Satori Smiles

This page lists additional resources to supplement R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Life program. The program is great for grades K-2, although it says it’s for grades 1-4. The program is very well put together and super easy to implement. However, some of the books are hard to find now. I decided to make an updated book list of books that are current and easy to find. I’ve also listed additional resources that compliment the program well.

I’ve listed BrainPop videos, which does require a subscription. BrainPop Jr is suitable for grades K-3, and BrainPop is for grades 3-12. We still enjoy watching the regular BrainPop videos though.

Unit 1: What is Life?

1. What’s Alive? (Let’s Read and Find Out Science Stage 1) by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld – Simple book suitable for Pre-K-K ages

Unit 2: The Cell

• Greg’s Microscope by Millicent E. Selsam – 64 pp, older children can read this by themselves or use as a read-aloud
• Enjoy Your Cells by Fran Balkwill
• Biology: Life as We Know It!  by Simon Basher – 128 pp, more advanced than the above
• BrainPop: Cells - goes into more detail than the RSO Cell lesson, suitable for older children
• BrainPop: Cell Structures

Unit 3: The Human Body

You may want to pick out just one or two of these four human body encyclopedia type books depending on the age of your child. All of these resources will be used for the next nine units.

• First Human Body Encyclopedia - 128 pp, ages 4-8
• First Encyclopedia of the Human Body  by Fiona Chandler, 64 pp, 2004, ages 4-8
• The Usborne Complete Book of the Human Body – 112 pp, says its for ages 9-12, but we enjoy it for age 5
• What’s Inside You by Susan Meredith- 24 pp, ages 4-8
• Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2003. It seems there’s a few inaccuracies in this book, but it should be a fun yet educational read.

Additional helpful books/videos about the human body

• My First Human Body Book by Donald Silver and Patricia Wayne – 30 pp, ages 4-8. Coloring book that is much easier to find than the Color Anatomy book that RSO recommends.
• See Inside Your Body by Katie Daynes and Colin King – 14 pp, fun lift-the-flap book
• Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney – 32 pp, ages 4-8
• The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole – 40 pp, ages 4-8
• BrainPop: Human Body

Other fun stuff

• Somebody Board Game – five human anatomy games
• Smart Lab You Explore It Human Body – very cool tool to explore the human body, see our blog post
• The Magic School Bus: A Journey Into the Human Body – Young Scientist Club kit

Unit 4: Skeletal and Muscular Systems

• The Skeleton Inside You (Let’s Read-And-Find-Out Science 2) by Philip Balestrino – 32 pg, ages 4-8
• Bend and Stretch: Learning About Your Bones and Muscles by Hill Nettleton – 24 pp, ages 4-8, 2006
• The Mighty Muscular and Skeletal Systems: How Do My Muscles and Bones Work? by John Burstein – 32 pp, ages 8-12, 2009
• Watch Me Grow: Fun Ways to Learn About Cells, Bones, Muscles and Joints by Michelle O’brien-Palmer – 144 pp, ages 4-8, 1999. Science activity book that looks pretty fun.
• BrainPop Jr: Bones, Exercise (Muscles)
• BrainPop: Skeleton, Joints, Muscles

Unit 5: Circulatory System

•  A Drop of Blood (Let’s Read-And-Find-Out Science 2) by Paul Showers – 32 pp, ages 4-8, 2004
• Hear Your Heart (Let’s Read-And-Find-Out Science 2) by Paul Showers – 40 pp, ages 4-8, 2000
• Thump-Thump: Learning About Your Heart by Pamela Hill Nettleton – 24 pp, ages 4-8, 2006
• The Amazing Circulatory System: How Does My Heart Work? by John Burstein – 32 pp, ages 8-12, 2009
• BrainPop Jr. – Heart
• BrainPop – Blood, Heart, Circulatory System

Unit 6: Respiratory System

• Breathe In, Breathe Out: Learning About Your Lungs by Pamela Nettleton – 24 pp, ages 4-8, 2006
• The Remarkable Respiratory System: How Do My Lungs Work? by John Burstein – 32 pp, ages 8-12, 2009
• BrainPop Jr.: Lungs
• BrainPop: Respiratory System, Voice

