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The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body

created by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen

Think about this

This section of BAM is about YOU. Your body is a magnificent machine. It works all day and night to do whatever you ask. Did you ever wonder how are bodies work? We are made up of many different cells. These cells all join together to form systems; the respiratory system; the digestive system; the nervous system; the circulatory system; the muscular system, and the skeletal system. When they work together, these systems allow you to do anything you want. Let's find out more about ourselves.

Let's find out

Ever wonder about the gross and cool things that your body does? Then try the Yuckiest Site on the web for more information about things like ear wax, sweat, and your funny bone. http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/body/index.html

Want to know more about the different parts of your body? Did you ever wonder how your eye works? Then try this site http://kidshealth.org/misc_pages/mybody_noSW.html

Kids can be teachers to other kids. Look at this site to see how some students explain the human body to you. http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4245/

About the author and illustrator

Did you ever wonder how an author and illustrator work together? Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen will tell you how they create the Magic School Bus series at http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/books/authors/

Activities for you

Winter offers many opportunities for you to do cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise works both your heart (circulatory system) and your muscles (muscular system). Some good examples are sledding and skiing. Try the sports section of your library for more ideas. These books are located at 796.

Find an exercise that you enjoy and try and do it for a half an hour each day.

If you'd like to do activities that involve your senses, try these.

Sense of smell: Take cotton balls and use different kinds of liquid spices or perfumes on them. Have your mom place cotton balls with the various scents in different places in the room. Now have her give you a mystery cotton ball with one of those scents to smell.

Can you tell which other cotton ball has the same scent?

Sense of taste: With your eyes closed can you identify a particular piece of food that your mother gives you?

Sense of hearing: Play whisper down the lane with your friends. What did everyone hear?

Sense of sight: Try looking at optical illusions. Can you see the hidden pictures?

a young and an old woman http://www.ads-online.on.ca/illusion/illus-1.html

a rabbit and a duck http://www.ads-online.on.ca/illusion/illus-10.html

Looking for more information

Try looking in your school library. The Dewey Decimal call number for the human body is 612. Here are a few titles to help you start your journey of discovery about yourself:

Title Author's Last Name

Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body Cole

Eyewitness: The Human Body Parker

Body Atlas Parker

Me and My Amazing Body Sweeney

Bones: Our Skeletal System Simon

Muscles: Our Muscular System Simon

The Heart: Our Circulatory System Simon

The Brain: Our Nervous System Simon

Guts Simon

The Skeleton Parker

The Human Body Bingham

Comments:

Do you have any comments you would like to make? Contact me at the following address:

North Beverly School

Mrs. Bloom, Library Teacher

48 Putnam Street

Beverly, Massachusetts 01915.