Brain Awareness Week - Educator Spirit Week Edition!

tags: Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education Linking Research to Classrooms: A Blog for Educators

March 6, 2018

Here at the Linking Research to Classrooms Blog at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, we love brains! We also love our audience of dedicated educators who are shaping the brains of students everywhere.  In celebration of the 2018 Brain Awareness Week (March 12-18), we have planned a fun virtual spirit week so that educators everywhere can show off their love of brains!

Each day of our Brain Spirit Week, we will ask educators to create themed posts related to education and the brain. Check out the schedule below to participate!

Monday, March 12:  Brain Hat Day!

One fun way to learn about the brain is to create a brain hat.  We encourage you to pick one of these templates (or create your own!) and make brain hats with your students, or even with your fellow teachers!  Check out this brain hemisphere hat template or this brain cap activity from UT Health. Share your pictures of your brain hat on social media with the hashtags #BrainAwarenessWeek and #BrainSpiritWeek.

Tuesday, March 13:  Brain Safety Day

In addition to Brain Awareness Week, the whole month of March is Brain Injury Awareness Month!  We encourage you to participate in the #SportYourHelmet challenge as a way of inspiring your students to protect their brains.  Take a picture of yourself with your helmet and use the hashtag #SportYourHelmet to share on social media.  Tag @KennedyKrieger so that we can celebrate you serving as an important role model for kids!  Want to see what others are doing to raise awareness about brain injury? Check out the hashtag #BIAM.

Wednesday, March 14:  Brain Myth-Busting Day

The Linking Research to Classrooms has spent a lot of time busting neuromyths. Misinformation about the brain is prevalent and we think it’s important for educators to have the best information available.  To celebrate improved awareness of the brain, we invite you to post a brain fact OR post about a myth that you used to believe in, but now know to be false.  Use the hashtags #BrainAwarenessWeek and #BrainSpiritWeek to share with others!

Thursday, March 15:  Building your Brain Day

There are lots of great resources to help teachers learn about the relationships between the mind, brain and learning. You can check out some of our past blog posts, or visit trustworthy sites like the Dana Foundation, Brain Facts, or Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child.  Build your knowledge about the brain and learning and then tweet out something new you’ve learned using the hashtags #BrainAwarenessWeek #BrainSpiritWeek.  

Friday, March 16:  Brain Swag Day!

Do you have some great brain swag you want to show off? Maybe you’ve got a brainy t-shirt, or some other fun brainy items that you can’t wait to share?  For the last day of our Brain Awareness Spirit Week, we invite you to get dressed up and show off your brain swag. Don’t own any brain swag at the moment?  We’ve never seen creative teachers at a loss for creating fun, themed items in a flash and can’t wait to see what you make!  Don’t forget to share your fun swag and crafty ideas with the rest of us by using the hashtags #BrainAwarenessWeek #BrainSpiritWeek.  

Want more ideas for how to celebrate Brain Awareness Week?  Check out our past Brain Week Digital Resource Round-up, our list of Brainy Book Recommendations, or join in on any other the other fun that is being shared on social media through the official #BrainAwarenessWeek hashtag.  Enjoy!

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