neurons

Avery tends to ask tons of questions and soaks up knowledge like crazy. So whenever she asks a question we typically send her to someone in the family that would best be able to explain things.

So I'm up in my room studying and I hear this little knock on the door, "aunt andi?"
I opened the door for her and she says "i have a question... what are neurons?"
and i know she must have seen my background on the computer which is neurons (the same one in my current facebook picture) and asked someone what that was and was sent up to my room to ask aunt andi.

I tried to figure how to explain it, because i know i don't have to dumb things down too much with her, but still, i have to because she is only 5. I told her that they start in her brain and go all the way to her fingertips and toes, and that they send messages from the brain.
She looked puzzled, so I said, "okay, say you want to move your finger. So your brain says 'move my finger' and the neuron will tell your finger to move and then POOF! it moves!"
"ooh, that's neat!"
then i said, "and, when I tickle your belly (which i started to do) then neurons tell your brain that aunt andi is tickling your belly and you feel the tickle!"
"ooooh, so it's like my brain is talking!"
"exactly!"
"is there only one neuron in my brain? or are there more than one?"
"there are billions and billions!"
"whoa! so that's why there is more than one in the picture then?"
"yup!"
"cool"


awesome. Avery thinks neurons are cool. and she understood that her brain is talking.
I have high hopes for her!