NeuroPlay Adventures for K-2

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant NeuroPlay Adventures addresses the need to develop innovative neuroscience educational tools to benefit children in kindergarten through th grade K The goals of this project are to develop mobile apps for tablets and smart phones and a web site that introduces children ages to the brain using music motor and story based activities and to evaluate the effectiveness of this program in increasing interes and knowledge of the brain Phase I Goal To develop a prototype and to evaluate its effectiveness with children ages Phase II Goal Complete the development production and evaluation of NeuroPlay Adventures and field test the effectiveness of the completed program with year old children to determine if interest and understanding of the brain improves The mobile apps and web site will be marketed primarily as consumer products for children ages and secondarily as supplemental learning materials for kindergarten through second grade The central components of the learning materials are mobile apps and a web site with music motor and story based neuroplay activities and games that motivate young children to learn about the brain NeuroPlay Adventures will take the often abstract concepts of brain science and make them fun and accessible to young children Above all it is designed to infuse children with a sense of awe for their own rapidly developing brains Many software games encourage children to use their brains but NeuroPlay Adventures will teach children the science of their brains at the same time It is important to teach young children about basic neuroscience for many reasons By helping them understand how central this delicate organ is we promote a positive attitude towards its proper care Furthermore introducing children to neuroscience when they are young encourages their natural curiosity and interest in science increasing the likelihood that some will pursue a career in neuroscience and contribute to this fast growing body of knowledge To increase interest in and knowledge about the brain among year olds using interactive media to convey fundamental concepts about the brain Helping children understand how important this delicate organ is promotes a positive attitude towards its proper care and an interest in neuroscience learning and careers