Presentations & Curriculum Your Organization Can Request
Early Childhood Brain Development
When arranging for an Early Childhood presentation, specify if Early Childhood Workforce Registry credits (EC) are needed. Attendees register for credit at https://azregistry.org .
Protecting the Brain: Conception – 1st Birthday: The construction of the phenomenal supercomputer that is the human brain requires precision for creating and positioning 4,000 to 8,000 neurons per second before birth and making 700 new connections between neurons per second in the first year after birth. Learn important ways to protect and nurture this sensitive and foundational process; the impact will be lifelong.
Conversations from birth: Nurturing language development in early childhood provides the foundation for success in reading, school and community. This session is designed to motivate and empower early childhood professionals to coach parents in conversational turn-taking with their infants and young children, a practice that has been shown to directly enhance childhood language development. The session can be adapted to directly support parents, grandparents and other primary care providers in these infancy and early childhood conversations.
Marijuana – The New Alcohol: Per Arizona law its use is legal if you’ve had your 21st birthday, but the data is clear: marijuana is unsafe for the developing brain from the 5th week post conception until the 25th birthday. THC exposure can permanently alter the developing brain causing lifelong brain dysfunction – an impact that is more disabling when exposure is prenatal and/or involves high THC concentration and/or involves recurrent exposure. The facts that will be presented counter the message of harmless pleasure or remedy that the marijuana industry wants everyone to believe.
The Developing Brain, Conception to Kindergarten By age 5, the brain is 95% of its adult size. Learn how a few differentiated cells become the supercomputer brain ready for school. Consider why, from a community perspective, this is the most important period in the human life span for investment of personal, business and public time and talent. Understanding what matters to healthy brain development through these years can inform prioritizing decisions that might include an interactive one-on-one relationship, expanded parent leave policies, and/or funding for quality care, educational and health resources.
Brain Architecture development game Developed in 2009 by The Harvard Center for the Developing Child in conjunction with the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, this team board game that we facilitate is intended to engage decision makers, service providers and the involved community in “understanding the science of early brain development – what promotes it, what derails it, and what are the consequences for society.” Participation can both enhance understanding of struggling children and inform proactive systems change.
The Brain during School Years
Developing Brain, Elementary While the progression of axon insulation (myelination) dramatically increases the efficiency and executive control of the thinking cortex throughout the elementary school years, the formation of neuron-to-neuron connections (synaptogenesis) makes possible remarkable gains in knowledge and skill. Optimizing brain function requires physical and socio-emotional care, improving resilience and decreasing harmful stress.
The Developing Brain, Secondary School Building on the understanding of myelination and synaptogenesis, this discussion explores the impact of prefrontal remodeling, gonadal hormones and changed circadian cycles in the thinking, behavior and sleep requirements of adolescents.
The 5 senses (for children)
The 5 Senses – Touch. Taste. See. Hear. Smell. You know the five senses, now come discover how each one is related to our brains and how it all works to allow us to experience the world around us.
Marijuana – The New Alcohol
Per Arizona law its use is legal if you’ve had your 21st birthday, but the data is clear: marijuana is unsafe for the developing brain from the 5th week post conception until the 25th birthday. THC exposure can permanently alter the developing brain causing lifelong brain dysfunction – an impact that is more disabling when exposure is prenatal and/or involves high THC concentration and/or involves recurrent exposure. The facts that will be presented counter the message of harmless pleasure or remedy that the marijuana industry wants everyone to believe.
The Normally Aging Brain
As we age, so does our brain. Come learn about the changes happening inside your head, signs of mental decline you should be aware of, and what you can do to maintain your brain health. Lynne A Oland, PhD, Research Scientist Emerita, Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona
The Neurobiology of Sleep in Adults
"To sleep, perchance to dream?" (Wm. Shakespeare). Ever wondered what your brain is doing while you are sleeping (it's really active), or how those sleep-wake cycles work, or what drives falling asleep, or how much sleep you need at different ages, or even how bad it is to be chronically sleep-deprived? Join for a discussion of the Sleep and the Brain. Jyotsna Sahni , MD
Would you like us to come to your school or event?
or
Email: foundation@neurotucson.com, or
Call: 520-529-5211.
Arranging for an Early Childhood, School Years or Marijuana presentation?
Please discuss specific needs with
Social and Emotional Neurodevelopment Program (SEND) Curriculum
SEND stands for Social and Emotional Neurodevelopment, a program developed by the Center for Neuroscience Foundation (CNSF). The SEND Program was designed to provide age-appropriate information about how the brain is developing with respect to social and emotional capability. It includes basic information about the organization of the brain on which we have built lessons that can be used to explore the social and emotional circuitry. We do not emphasize psychological issues, though we do include red flags that should be explored with a professional.
Framework for the SEND Curriculum at each school level.
The SEND program has two parts:
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Lesson modules for teachers at the elementary*, middle* and high school* levels. These modules are tied to Arizona Education Science and Health Standards for classroom use.
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An in-person workshop for parents, teachers and counselors in which we explore first the neurobiology underlying social and emotional development at the elementary, middle and high school levels and then discuss typical behaviors at these levels in terms of how to support positive growth and to identify possible red flags. There will be time for questions from the audience. It is recommended that a school mental health professional team with a CNSF neuroscientist for this workshop.
To access the SEND curriculum materials, please indicate in what school district you work in the box below. This is to help us track where there is interest in the materials. Once you hit return, you will be able to fully access all three curricular levels.
To schedule the CNSF neuroscientist for the SEND parent-teacher workshop – and for any questions - please contact Susan Hopkinson, Director of the Center for Neurosciences Foundation at foundation@neurotucson.com
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