Due to postal delays, this little guy unfortunately arrived a little late to the party, as far as our study of the brain goes. But since we’re always learning, he’s still useful. 😉
<—-This is a neuron. Not a real one, of course. He’s way too big for that. And much cuddlier. He’s part of a collection of “GIANT microbes.” The collection of plush critters includes a variety of “germ” cells, as well as various parts of the human body. These are a fantastic way to illustrate the variety of these cells to our children, in a “non-gross” way.
They come in a couple different sizes, and a few of them have other, non-plush variations available, as well. (The cold virus hand soap dispenser is kind of cute — and a good reminder of one reason we wash our hands!) [This is unfortunately no longer available.]
Illustrate the difference between acidophilus and bifido bacteria. Show a red blood cell and white blood cell. Demonstrate what Lyme Disease spirochetes look like. Use them for sex education. There are extensive possibilities for using these educationally.
The standard plushies are 5-7″ tall. A few of them are available in “petri dishes” — sets of 3 mini-microbes. The only thing I don’t like about the line is that they don’t offer sets of different minis. When you buy a petri dish, you get three of the same microbe. I would love to see sets of “human body” mini microbes, “common illness” mini microbes, etc. As a homeschool mom, it would be much easier for me to afford a variety if I could get lots of the smaller ones that way. But I still like these. 🙂 [UPDATE: They do now have some multi-sets.]
Check them out and tell me which one is your favorite. 🙂
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