Unit 7: Digestive System

• What Happens to a Hamburger? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Paul Showers – 40 pp, ages 4-8, 2001
• Gurgles and Growls: Learning About Your Stomach by Pamela Nettleton – 24 ppg, ages 4-8, 2006
• The Dynamic Digestive System: How Does My Stomach Work? by John Burstein – 32 pp, ages 8-12, 2009
• BrainPop Jr: Digestive System
• BrainPop: Digestive System, Nutrition

Unit 8: Nervous System

• Look, Listen, Taste, Touch, Smell by Pamela Nettleton – 24 pp, ages 4-8, 2006
• The Astounding Nervous System: How Does My Brain Work? by John Burstein – 32 pp, ages 8-12, 2009
• BrainPop Jr: Senses
• BrainPop: Nervous System, Brain

Unit 9: Growth and Genetics

• Gene Machines (Enjoy Your Cells 4) by Frances Balkwill – 32 pp, ages 5-12, 2002 
• Have a Nice DNA by Balkwill
• Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardoe – 40 pp, ages 4-8, 2006
• BrainPop: Genetics, Growth

Unit 10: Five Kingdoms of Living Things

For the studyof the Animal Kingdom, one of these encyclopedia type books is suggested. RSO lists Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Natural World, but it is out of print. I did find a used copy, so I’ll list it last on this list.

• The Kingfisher First Encyclopedia of Animals - 144 pp, ages 4-8, 2005. This animal encyclopedia is the simplest listed here, best suited for PreK/K/1 children. We have it and it looks too simple for our needs.
• National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals – 192pp, ages 4-8, 2006. This one looks great, I’ve heard good things about it.
• Animals: A Visual Encyclopedia - 304 pp, ages 5-12, 2008. Colorful, vivid pictures, this seems like it would have the widest age range audience.
• Encyclopedia of Nature, DK Publishing – 304pp, ages 9-12, 2007. Suitable for older children, also covers plants and animals.
• Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World’s Wildlife by David Burnie – 624 pp, adult, 2005. You might like this very thorough animal encyclopedia for yourself or an advanced, older child. We keep it in our living room as a family reference, it’s chock full of animals, photos, small print information.
• The Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia: The Natural World - 96pp, ages 9-12, 1995. Out of print, you may find at the library or find used. It’s a very beautiful book, but doesn’t feature a page spread on things like Cnidarians.

Other resources for this chapter

• Quick Pix Animal Card Games
• Benny’s Animals and How He Put Them in Order by Millicent E. Selsam – 60 pp, ages 4-8, 1966. Out of print.
• Animal of the Sea by Millicent Selsam – 40pp, ages 4-8, 1875. Out of print.
• BrainPop Jr: Classifying Animals - defines vertebrates and invertebrates, but only goes on to show vertebrates
• BrainPop: Classification, Six Kingdoms - goes into way more depth, for an older child

Unit 11: Animal Kingdom

Since this unit just deals with making your Animal Kingdom book, I’m taking this time to introduce invertebrates, of which the next 7 units cover. There is an entire series of 28 books on Invertebrates (all released in the past few years), but they are relatively expensive. I’ll list them in just one link, and I suggest heading to your library and seeing if they carry these books. Our library system carries most of them.

• No Backbone! The World of Invertebrates by Bearport Publishing – series of 32 books, around 24pp each, ages 4-8.
• Cover invertebrates in your animal encyclopedia
• BrainPop: Invertebrates

Unit 12: Cnidaria

• Encyclopedia of Nature - Jellyfish and Corals (cnidarians): pp 146-147
• Read about Cnidarians in encyclopedia (jellyfish/anemone)
• Jellyfish: A Day in the Life of Sea Animals by Louise Slipsbury
• Jenny Jellyfish by Suzanne Tate – 28pp, ages 4-8, 2001
• Sea Anemones by Lola M. Schaefer - 24pp, ages -8, 2006.
• BrainPop: Cnidarians, Coral

