Science Simulations: interactive 3D models of the heart, lungs, digestive system, teeth, skeleton, muscles, eye, brain, reflex arc, nerve cell, transport in plants and the phases of the Moon, for the classroom whiteboard

Interactive 3D science simulations for the classroom whiteboard

Science Simulations are twelve moving 3D models for the classroom board, covering the human body, a plant and the Moon. You can stop each one, turn it and hide its labels. Some things are hard to explain with a still picture. These move. The models are our own, drawn and built for teaching.

The twelve simulations, with ages

The human body

• Heart simulation: blood flow through the heart. A beating 3D heart, cut open, with blood moving through the four chambers, out to the lungs and round the body in six steps. Ages 9 to 14.
• Respiratory system simulation: 3D lungs that breathe. The diaphragm pulls down and air runs down the windpipe and the branching tubes to the air sacs (alveoli), where oxygen passes into the blood. Ages 9 to 14.
• Digestive system simulation: the journey of food. One long tube from the mouth, down the oesophagus (esophagus in the United States) to the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine and out. Ages 7 to 11.
• Types of teeth: an interactive 3D teeth model. Press incisors, canines, premolars or molars to light up every tooth of that kind, switch on plaque, and look inside a tooth and a taste bud. Ages 7 to 11.
• Interactive human skeleton with labelled bones. Twenty bones with their science and everyday names, a switch for protect, support, move and make blood, and a thigh bone cut open. Ages 7 to 16.
• Muscular system 3D model: muscles work in pairs. The main muscles, front and back, a More muscles switch that adds proper names such as latissimus dorsi, and an arm that bends as the biceps and triceps take turns to pull. Ages 7 to 14.
• Eye simulation: how we see. Light from a candle bends at the cornea, is focused by the lens and lands upside down on the retina. Move the candle near and far, and turn the light bright and dim. Ages 9 to 14.
• Interactive brain model: lobes and parts of the brain. Press each lobe, the cerebellum or the brain stem to read what it does, then turn it round to the brain cut down the middle. Ages 9 to 16.
• Reflex arc simulation. A message runs from a fingertip to the spinal cord and back to the arm, so the hand pulls away before the brain feels the pain. Ages 9 to 14.
• Neuron 3D model: the nerve cell, myelin and the synapse. Fire a weak or a strong nudge, take the myelin away to watch the signal crawl, and zoom into the gap where a chemical crosses. Ages 11 to 16.

Plants

• Transport in plants: xylem and phloem. A sunflower cut open, with water climbing from the root hairs to the leaves and sugar travelling to the flower and the roots. A Red dye switch runs the celery experiment. Ages 7 to 16.

Earth and space

• Moon phases simulation. The Moon going round the Earth seen from space, beside what you see from the ground, north or south of the equator. Ages 7 to 11.

Which human body systems are covered?

Six human body systems so far: the circulatory system (the heart), the respiratory system (the lungs), the digestive system, the nervous system, the skeleton and the muscles. The nervous system has four models: the reflex arc, one nerve cell, the brain, and the eye as a sense organ. They join up, which is the point of teaching the body as systems. The lungs page shows where the blood from the heart picks up its oxygen. Digestion starts with the teeth. Muscles pull on the bones of the skeleton, and a reflex is a nerve message telling a muscle to pull.

Which simulation suits which age or grade?

Each simulation has an age range on its tile, from 7 to 16. That covers Years 3 to 11 in England, Key Stage 2 through to GCSE, and 2nd to 10th grade in the United States.

• Ages 7 to 11 (Years 3 to 6, 2nd to 5th grade): Moon phases, the digestive system, and mouth and teeth.
• Ages 7 to 14 or 16: the skeleton, the muscles and transport in plants. The muscles and the plant have a switch that adds the proper words for older classes.
• Ages 9 to 14 (Years 5 to 9, 4th to 8th grade): the heart, the respiratory system, the eye and the reflex arc.
• Ages 9 to 16: the brain. Ages 11 to 16 (Years 7 to 11, 6th to 10th grade): the nerve cell.

What can you do on the board?

Every simulation can be dragged to turn or move it, has labels you can hide to quiz the class, and has Share, which copies a link that opens it as you left it. Step through the journeys (the heart, lungs, digestion, reflex arc, nerve cell, eye, plant and Moon) one sentence at a time, and press Slower to slow them down. On the body and plant models, press a name to zoom in on that part and read what it does, or press Labels once for a quiz where each name hides behind a question mark. Draw on the board with the pen, and Print a pupil sheet with blank labels and a word bank.

Do the simulations work on an interactive whiteboard?

Yes. They run in the browser on an interactive whiteboard, a smart board, a laptop or a tablet, with nothing to install. They are made for the board at the front of the class: press and drag with a finger on a touch board, or use a mouse.

Questions

Related apps

For models the class can spin, from skeletons to dinosaurs, try 3D Explorer. Writing up an investigation? Lab Book builds the page. Sorting out what to change and what to measure? Variable Spotter.