together again.
Children visit the Cerebral Cortex, Cerebellum, Brainstem,and Hippocampus. Characters with names representing each brain part — Sir Rebral Cortex and Sara Bellum, for example — guide children through the activities and games.
The design of each game mirrors the content. For example, in the Cerebellum, games involve coordination and balance; in the Hippocampus, they engage memory; and in the Cerebral Cortex; they elicit creativity and problem solving.
In the process of playing children will:
• Gain a new sense of wonder and appreciation for their brain.
• Understand the basic structures and functions of the brain.
• Understand that all the parts of the brain work together.
• Realize that it’s important to protect their brain.
• Appreciate what an amazing and vital organ the human brain is.
About Morphonix:
Firefly has formed a relationship with Morphonix in order to bring unique learning tools to children in Canada.
Since the early 1990s Morphonix, has been developing a series of neuroscience games and web sites that make abstract concepts of brain science fun and comprehensible to children and teens.
Morphonix’ award-winning neuroscience programs include Journey into the Brain, for ages 7-11, Neuromatrix, for ages 11-14, and Every Body Has a Brain for 4-6 year-olds.
Karen Littman, President and Founder of Morphonix, has received over $6 million in research grants from US agencies including The National Institutes of Health (NIH), The U.S. Office of Education, and The National Endowment for the Arts for projects she initiated and developed.
The Morphonix neuroscience series addresses a big gap in our education system. Children are not taught in school about their brains.
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC), neuroscience and the study of the nervous system should be a part of every child’s education. Research reveals that many critically important neural connections are made during the first 12 years of a child’s life, yet children are rarely taught about this most vital organ. It is important for many reasons for young children to learn basic neuroscience. If we expect children to wear bike helmets, live a healthy lifestyle, and understand the interconnectedness of the brain and the body, we must also teach them about how their brain functions.
By helping children and teens understand the vital nature of this delicate organ, we promote a positive attitude toward its proper care. Introducing children to neuroscience when they are young encourages their natural curiosity and interest in science, increasing the likelihood that some will pursue a career in neuroscience, and contribute to this fast-growing body of knowledge.
Despite the benefits of teaching basic neuroscience, it is absent from most school curricula because it is considered too abstract and specialized to be taught to children. Young children are capable of understanding very complex information as long as it is presented in ways that are concrete, multisensory, and related in some meaningful way to their lives. In general, people remember visual information more easily than verbal information. Computer games provide new ways to present abstract information in an accessible manner. The Morphonix series of neuroscience games and web sites make the process of learning about the brain fun and engaging for children. The use of animation, music, and story stimulate the child’s imagination and natural curiosity while introducing basic neuroscience concepts and issues.
Summary of Morphonix Research:
Seven NIH funded studies conducted over the past 15 years, show that Morphonix games increase children’s and teens’ interest in and knowledge about the brain.
Journey into the Brain examined the effectiveness of a CD-ROM game about the brain in increasing interest and knowledge about the brain in children ages 7-11. Measures showed strong support for the CD-ROM in increasing interest in the brain and small increases in knowledge about the brain. In studies of use of the CD-ROM game over time, participants’ growth in knowledge was substantial. The game’s ability to teach information about a subject not generally covered in grades 2-6 demonstrated that computer games have the potential to be an enjoyable and useful educational tool for children.
The results of the Neuromatrix studies showed substantial value in using computer interactivity to present educational content to children of middle school grades. The studies indicate strong interest by students in the game’s neuroscience content. There were also significant gains in knowledge due to extended exposure to the game.
The first Every Body has a Brain study showed real knowledge gains from exposure to information about the function and anatomy of the brain. In March 2011, a three condition study (control, computer, enhanced lecture) with 280 students will take place in San Francisco schools to further examine the effectiveness of a computer game and web site in increasing interest and knowledge about the brain in 4-6 year olds.
Morphonix’ neuroscience content is reviewed by our team of prominent neuroscience advisors including:
- Floyd Bloom, MD, Professor Emeritus, The Scripps Research Institute and Former Editor in Chief, Science
- Rob Malenka, MD, Ph.D, Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Director Nancy Pritzker Laboratory
- Arthur Toga, Ph.D, Professor Neurology, UCLA, Director Laboratory Neuro Imaging, Co-Director, Division of Brain Mapping
- Mark Tramo MD, Ph.D, Director, The Institute for Music and Brain Science, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT
- Eric Chudler Ph.D, Research Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Director of Education of Outreach
We’re living in a golden age of brain research. Neuroscience is one of the most exciting fields today. We hope that Neuromatrix, Journey into the Brain, and Every Body Has a Brain awaken children and teens to the miracle and wonder of their own growing brains, inspire them to take good care of their brains and body, and nourish their curiosity about the realm of biology as a whole.