Unit 13: Worms

• Encyclopedia of Nature - Worms: pp 144-145
• Wiggling Worms at Work (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Wendy Pfeffer – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2003.
• An Earthworm’s Life by John Himmelman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2001.
• Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard by Nancy Loewen – 24pp, ages 4-8, 2004.
• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2003. This book looks like its a blast, looking forward to reading it. Diary of a Worm & Friends Finger Puppet Playset to go along with your Diary of a Worm, Spider, and Fly books!
• Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1994

Unit 14: Mollusks

• About Mollusks: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill – ages 4-8, 2008.
• Are You a Snail? by Judy Allen – 31pp, ages 4-8, 2003.
• Slugs and Snails (Minibeasts) by Claire Llewellyn – 32 pp, ages 4-8, 2002.
• An Octopus Is Amazing (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2) by Patricia Lauber – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1996.
• Octopus (A Day in the Life: Sea Animals) by Louise Spilsbury – 24pp, ages 4-8, 2010
• Gentle Giant Octopus: Read and Wonder by Karen Wallace – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2002.
• Clam-I-Am!: All About the Beach (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48 pp, ages 4-8, 2005.
• What Lives in a Shell? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1994.
• Snails, Shellfish, & Other Mollusks (Animal Kingdom Classification) by Daniel Gilpin – 48pp, ages 9-12, 2006. For older children.
• BrainPop: Mollusks

Unit 15: Echinoderm

• Starfish (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science1)  by Edith Thacher Hurd – 40pp, preschool-7, 2000.
• Sea Stars (Ocean Life) by Lola M. Schaefer – 24pp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• Sea Urchins (Ocean Life) by Lola M. Schaefer – 24pp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• Starfish, Urchins, & Other Echinoderms (Animal Kingdom Classification) by Daniel Gilpin – 48pp, ages 9-12, 2006. For older children.

Unit 16: Arthropod + Insects

General Arthropod books

• What Is an Arthropod? (Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2002.
• Dirty Rotten Bugs: Arthropods Unite to Tell Their Side of the Story by Gilles Bonotaux – 48pp, ages 6-12, 2007.
• My Adventure with Arthropods (Advanced My Adventures) by Janet Gingold – 75pp, ages 7-12, 2008. Interesting concept for a book where the child helps write and illustrate on this arthropod adventure.
• Arthropods (The Animal Kingdom) by Bev Harvey – 32pp, ages 9-12, 2002.

Books on Insects

• Simon & Schuster Children’s Guide to Insects and Spiders by Jinny Johnson – 64pp, ages 4-8, 1997 – covers insects and arachnids
• The Best Book of Bugs by Claire Llewllyn – 32 pp, ages 4-8, 2005.
• About Insects: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2003
• On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48pp, ages 4-8, 1999.
• From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1) by Deborah Heiligman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1996.
• Butterfly House by Eve Bunting – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1999.
• Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2007. Kindle version.
• My, Oh My-A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2007.
• Are You a Butterfly? by Judy Allen – 28pp, ages 4-8, 2003.
• Are You a Ladybug? by Judy Allen – 31pp, ages 4-8, 2003.
• Are You an Ant? by Judy Allen – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2004.
• Ant Cities (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Arthur Dorros – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1988
• Chirping Crickets (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2) by Melvin Berger – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1998.
• The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive by Joanna Cole – 48pp, ages 4-8, 1998
• Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2007.  Diary of a Worm & Friends Finger Puppet Playset to go along with your Diary of a Worm, Spider, and Fly books!
• BrainPop: Insects
• Insect Lore Butterfly Garden or the larger (twice the size at 2 feet tall) Butterfly Pavilion

RSO doesn’t suggest keeping an ant farm, but this looks so cool:

