Neuroscience resources

On this page you will find a number of brain themed activities that children and adults can do. These can be downloaded and printed out.  We'd love to see what you do with them, so if you post any pictures on twitter, copy us in @CandoNCL.

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Colour in a neuron sheet PDF 853Kb

Colour in a multipolar neuron or a pyramidal neuron with these simple pictures showing a couple of the different shapes that these specialised cells can take, allowing them to share messages through the brain and out across the body.

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Types of neuron colouring sheet PDF 288Kb

Learn about the various forms that neurons come in with this simple colouring sheet. The worksheet contains pictures of different neurons, introducing people to the wide range of shapes and forms of these specialised messenger cells.

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Parts of a neuron worksheet PDF 914Kb

Learn about the different parts of a neuron with this labelled diagram and worksheet. A simple worksheet that asks people to label the different parts of a neuron cell, helping them to learn the different names.

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Pyramidal neuron worksheet PDF 1,108Kb

Learn about the different parts of an excitatory pyramidal cell with this labelled diagram and worksheet. A simple worksheet that asks people to label the different parts of a neuron cell, helping them to learn the different names.

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Build your own neuron activity PDF 552Kb

Learn about the different parts of the neuron whilst building your very own out of playdough and pipe cleaners. A fun, hands-on activity that will help people to understand the three dimensional nature of a neuron cell. Keeping to a core structure, neurons can be built as simple or as complicated as people like. A great activity for home or schools.

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When does a neuron fire? PDF 828Kb

The brain is a balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. With each neuron receiving hundreds of different inputs, at what point does it fire itself. 

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Light up neuron circuit diagram PDF 565Kb

Learn about neurons and make a neuron come alive with this simple electrical circuit diagram and picture. Requiring only a few resources, this activity helps to teach the parts of the neuron cell and how the cell uses electricity to send messages across the brain. This activity does not require any soldering to complete the circuit.

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Light up neuron instructions PDF 420Kb

Instructions to make the light up neuron picture using both words and pictures to explain each step.

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The Firing Neuron MSExcel 68Kb

This spreadsheet will help you explore how the firing of a neuron is dependent upon the input from other cells. It will help to show how neurons receive both excitatory and inhibitory inputs and how those inputs alter the membrane potential pushing the cell towards or away from firing.

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Optogenetics wordsearch PDF 1,594Kb

A fun wordsearch introducing people to some of the key words behind the science of optogenetics. The worksheet also includes a glossary providing explanations behind the words. Suitable for anybody looking for a fun introduction to this fascinating topic.