Unfortunately due to treacherous weather conditions 5th class were unable to travel to Limerick for the Primary Science Competition. Such work, time and effort was given to this project, so we have decided to share some information about it with you. The aim of our science project entry was to answer the question: How can an active body increase our brain power? Through research, experimentation, observation, construction and designing we worked collaboratively to answer this question.
We researched the topics of exercise, the brain and memory individually and in groups using ICT and other resources. Team work played a huge role in this project. We investigated the effect that exercise has on the human memory. We looked closely at the function of the brain regarding memory and designed and constructed our experiments with this in mind. With the help of Belinda Walsh we also created an animation to highlight our knowledge of how the human memory actually works. ( Thanks for your time Belinda J)
The goal of this project was to determine the effect of exercise on a critical brain function: memory. Our aim was to find out if there is any connection between an active body and increased brain power. As a class we designed simple but fun ways to test the effect of physical activity on memory through memory tests before and after exercise. We created 3 memory tests ( test 1- sitting stationary then memorizing and writing a number sequence, test 2- a reading exercise, then memorizing and writing a different number sequence and test 3-three active exercises including squats, jumping jacks and running, again memorizing and writing a different number sequence afterwards) . We tested 10 children and 10 adults with various learning skills, over the course of three days. The results were then compiled and data was inputted onto tables and then graphed.
In order to gain a better understanding of the brain we constructed and designed various models of the brain using various materials ranging from pasta and play dough to paper Mache and plaster paris, highlighting its different structures. We had so much fun creating this project and learned new and interesting facts about the human brain and our memories.
