"When you see something, the signal travels from your eyes to your brain. It occurs in reverse and your brain sorts it out; the nerve used is your optic nerve. Smelling works very similarly except only the optic nerve does things in reverse. Smelling uses the olfactory nerve, the tiny hairs in your nose work as filters and receptors. Hearing works with the auditory nerve. Tasting is possible with the taste buds, that detect salty, sweet, sour and bitter. Of course, you need your sense of smell which enhances what you are eating. Think of when you have a cold and stuffy nose-all food tastes the same or bland. I bet you didn't know that nursing homes add sugar to their vegetables to make them tastier. Sweet is a favorite of the elderly. Touching or physical feeling is interesting because it involved nerves just under the skin and we can detect different temperatures, different sensations such as a slap which hurts or a pat that feels reassuring. Touch is also referred to as tactile."

It was interesting to watch people sniff, taste their coffee, pinch themselves, or touch each other.
"Phillip, could you please come to the front for a moment?"

When he arrived, I turned my back to the class and whispered the following directions.

"I want you to whisper this message on the card to Brenda, exactly as it is on the card. When we are finished, I will ask you to read it aloud, but wait just a moment while I give the class instructions." I turned, "Phillip is going to whisper something to Brenda, who will then whisper it to Jon and so forth up or down each row until we get to Andrew, who will stand and repeat it out loud to the class. Everyone ready?"

Phillip walked back to Brenda and whispered the message, who then stood and whispered it to Jon. Each student listened and then whispered. When it finally got to Andrew, he stood and repeated it to the class. The room filled with gasps and chuckles. Very little of the original message was left, the people in the first group realized this and shook their heads. I had Phillip stand and read the message from the card. There was a stunned silence.

"This was used in several ways. As you can see the message was distorted as it was passed from one to another. It was at one time, part of a psychological test. It is also a very popular game for children or in the olden days a great parlor game. No one is at fault, it is just how your mind interpreted it. After lunch, we will try some other sense test."

While they were off eating, I prepared my treats for them. There would be coffee overpowered with chocolate for them to smell and taste. It would be instant, so I just had to add hot water. Blot tests to see what they saw, as well as the charts used to check for color blindness. And regular sugar and salt in bowls rather than shakers.

It proved to be an interesting afternoon. The small testing methods were somewhat enjoyed and very educational. We learned that we had two people who had minor difficulties with colors.
One student had purchased a couple of cans of green beans, of carrots and of peas. His rationale was so that everyone could see what veggies tasted like with sugar added. Unfortunately, no one liked the combination.

Two students passed their glasses around to allow others to see what distorted vision was like. And one young man plugged his ears with his fingers, as he talked to and tried to listen to two others. He was shouting at them. All great learning experiences.

It made them all aware of their senses and it was a good start to the nervous system.
We talked about the fact that the system was responsible for transmitting signals, that there were voluntary and involuntary actions. Voluntary as in walking or even exercise, since you chose those activities, and involuntary as in what keep you alive such as breathing, your heart beating, your digestive system.

We also discussed that there are two significant parts to the system. The first is CNS or central nervous system which is comprised of the brain which is sheltered or surrounded by the skull and the spinal column surrounded by the vertebrae- the bones provide protection. The other is the PNS or peripheral nervous system which consists of miles and miles of nerves which look like bundles of wires.

I provided examples of withdrawal reflexes where one moved their hand from an open fire or hot heat source and of when one saw a movement in their peripheral vision they tended to move their head to look at the source.

Before we called it a day and I gave the students their assignment to read as much as they could on the chapter regarding the nervous system. It was brought to my attention, that they had talked and as a group had decided to do the mid-term and final on a Friday.