Have you ever sneezed ACHOO! without even deciding to? Or yawned in the middle of class?
Your body did that all by itself. These are called reflexes — quick, automatic moves your body makes to look after you. Let's find out why!
A reflex is something your body does super fast, all on its own — you don't have to think about it first.
Tap each card to see if it's a reflex or a choice:
Your nose is a bodyguard. It watches for dust, pollen, pepper, and tiny germs floating in the air.
When something ticklish gets stuck inside, your nose shouts to your brain. Your brain fires a sneeze — a super-fast puff of air to blow the invaders back out!
Fun fact: a sneeze can rush out faster than a car on the highway — up to about 160 km/h! 💨
Ready? Give the nose a tickle to fire the sneeze!
A sneeze always happens in the same order. Press the button to walk through it, step by step.
When you're tired, bored, or just woke up, your brain can get a little warm and sleepy. A yawn is a big, deep breath that helps cool your brain down and wake it up with fresh air.
This brain is warm and tired. Tap it to take a big yawn and cool it down! 🧊
Yawning also brings in extra oxygen — the fresh air your body loves!
Here's something funny: when you see someone yawn, you often yawn too! Even reading the word yawn can make you do it.
Scientists think this happens because our brains like to copy the people around us. It may have helped families and friends rest and stay alert together, long ago.
The blue friend yawned. Tap the button to see what the pink friend does!
Tap a clue, then tap the reflex it belongs to. Which one does each thing make your body do?
You now know the secrets of two amazing reflexes:
Next time you sneeze or yawn, you'll know exactly what your clever body is doing. 🎉