Balance Nina and the Neurons: Brilliant Bodies

# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go

# Ask Nina for some help Cos she's got a science show

# She makes sense of her senses While helping all her fans

# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue!

-# Fingers

-Fingers!

-# Eyes.

-Eyes!

-Ears.

-Ears!

-Nose.

-Nose!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Luke, he helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch

# Ollie sniffs out smells And Belle, she hears so much

# Bud is Ollie's brother He helps us with our taste

# They're Nina's little Neurons And they're coming to your place!

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue!

-# Fingers

-Fingers!

-# Eyes.

-Eyes!

-Ears.

-Ears!

-Nose.

-Nose!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Oh, yeah! #

Oh, hello. Oh! I've been balancing this book on my head for ages.

In just a few seconds, I'll have beaten my record. Eee-hee!

-BEEPING

-Oh! Oh, dear.

Hmm! I hear a beep, I see a flash. I wonder what they're going to ask.

-Hi, Nina.

-Hi, guys.

-We've got a question for you.

-How do we stay balanced?

Great question. How do we stay balanced?

I really want to learn about balancing, too,

then maybe I can beat my record.

Come down to the lab for some experiments to investigate.

-See you soon, Nina. Bye!

-Bye!

I'll need help to answer this one. I know just who to ask.

OK, Neurons. Time to get to work.

Neurons at the ready, Nina.

OK, today's question is, "How do we stay balanced?"

Which Neuron do you think will be most useful in helping us?

-Me!

-Me!

-Me!

-Oh, me!

Will it be fabulous Felix?

I can help so very much if you need the sense of touch.

-Will it be beautiful Belle?

-I send messages to brain from ear.

If there's a sound, I'll help you hear.

-Will it be lovely Luke?

-For looking and seeing, day or night,

I'll help you with your sense of sight.

-Will it be awesome Ollie?

-If it's pongy or whiffy but you can't tell,

my messages help your sense of smell.

-Or will it be baby Bud?

-Sour, salty, bitter or sweet,

I'm your taste-buddy whenever you eat.

It's all the Neurons!

Yay! Go Neurons, go Neurons, go Neurons, go Neurons!

Go Neurons. All Neurons, hip-hop-happy to help, Nina.

Today's question is, "How do we stay balanced?"

Our senses are important in helping us balance,

so I think all of the Neurons can help.

I'll get the lab ready for the Experimenters.

Hannah likes her friends and Megan likes cheerleading.

But they both want to know how we stay balanced.

So today, for one day only, Hannah and Megan become the Experimenters!

-Hi, guys.

-Hi, Nina.

Welcome to my science lab. Come on in!

"How do we stay balanced?" Good question.

Why do you want to know?

We're learning to ride our bikes without stabilisers.

How do we stay balanced, so we don't fall off?

Well, bike riding is great fun. But falling off isn't. Hee-hee!

So we must always wear a helmet

to protect our head when we're cycling.

We need to do some investigating to find out more.

For our first experiment, we'll use our senses.

Woop-woo! A senses experiment. We're ready, Nina.

Staying balanced isn't just for riding bikes.

We do lots of balancing all the time. When we were babies,

we had to learn to balance so we could stand up and walk.

And we also need balance to lift and carry things.

Here's an example.

Trying to balance a fork full of roly peas

long enough to get them into your mouth. Oh!

It's quite tricky. Hee-hee!

-BUD:

-Oh, I was looking forward to tasting those!

Sorry, Bud! We use lots of different senses to balance.

First, we'll find out how our ears help us.

So, everyone stand up nice and straight for me.

OK, now lean forward as far as you can without falling - like this.

Oh! And now move back into the middle. And lean back.

Oh-ho! And back into the middle.

Now hop on the spot. Oh-ho!

And...feet back down.

Turn around once. Woo!

Twice. Woo!

And once more. Woo! Oh, stop! Before you get dizzy.

And our ears could tell that we were moving there

as inside them is liquid,

a bit like the water in these fishbowls.

Let's gently pick up the bowls

and move them a little bit from side to side.

What's happening to the water?

-It's moving about.

-It certainly is. Let's put our bowls down now.

Now, have a look at this picture of the inside of our ears.

Now, what do you think those are?

They look like hairs.

Yes, there are loads of tiny hairs.

And these hairs can feel the liquid moving past them.

So they know which way our body is moving.

The hairs can feel if I lean forward...

lean back...

hop on the spot. Hee-hee!

And if the hairs feel me start to fall over,

they warn my brain, so I can try to stop myself falling.

This lovely liquid in our excellent ears can help us to stay balanced.

Oh, yeah! Ears are the best. Thank you!

But I help you to balance, too, Nina.

Don't worry, Felix.

Touching and feeling are important in our next experiment.

To find out more, we're going to meet someone with great balance

-and a head for heights. So, let's go, Experimenters.

