Branching Out Nina and the Neurons

# 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!

# Every day we use our senses Wherever we may go

-# 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! #

Hi, everyone!

ALL: Hi, Nina!

Today, we're going to do an exciting experiment with plants.

In this container are some green plants and they live in water.

They're called pond weed.

If we have a closer look at the pond weed,

we can see tiny bubbles setting on leaves.

Sometimes those bubbles come off the leaves

and rise up through the water.

When these bubbles get to the top of the water,

they burst and release something special

-into the top of the test tube. Can you see anything?

-ALL: No!

I can't either, but watch this.

Now, Derek's going to help me.

Can you light that for me? Brilliant.

I'm going to blow this out so it's just glowing

and then put it into the special invisible stuff in the test tube.

Oh! Look at that!

It's relit!

NINA LAUGHS

So whatever had collected in the test tube

has made the splint relight.

But we still can't see anything in there, can we, guys?

ALL: No!

That's because it's a gas.

Gas is all around us, but we can't see it.

It's invisible. The only time we can see the gas

is when it's in the water because it makes bubbles.

But what is this amazing gas?

-It's called oxygen. Have you heard of oxygen before?

-ALL: Yes!

That doesn't surprise me at all

because oxygen's a special gas. We need it to survive.

Oxygen is really important to us

because it's what we breathe in and out.

So, green plants give off oxygen that goes into the air

and then we and other creatures use it to breathe.

MACHINE BEEPS

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

Hi, Nina. My name's Shonie.

I've got a question for you. What are trees for?

Oh, what a great question, Shonie!

What are trees for? Now trees look lovely,

with their green leaves and twisty branches, but what are they for?

-Thanks, Shonie. I'll see you soon.

-See you soon, Nina. Bye.

-Bye!

I'm going to need some help to answer this one

and I know just who to ask. OK, Neurons. Time to get to work!

MUSIC PLAYS

ALL: Neurons at the ready, Nina!

OK. Today's question is, "What are trees for?"

Which Neuron will be useful in finding the answer?

-Me!

-Me!

-Me!

-Me!

-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 Luke?

For looking or seeing day or night, I'll help you with your sight.

Will it be awesome Ollie?

If it's pongy, 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 when you eat.

-It's Luke's.

-Yes!

-ALL: Go, Luke! Go, Luke! Go, Luke!

Go, Luke! Go, Luke! Go, Luke! Go, Luke!

-Go, Luke!

-Cool, Nina!

I'll be looking out to help ya!

Thanks, Luke. Today's question is, "What are trees for?"

Trees are things you look at, so Luke's going to be helping us.

But stand by, Felix. We may need your help, too.

OK. Let's go.

'These two will be finding out about trees.

'Tall, spindly trees, small, twisty trees and wide, leafy trees.

'So today, for one day only,

'Shonie and Sam become The Experimenters!'

BOTH: Hi, Nina!

Oh, there you guys are! You gave me such a fright!

So, Shonie, you've asked the question, "What are trees for?"

Why do you want to know about trees?

My mum says they're very important.

You're mum's right. Trees are important,

but to find out what they're for,

we need to look closely at trees. So, are you ready?

-BOTH: YEAH!

-Well let's go!

Right. In order to find out what trees are for,

we need a closer look at them,

and for that we're going to use these binoculars.

-One for you, Shonie.

-Thank you.

-One for you, Sam.

-Whey-hey!

-Binoculars ready?

-Yeah.

-Excellent. Let's go!

Look at all those beautiful trees

with their big, curvy branches!

I could watch them all day!

I love the rustling sound when the wind blows through the leaves.

And listen...

Oh! I hear something else, too.

-Ooh! Ooh, do you hear that? What do you think it is?

-Birds, Nina.

-Yes!

-It's coming from up in the tree.

Whoa! Oh, look! Let's use our binoculars to have a closer look.

Oh!

Birds singing!

What a happy sound!

Oh, you're right,

and there's something else in the branches. Can you see what it is?

A bird's nest, Nina.

That's right, and can you see

-what the bird's nest is made of?

-Lots of sticks and twigs.

Exactly! You see, birds are great at recycling, you know.

They use old bits of twigs, leaves and sticks to build their nests.

Also, birds build their nests in the trees

because it provides shelter. Let's keep looking. Let's go this way.

Look, Nina.

What's that? Oh, wow!

