Brain Architecture

This file include printable cards to use to teach the effects of toxic stress on the developing brain. You will need the following PER GROUP (up to four students in each group): 30 pipe cleaners, 30 plastic straws, 30 small fishing weights with paperclips as hooks, one set of these cards printed.

Have students organize each deck by year, and each student draws one card per year. These cards may have a positive or a negative outcome on them. For every single card drawn, students must take a pipe cleaner. If the card is negative then they must also take a weight, and if it is positive they get a straw.

Each 'positive' pipe cleaner gets a straw over it to help support the students structure as they build. Each 'negative' pipe cleaner will weigh down the structure. In order to win students must keep building their structure (brain) turn by turn and keep it from collapsing.

This activity helps students understand the impact that stressful events such as divorce, violence, abuse, food scarcity or poor education have on developing minds. It also helps them understand that with proper support like loving teachers, supportive families, and community resources, children can overcome these things.

Over 100 different scenarios are represented within this game and it is a wonderful tool for students to visually see the impact that emotions have on young children!