The ears are responsible for the hearing sense. The ears capture the sounds around us and turn them into a format that the brain can understand. Sounds are captured by the pinna, the outer component of the ear; different sounds bounce off the pinna in different ways and the brain recognises the different patterns and can determine whereabouts the sound is coming from in relation to the ear.
Once the sound has come into the ear, it travels down the ear canal and cause the eardrum (known as the tympanic membrane) to vibrate and the sound is then amplified by the movement of tiny bones known as ossicles. The pressure generated by the bones allows the sound to reach the cochlea, a fluid-filled labyrinth structure in the inner ear. The inner ear contains tiny structures and sensory cells, which detect different sound frequencies and convert them into nerve signals, which are then sent to the brain.
Developing hearing skills and experiencing sound
Babies quickly learn to recognise familiar sounds and experience new noises and sounds while they are still very young. There are many toys which help to develop baby’s hearing skills and allow them to gain a sensory experience by introducing them to new sounds and noises. Many small babies have musical toys, like mobiles and lullaby lamps, which help them to soothe them and there are also many toys which have a range of noises and sounds that help to stimulate the sense of hearing and teach children to link sounds with different things; for example, toys that have different animals and their corresponding noises so that when you press the cow, for example, the child hears a ‘moo’ sound.
