The Brainable Program
Brainable is an engaging and interactive 75-minute session about the brain and brain health designed for students in grades 5 through 8 in Ontario. Brainable is available at no cost to participating schools thanks to the generous support of Women’s Brain Health Initiative donors.
Taught by a board-certified and qualified educator, in both English and French, Brainable enhances the Middle School Health Curriculum, and includes follow-up guides and activities for students, teachers, and parents that reinforce brain healthy habits.
Benefits
For students
Students learn about the ways they can help or harm their brain health and why that’s important
Students receive a Brainable magazine to take home with activities that reinforce brain health
Students receive a new perspective and variety in instruction on the units covered in the school curriculum
Students gain a better understanding of the role they play in safeguarding the health of their brain
Helps remove stigma about dementia and depression and other brain-aging diseases
For parents, families, and communities
The Brainable program encourages family interaction and discussions about making smart choices for the developing brain
Parents gain a better understanding themselves of how best to protect their own brain health and that of their loved ones
Students receive a Brainable magazine to take home with activities that reinforce brain health
Parents receive a Brainable Tip Guide with fun and easy family activities to support good brain health
For educators
Brainable is a 75-minute interactive and inspiring program, taught by a qualified brain health educator as a guest speaker, that fortifies the topics and themes teachers cover in grades 5-8
Teachers gain a better understanding themselves of how best to protect their own brain health
Teachers receive a Brainable Teacher Resource Guide with activities that reinforce brain health
Provides teachers with a rubric to assist in evaluating the follow-up activity
How the program supplements the curriculum and assists teachers
Health
The Healthy Eating Unit
The Personal Safety and Injury Prevention Unit
The Substance Use, Addictions and Related Behaviours Unit
Mental Health Concepts
Science on the human body
Grade 5 specific expectation 1.2: “Evaluate the effects, both beneficial and harmful, on human body systems, taking different perspectives into account.”
Grade 5 specific expectation 3.4: “Identify common diseases and the organs and/or body functions that they affect.”
Grade 8 specific expectation 3.1: “Identify various types of systems (e.g., body systems).”
Teachers’ demonstrable criteria
B.2: “Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of being physically active and apply physical fitness concepts and practices that contribute to healthy, active living.”
B.3: “Demonstrate responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others as they participate in physical activities.”
D.1: “Demonstrate an understanding of factors that contribute to healthy development.”
D.2: “Demonstrate the ability to apply health knowledge and social-emotional learning skills to make reasoned decisions and take appropriate actions relating to their personal health and well-being.”
D.3: “Demonstrate the ability to make connections that relate to health and well-being – how their choices and behaviours affect both themselves and others, and how factors in the world around them affect their own and others’ health and well-being.”
Bring Brainable to your school in English or French
Send us your school’s details and we will get in touch about bringing Brainable to your school.