By Phil Nast, retired middle school teacher and freelance writer

Brain Awareness Week (BAW), founded and coordinated by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and European Dana Alliance for the Brain, is March 12-18, 2012.

BAW is a worldwide celebration of the brain for people of all ages. The Dana Alliance has a number of PDF puzzles and coloring sheets suitable for K-12 students that focus on vocabulary, health, and safety. There are some cryptograms. Each packet includes answer sheets.

The Society for Neuroscience has partnered with the Dana Alliance for BAW and provides a number of useful PDF resources:

• Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System ( PDF, 1.6 MB, 80 pgs.)
• Neuroscience Core Concepts ( PDF, 1.5 MB, 10 pgs.)
• Neuromyth Busters ( PDF, 1.4 MB, 2 pgs.)

In addition, Society for Neuroscience NERVE links to neuroscience resources for K-12 classroom.

Neuroscience for Kids provides a look at neuroscience and neuroscientists. Two sections examine the effects of drugs on the nervous system (including caffeine and chocolate) and neurological and mental disorders. This site seems to be aimed at students in grades 5-8.

Edheads has a surgery simulation called Deep Brain Stimulation that lets students in grades 7-12 assist a surgeon cut, probe and drill her way to helping her patient cope with Parkinson’s.

And PBS has a companion website for its program The Secret Life of the Brain that includes a 3-D brain anatomy animation and a section on illusions.

All five episodes of The Secret Life of the Brain, (300 minutes) which examine the infant, child, adolescent, adult, and aging brain are available on YouTube.