At first glance, this Think Tank seems to shift away from our usual coverage of brain sciences, in order to offer you a treasure box of throw-ins, short and long. Much like the raisins in raisin bread, these little extras can sweeten the main lesson. Looking through the first couple of pages, you’ll notice that the Lite introductory video is a collection of such activities, as is Heather Kretchmer’s article on class entrance and exit tickets and Anna Ansari suggestions for livening up online classes. More come in two fine collections, with an impressive 28 activities, provided by our readers and the editing team.

Going further down the table of contents, you’ll come to Harumi Kimura’s haptic recipes and Marc Helgesen’s energy breaks. That’s when you might notice a connection to brain sciences. In previous issues, we have often stressed the role of movement in getting cognitive function up. We hope our deeper purpose will also dawn on you—we are not shifting away from brain science at all—especially if you noticed that the Main introductory piece is from Neuroscience News. These extras are more than just enjoyable detours—they serve improved brain function. Hints to that effect exist all through the issue, as in Mirela Ramacciotti’s addendum on attention, but it is Julia Daley’s lead-in article that really drives the point home. Class extras increase learning potential. Enjoy. And don’t miss the surprise in the PLUS section.