Miriam's visit

Neil’s mom, Miriam Lango, a head and neck surgeon, came to speak with us about the nervous system. She brought with her an Atlas of Human Anatomy and a model of a brain.

Miriam shared with us that the nervous system is our body’s decision and communication center. It is what helps us function throughout our day. We learned that brain and the spinal cord make up our central nervous system, and together they control our breathing, moving and learning.  How amazing!  We have nerves that run from our brains to our spinal cord and from our spinal cord to the rest of our body.  It is these nerves that send messages to and from our brain and tell us how to respond to stimuli.   Miriam told us that the most important thing we can do to keep our nervous system healthy is to get enough sleep.  

Here are some more highlights from Miriam's presentation...

-There are more nerves in your brain then stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

-The spinal column protects the spinal cord

-Nerves come out from between the vertebrae

-There are arteries and veins in our brain

-The frontal lobes of the cortex are strengthened when we share moments of silence and practice        focusing our attention

-Breathing deeply helps give oxygen to our brain and makes it healthier

-If you don’t get enough sleep to dream you will get sick

-A headache is not a brain ache, because the brain does not feel anything

-Messages from the brain move as fast as lightning

The children were so deeply engaged and interested in this topic of discussion.  They had many questions.  Here are a few of them...

What is your brain doing when you are dreaming?

How does your heart pump blood to your brain?

Is the brain the boss of your whole body?

What happens when you get a brain freeze?

How does the brain switch sides?

Thank you so much Miriam for your exciting and informative visit!!!