Eugh! I'm not very fond of insects.

They're a bit creepy and crawly.

Well I love creepy-crawlies! They're cool!

There are loads of insects living underneath this log.

There's some woodlice...

and a centipede.

So this old log

even provides a home for some creatures.

Oh, look! Oh! I can see something else that lives in the trees.

-Can you see what it is?

-A squirrel.

-Yeah!

Squirrels love running up and down trees.

Some of them even live high in the branches, or even inside the trunk.

Yay! He's tucking into some food!

Some trees have food on them that animals like to eat.

Oh! Mmm!

Like, tree-flavoured jelly and ice cream?

Not quite, Bud.

Squirrels love eating acorns, which are the seeds from oak trees.

Insects prefer munching on juicy green leaves or wood.

Sometimes WE eat things from trees. What might that be?

-Apples.

-Pears.

-Yeah, that's right.

Apples, pears and lots of different things.

Shonie, you asked, "What are trees for?" So far we've found out

that they're lovely to look, they provide shelter, a home and food

for lots of animals and even us.

So trees are pretty important,

but there's more to find out, so come on, let's go!

Whoa!

Look at that enormous tree trunk!

That is one very wide tree, Nina.

Look how wide it is, which means it's really old.

How, Nina?

As we get older, we grow upwards and get taller.

Trees also grow outwards, so every year they get wider and wider.

I know a fun way to find out just how old this tree is.

Let's hug it! Let's go round here.

My hands down there, or up there.

Ooh! I cannae hardly...

Even with all of us we still can't stretch all the way round the tree!

That's because this is a really old tree and they are called

ancient trees because they've been around for a long time.

Hundreds, even thousands of years! OK, guys, stop hugging the tree!

Oh-ho! Now, let's feel the tree's bark. That's the wood on the trunk.

-So, what does it feel like?

-Rough!

-There's even bits falling off.

-There's a hole in the middle.

-That's right.

Some trees are so old the wood in the trunk rots away.

Insects love it

because it's much easier for them to burrow through.

So ancient trees are useful

because they've got lots of hiding places.

But there is another reason that trees are very important

and to find out why, I've got a surprise for you. Let's go!

I have a tree for you to plant!

-Oh great.

-BOTH: Thanks, Nina!

Now, grab a shovel and let's get planting!

This is brilliant fun!

First there was hugging trees and know there's planting trees!

Co-ool! Ha!

It doesn't look much like a tree, though.

That's because it's a baby tree. They're called saplings.

Over the years it'll grow and grow

and one day it'll be a really big tree.

That's right, Ollie.

As this sapling gets older, it'll grow bigger and bigger

until it's as big as these trees.

And hundreds of years from now it might even be an ancient tree.

Guys, I think we've done it.

We've planted our own tree!

-By doing so, we're helping to protect the environment.

-How, Nina?

Do you see these green leaves?

Earlier I did an experiment that showed that leaves

gave off a gas called oxygen.

Oxygen is a gas that we humans

and all living things need to breathe.

The more leaves this tree has the more oxygen it will make.

I think we've answered your question.

You wanted to know what trees are for

and we've found out we have trees for lots of reasons.

They provide homes and food for animals,

They're lovely to look at and give off oxygen that we need to breathe.

-BOTH: Thanks, Nina!

-No problem, guys!

# Help protect our planet

# Go Eco

# Go Eco!

# Walk to school or cycle

# Go Eco

# Go Eco!

# Turn off the tap Switch off the light

# Recycle what you can

# Help protect our planet

# Go Eco

# Go Eco!

# Go Eco... #

I really enjoyed myself today.

'I love the woody, leafy smell of the forest.

'Trees smell so lovely and fresh.'

Oh, I've had a brilliant day!

'Hearing everyone having fun

'and all the birds singing. Trees are ace!'

Ah, it's been such a great day, man!

'Seeing beautiful trees and different creatures.

'Trees are pretty amazing things!'

It's been a marvellous,

'especially when everyone hugged the ancient tree.

'That was fabulous!'

I've had a fabby day!

'It was great when they planted a new tree!

'It's only a baby tree now, like me,

'but it will grow up to be a big tree one day.

YA-A-AY!

We've had a sensational time today.

-I hope you've enjoyed it, too. Bye!

-ALL: Bye!

# Nina and the Neurons

# Go Eco! #