We hear a lot about STEM concepts, but not so much about neuroscience, which is where Backyard Brains is hoping to fill a gap. Their super cool neuroscience experiment kits that give kids first hand experience on how the brain really works. What a fantastic New York Toy Fair discovery!
Started by a couple of then graduate students, Backyard Brains uses off-the-shelf electronics to create kits that teach kids all about our nervous system. And wow, these are pretty amazing.
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Take their Muscle Spikerbox which we spied at Toy Fair. This kit allows kids to record electrical activity that’s produced by cells in human muscles. They can track their own electrical activity or control someone else’s! Or, if you’ve got a neuroscience super fan, there’s Completo, which is a full tabletop electrophysiology rig. And that’s just a couple of the myriad kits they’ve created. Keep in mind that while the kits include lesson plans and experiment ideas for teachers, they’re great for homeschoolers, and even kids who want to conduct their own experiments at home, too.
Considering these kits essentially turn your kitchen table into a Ph.D. science lab, they’re not cheap. But if you’ve got a kid with an interest in how the brain works, these will definitely allow them to take that interest to a whole new level.
