The activities listed below provide links to other areas in the curriculum.

1. Ask the students to brainstorm on how they think other stimulants, such as cocaine and nicotine, affect the brain. They may want to do some research on the Internet to find more information. The students can write up a short report and share their ideas. The Neuroscience for Kids Web site is a great place to start: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
2. Have the students look in books, newspapers, and magazines for examples of stories on how drugs have affected people’s lives. The stories can be positive, describing how Ritalin made a person with ADHD function better, or negative, showing how drugs can cause tremendous damage in an individual’s life. Ask the students to share their findings with the class.