-BOTH: Yay!

-BUD:

-Oh! I wonder where we're going today.

Nina did mention heights, so it's got to be somewhere high up.

Like an aeroplane. Wow! I'll get a great view from there, man.

-BELLE:

-But I can't hear any aeroplanes, Luke.

FELIX: Sharpen your senses, Neurons. We're here and it's my experiment.

Paul should be around here somewhere. Can you see him?

-BOTH: Up there, Nina!

-Yes, there he is. Hi, Paul!

He can't wave back right now. He might fall!

-Can you see what he's doing?

-Walking across the rope.

He's holding his arms out.

Yes, she's crossing a very thin rope

and using his arms to help stay balanced.

Earlier, we saw how liquid in our ears helps us to balance.

But our bodies can also feel

if we're standing up or starting to fall over.

FELIX: Goody! This is where I come in.

That's right, Felix. All over our bodies are muscles.

Our muscles help us to move around and to stay balanced.

They do this by telling our brains what parts of our body are moving

and where they are.

Let's see and feel how this works. Follow me!

CIRCUS MUSIC

It's your turn to try walking a tightrope.

Walk to the other side, using your arms to help you balance.

Really think about what your arms and legs are doing and feeling.

OK, Megan, you can go first.

CIRCUS MUSIC

Oh! Concentrate. Pick your spot.

Point your toe.

Good!

That's great.

Well done! You did really well.

What did it feel like when you started to tip over to one side?

I could feel myself starting to lose my balance.

Your muscles felt that you were leaning too far over to one side

and warned you so you could straighten up.

What did your legs feel like when you were falling?

They felt all wobbly and tight.

Exactly! Our feet can feel if we're tipping over, too.

They can work with the muscles in our legs

to try and stop us from falling. So, now we know

it's not only our ears that help us balance,

but the muscles all over our bodies, too.

And do you notice where Paul's looking?

-He's staring straight in front.

-Yes, he is.

That's because our sense of sight also helps us to balance.

But how? Back to the lab for one final experiment.

Bye, Paul!

OK, girls. Can you spread out for me, please?

Now, for this challenge, we're going to try and stand on one leg. Go!

-LUKE:

-That looks easy-peasy to me!

Yes, balancing on one leg is quite easy -

a bit too easy for this experiment. Hee-hee!

So, feet down, let's make this a little harder with these balls.

-There's one for you.

-Thanks.

-It's quite heavy.

-Thanks.

OK, so I want you to hold the ball in one hand,

hold it out to the side, and stand on one leg.

Ooh!

Ho-ho! Wow, you're really good at balancing!

Can you feel the weight of the ball pulling you over to the side?

Yes, Nina.

Yeah! We're having to move our bodies about to balance the weight!

And now we're going to make it even trickier. OK, feet down.

This time, I want you to close your eyes,

hold the ball out to one side and try to stand on one leg.

Ooh! Woah!

Stop. Open your eyes and get those feet firmly back on to the ground.

It was harder to balance when we couldn't see, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-That's why you need me keeping an eye out for you, Nina.

Right. Luke sees what's going on

and lets my brain know if I'm going to fall over.

Our tightrope walker kept staring straight ahead at the same spot

as this can help to stay balanced.

What about people who can't see, Nina? How do they stay balanced?

Good question, Ollie. People who can't see because they're blind

are good at using other senses,

like feelings from muscles. So they can balance without seeing.

"How do we stay balanced?" I think we've answered it.

Special liquid and little hairs in our ears

help our brains to know what way we move and if we lose our balance.

Muscles help us feel if we tip over

and can also help us move our bodies so we can get our balance back.

Our eyes also help us to see if we're starting to fall

and, if we stare at one spot, it can sometimes help us to stay balanced.

-So, I hope that's answered your question.

-BOTH: Thanks, Nina. Bye!

Bye!

Want to find out more about the science all around us?

Go to the Nina section on the CBeebies website. Have fun!

-Hearts beating.

-Lungs breathing.

-Fingers feeling.

-Mouths eating.

And don't forget your brain.

# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies

# Inside and ou-ou-out

# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies

# Come on, let's find out about

# Our happy hands and bendy knees

# Stretchy backs And noses that sneeze

-# We all have brilliant bodies

-Brilliant bodies!

# Every part has a job to do

# Even scabs and ear-wax, too

-# We all have brilliant bodies

-Brilliant bodies!

# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies

# Lashes to protect our eyes

# Brilliant bodies, brilliant bodies

# And don't forget to exercise. #

Oh, I've had a brilliant day.

Especially hearing about how our ears help us to balance.

It's been a marvellous day.

Feeling things in our muscles certainly helps our balance.

Oh, it's been such a great day, man.

Especially when they tried balancing with their eyes closed. Tricky!

Remember, everyone's body is different,

but they're all brilliant. See you soon. Bye!

Bye!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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