•  Fascinations AntWorks Illuminated Blue

Unit 17: Arthropod + Arachnids

• About Arachnids: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2006.
• Are You a Spider?  by Judy Allen – 31pp, ages 4-8, 2003
• Spinning Spiders (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Melvin Burger – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2003.
• Spectacular Spiders by Linda Glaser – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1999
• Scholastic Q & A: Do All Spiders Spin Webs?  by Melvin Burger – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2005. Diary of a Worm & Friends Finger Puppet Playset to go along with your Diary of a Worm, Spider, and Fly books!
• BrainPop: Arachnids; Spiders

Unit 18: Arthropod + Crustaceans

• About Crustaceans: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2007.
• The Pillbug Project: A Guide to Investigation by Robin Burnett – 110pp, ages 4-8, 1992. If you use pill bugs for this chapter, this book has 10 days of science activities to do with your pill bug pets.
• A Pill Bug’s Life (Nature Upclose) by John Himmelman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• I’m a Pill Bug (Nature: a Child’s Eye View) by Yukahisa Tokuda – 28pp, ages 4-8, 2006.
• Pill Bug by Stephanie St. Pierre – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2008.
• Roly-Poly Pillbugs (No Backbone! the World of Invertebrates) by Molly Smith – 24pp, ages 4-8, 2009
• The Life Cycle of a Crayfish by Bobbie Kalman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2006.
• Lobster’s Secret (Smithsonian Oceanic Collection) by Kathleen Hollenbeck – 31pp, ages 4-8, 1996.
• A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle – 36pp, ages 4-8, 2009
• Pagoo by Holling C. Holling – 88pp, ages 4-8

Unit 19: Vertebrates – Introduction

• The Animal Kingdom: A Guide to Vertebrate Classification and Biodiversity -48 pp, ages 9-12, 1999.

Unit 20: Vertebrates – Fish

• About Fish: A Guide For Children by Cathryn Sill – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2005.
• What Is a Fish? (Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1998.
• What’s It Like to Be a Fish? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Wendy Pfeffer – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1996.
• How Do Fish Breathe Underwater? (Tell Me Why, Tell Me How) by Melissa Stewart – 32pp, ages 9-12, 2008.
• Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Bonnie Worth – 48pp, ages 4-8, 1999
• BrainPop: Fish

Unit 21: Vertebrates – Amphibians

• About Amphibians: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2004.
• What is an Amphibian? (The Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• Toad by the Road: A Year in the Life of These Amazing Amphibians by Joanne Ryder – 40pp, ages 4-8, 2007.
• All About Frogs by Jim Arnosky – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2002.
• From Tadpole to Frog (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Wendy Pfeffer – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1994.
• Why Frogs Are Wet (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Judy Hawes – 4opp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• BrainPop: Amphibians

Unit 22: Vertebrates – Reptiles

• What Is a Reptile? (Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman – 32pp, ages 4-8, 1998.
• I Wonder Why Snakes Shed Their Skin: and Other Questions About Reptiles by Amanda O’Neill – 32pp, ages 4-8, 2003.
• Miles and Miles of Reptiles: All About Reptiles (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2009
• Everything Reptile: What Kids Really Want to Know about Reptiles by Cherie Winner – 64pp, ages 4-8, 2004.
• BrainPop: Reptiles

Unit 23: Vertebrates – Birds

• About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill – 40pp, ages 4-8, 1997.
• Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48pp, ages 4-8, 1998
• BrainPop: Birds

Unit 24: Vertebrates – Mammals

• About Mammals: A Guide For Children by Cathryn Sill – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2000.
• Is a Camel a Mammal? (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe – 48pp, ages 4-8, 1998
• BrainPop:  Mammals

General Books About Plants

• Oh Say Can You Seed?: All About Flowering Plants (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Bonnie Worth – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2001.
• I Can Name 50 Trees Today!: All About Trees (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Bonnie Worth – 48pp, ages 4-8, 2006.

Unit 25: Plant Kingdom – Flowers

Unit 26: Plant Kingdom – Seeds

Unit 27: Plant Kingdom – Leaves

Unit 28: Plant Kingdom – Stems and Roots

No Backbone! (the World of Invertebrates)

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