All About the Brain

K-Gr 6-This outstanding series deserves to be in most public and school library collections. Each video features brilliant graphics, fantastic photography, simple experiments, and an easy-to-follow format. The videos can to used as an entire collection on children's health, or purchased individually. There is a brief teacher's guide with each video, and lesson plans are available online. While the producers indicate that the series is designed for youngsters in kindergarten through fourth grade, much of the material is better suited for upper elementary through middle school viewers. All About Nutrition & Exercise and All About Health & Hygiene can be used most successfully with primary age children, while titles such as All About Cells & Body Systems convey much more detailed physiological information than is usually covered in the early grades. For the most part, the children featured in the videos appear to be in their early teens. There is some carryover from one video to another, with some of the same film clips repeated in several videos as the same topics are discussed several different times. The fact that the primary setting is the home makes the series attractive to public libraries where these videos will be useful for a wide audience, and especially for home schoolers. The nutrition, exercise, and general health information are solid, middle-of-the road facts, and the series stresses a balanced approach to eating and exercise. Each video features a hands-on activity that can be done young children with minimal assistance from adults. For example, the hygiene video demonstrates the level of germ and bacteria growth that occurs by having the children observe a sterile potato slice in a plastic baggie, one that has been rubbed on hands that appear to be clean, and a third that is rubbed on a floor. This series is a wise purchase for library, school, and home use.

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal. Used with permission.

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