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What books would you save for your grandkids?


Seasider
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I'm talking nonfiction mostly, things like Usborne and DK books. Science and history stuff, for the most part.

 

I'm working on the annual selling of curriculum we're done with and since I have no younger ones for these materials, I'm trying to decide keep or sell. While I love the format of these books, I have to wonder about updated content - it'll probably be 10 years before I have a grandchild old enough to read them. What would you do?

 

FWIW, I already have a long list of other favorite books that I'm going to pelt them with when they do arrive! Seriously I'm thinking of starting to set aside funds for those!

Edited by Seasider
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I got rid of most of my science stuff, except for one set of "Why Does it/Is it?" books aimed at early elementary.  I reasoned as you did that much of it would be outdated by the time I had a grandchild old enough to read it.

 

The history books, otoh, I have kept, b/c I wouldn't think that anything would change that would materially affect that material.

 

Anne

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I am keeping a few:

Anno's Math Games

Life of Fred

Sir Cumference

You Wouldn't Want To Be....

The Newspaper series (The Roman Times, The Greek Gazette, etc.)

clear film books like Greek Then And Now, where plastic overlays shows how the various sites used to be.  We also have science ones in the same manner to show inside.

Oxford University Press books

Letters of Note

 

That's it.  The Usbornes can go, the Kingfishers can go, most of the DK can go...they're great "right now" books, but not on my list of priorities to save.

 

Edited by HomeAgain
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I'll save the Let's Read and Find Out science books. And the Magic School Bus thin picture books--those were favorites for my kids. They're all thin paperbacks so they don't take up much shelf space. We have one more year of home schooling and as we hit each history division for the last time, I'm clearing out some of the readers and books that weren't favorites. But I'll keep a bunch as long as we have the shelf space for them. The books I want to clear out are actually dh's business advice type books. Used bookstores won't even buy those because they have such a short life span. But he wants to keep those and is always eyeing the kids' books as more likely candidates for clearing up shelf space. Umm, no.

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I'll save the Let's Read and Find Out science books. And the Magic School Bus thin picture books--those were favorites for my kids. They're all thin paperbacks so they don't take up much shelf space. We have one more year of home schooling and as we hit each history division for the last time, I'm clearing out some of the readers and books that weren't favorites. But I'll keep a bunch as long as we have the shelf space for them. The books I want to clear out are actually dh's business advice type books. Used bookstores won't even buy those because they have such a short life span. But he wants to keep those and is always eyeing the kids' books as more likely candidates for clearing up shelf space. Umm, no.

My husband has the same kinda crazy batch of obsolete management books! They're just good for collecting dust!

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So far I have been hanging onto to the Usbourne books that are for younger children including the science ones because ladybugs will hopefully continue to eat aphids. Etc. We really connected with the Usbourne books and not the DK and Kingfisher. Magic Tree House and Magic School Bus were saved because they were loved. In my spring cleaning of books tons went, 6 good size boxes. I kept all the Sonlight just because I still have my schedules, I can't seem to part with them, although they are out of the binders and rubber banded to save space.

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None. Just as books today, IMO, are superior to what was available when we were kids, it will be the same for future generations. Even our most loved, "up to date" books today will be hopelessly outdated by the time our kids have kids. Everything is getting so much better, and who knows what improvements and changes will be made in that time. Even in science and history, what we know today will be vastly expanded by then.

 

Ducking tomatoes! Ha ha!

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None. Just as books today, IMO, are superior to what was available when we were kids, it will be the same for future generations. Even our most loved, "up to date" books today will be hopelessly outdated by the time our kids have kids. Everything is getting so much better, and who knows what improvements and changes will be made in that time. Even in science and history, what we know today will be vastly expanded by then.

 

Ducking tomatoes! Ha ha!

Well, since you didn't say "we can just find it on the web!" I'll withhold tomatoes! 😄😄😄

 

Seriously, I believe much of what I struggle with is sentimental. I remember our first-grade, first round of ancient history and it's hard to let that Usborne go!

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Well, since you didn't say "we can just find it on the web!" I'll withhold tomatoes! 😄😄😄

 

Seriously, I believe much of what I struggle with is sentimental. I remember our first-grade, first round of ancient history and it's hard to let that Usborne go!

 

I found a great deal of pleasure playing with the one doll of my mother's that my grandmother had kept, so I am glad she was sentimental. It was not as realistic as the dolls were when I was a child, but it had been my mother's. That mattered to me even as a child. 

 

I have saved several of the science books, but that's because I substitute teach. I may save the beautiful ones or I have one of those of a shark's body where there is a hard acrylic shell around the body and various plastic body parts visible. I figure kids will always think those are cool. 

 

I also may not have the money to buy new stuff by the time I have grandkids. Being able to read a book that "your daddy liked" will hopefully be engaging!

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Well, since you didn't say "we can just find it on the web!" I'll withhold tomatoes! 😄😄😄

 

Seriously, I believe much of what I struggle with is sentimental. I remember our first-grade, first round of ancient history and it's hard to let that Usborne go!

 

Me, too. I keep going through books and hanging on to them because 'remember when we would snuggle in bed to read this in second grade and you loved it so much?!' and none of the kids even remember.  :glare:

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Well, DS12 has already snuck away his toddlerhood favorites to put in a box under his bed (shhh! don't tell anyone ;) ) as I was thinning out my boardbooks :crying: .

My kids love it when I share some of the books from my childhood. I even have some history books with maps that show East and West Germany LOL! So there is history in your hands right there. Not getting rid of those. I am still hanging on to history books since I still have a group coming behind. But if I was done, I would hang on to the favorites for a history shelf, whatever those favorites are (spines, novels, etc.).

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I'm packing to move and seriously rethinking what all we've saved..and we have 5 grand-babies.  

 

We saved:

all John Deere tractors

Thomas the Tank table and all train grab

Rescue Heros--we have at least 100 with the ship and other big set ups 

Playmobile

6 of those car boxes full of hot wheels

all of this gets played with

 

books--all the kids favorite books and pretty much all my homeschooling stuff for high school--I'll need to purge it when I finish his transcript and he wants to use if for his gap year to brush up on a few things before heading to college--he's doing some self-educating  :D

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