Davina Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 It turns out I have some extra cash to spend on school this year. I am wondering about using some of it to purchase a set of encyclopedias. I was thinking mainly for history research since our library is not that great. Worth it or no? Anybody have them? Do they just collect dust? or do they actually get used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 My kids love them and read them for fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 I just told someone the other day that our encyclopedias haven't gotten used even once. And I've had one homeschooled from K - 12 and have another one who has gone K - 9 at home. I've found the internet to be the best tool for history research. (BTW - you can get online encyclopedia subscriptions too.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Not in this day and age...as long as you have access to internet. If you have extra money this year, I would take it and invest in kindles and/or an Ipad if I could. We did that with our tax return last year. They were having the half off sale on Kindles. We bought each student a Kindle and an Ipad they had to share. I put all of their assignments on OneNote on the Kindles and instead of buying paper versions, I buy the Kindle version of any books they are using for school. It really cut down on our paper usage (no more paper schedules) and the number of books we were amassing in this house. Also, if they're waiting/working on schoolwork in a doctor's office or something, it's easy to bring the Kindle, instead of lugging books around. Anyway, just one idea. :tongue_smilie: I sound like a crazy door-to-door Kindle salesman. And you probably already have Kindles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 My kids love them and read them for fun. I could picture my kids doing this. :D Those encyclopedia sets are expensive!! My dh was looking at them a few years ago, too. So, I just clicked on the World Book website/store and the 2017 set is $1200! :svengo: Scrolling around, it looks like they sell older sets, too. 2013 version is 300 bucks. I wonder if there really is that much of a difference between the 2017 and 2013 versions... The Discovery Science Encyclopedias look interesting...Darn its, now *I* want to buy encyclopedias! Click away! Click away! :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKT Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 (edited) I had a full set that I got at a yard sale. They were beautiful Brittanicas and only a couple years old. I thought we would use them often, but you know what? We had them for three years and literally only cracked them open once or twice. My kids are huge bookworms, too--they love to page through books, but something about the format just wasn't inviting for my children. They found the books too heavy, too unwieldy to hold on their laps/take around the house. And I found that I just never thought of them. (If I had a quick question, I found I would just Google the answer or seek out a library book on that specific topic instead. And if my children wanted to leaf through a book, they would always reach for our beautiful illustrated books instead--DK encyclopedias, other spines recommended in TWTM, etc.) So, in my experience encyclopedias are not worth it; for us, they just took up a ton of shelf space. I gave ours away to a friend. (I think the friend enjoys them, though!) So, I think you just need to be honest: do you really think you'll use them? Or are you more likely to reach for other topic-specific non-fiction resources, like the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, etc.? Good luck! Edited August 1, 2017 by EKT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 (edited) nm Edited August 14, 2017 by lllll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 We never did have encyclopedias, and only used them a couple of times at the library (when we did research at the library, we generally found other, more detailed sources). I would only purchase a used set (had I come across a good set, I probably would have picked them up). Too many other wonderful books to buy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 We use ours a lot. Our librarian gave us their old set when they updated theirs. I guess that's what you get for being the libraries biggest patron. :) It's about 10 years old. It's still quite modern, imho. I completely agree with the others who posted and suggested that it would have to do with how much internet access your dc have. Mine only have access when I'm sitting next to them, so not much. I don't think that they'd use them nearly so much if they had all the eye candy available on the internet for their research. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 (edited) Total waste. What else are you allowed to spend the money on? Buy math manipulatives or things from the Timberdoodle catalog. You can do better. Adding: I have several sets. I used them with dd years ago, but I don't work that way with ds at all. I would never ever encourage someone to buy them *new*. If you get a set on the cheap (yard sale, free) and want them, that's just a question of storage space. I keep mine to adjust table heights for projects. :D Edited August 2, 2017 by OhElizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 My kids read and use the Smithsonian DK books, to the point that the cover just fell off one of them and I am debating between trying to fix it, and replacing it. I read a full set of encyclopedias in high school (daily study hall could be a. in your room under supervision, or b. in the library reading whatever you wanted... I chose a LOT of b.) and I think my kids would read them too so I was thinking about getting a full set this year too. Just need to find a shelf. I am over run with books right now. I wouldn't use the encyclopedias to look specific things up, but would rather encourage the kids just to pick a letter and learn something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meganrussell Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 (edited) I got a full set at our library for $20. They are the 2005 edition but were never used! My kids use them all the time. I think it's important to know how to find information without a phone or computer or internet access. I have them look stuff up all the time. Edited August 2, 2017 by meganrussell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 We had an old set given to us and the kids have used them quite a bit. But...I wouldn't have purchased them and they take up soooo much space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 I would be more likely to get the Oxford history encyclopedia set or a set of books of art or something more specific first. We have a bunch of the dk-style "first" encyclopedias too and they get used a ton around here. I got them for a few dollars each used. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 I finally got rid of my own childhood, much loved encyclopedias a few years ago (I kept the M volume for old times sake). We have gotten several individual subject encyclopedias, like of animals or the middle ages or whatever. Those have gotten *some* use when we're working on a topic for school. But my kids just don't browse them. It's not their style. Alas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Books that just store facts are a waste of money in times of the internet. They get outdated and take up space. Now, getting actual literature to read, that's different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 (edited) Books that just store facts are a waste of money in times of the internet. They get outdated and take up space. Now, getting actual literature to read, that's different. What happens in my house is that kids browse through them--it is a different experience from searching or browsing an online encyclopedia. In particular you are more likely to come across information that you would never have thought to look for. I used to read straight through the encyclopedias we had when I was a kid, and my dad did the same when he was a kid (grandma sold encyclopedias...) You can often get inexpensive library discard sets that are only a few years old. 99.9% of the information in a children's encyclopedia set does not change in 5 years. Not saying everyone needs or would use them, but some kids really do get value out of them that they wouldn't online. Edited August 2, 2017 by maize 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 (edited) Not saying everyone needs or would use them, but some kids really do get value out of them that they wouldn't online. Plus, not everybody thinks kids need to be online all the time. Even looking at myself, I tend to waste a lot of time on forums... the kids tend to squander time on YouTube videos. ETA: Silly ones about Minecraft... not even educational ones (not even educational about Minecraft). Edited August 2, 2017 by luuknam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 (edited) It turns out I have some extra cash to spend on school this year. I am wondering about using some of it to purchase a set of encyclopedias. I was thinking mainly for history research since our library is not that great. Worth it or no? Anybody have them? Do they just collect dust? or do they actually get used? My kids love them and read them for fun.I used to be like that as a kid. I'd grab an encyclopedia and curl up and just read it. All sorts of interesting things. Someone gave us an older Encyclopedia Britannica and it wasn't touched. I prefer World Book. That said, I woldn't purchase one. My kids aren't that interested. If someone gave us a more recent set of World Books, I would accept it, though. Edited August 2, 2017 by KrissiK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Books that just store facts are a waste of money in times of the internet. They get outdated and take up space. Now, getting actual literature to read, that's different. I disagree with this!!! What happens in my house is that kids browse through them--it is a different experience from searching or browsing an online encyclopedia. In particular you are more likely to come across information that you would never have thought to look for..Exactly!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davina Posted August 2, 2017 Author Share Posted August 2, 2017 Thanks for all the replies. My kids do not get a lot of unsupervised screen time as far as the internet goes and neither one enjoys reading books on their kindle. I think if I can find a set of used ones (like 2012 or newer) I might go ahead. Now the question is "What to do with all this money?" Why is it that when I don't have it I can think of many things that I absolutely must have, but now that I do have it I am paralyzed? Can't. Do. It. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 (edited) nm Edited August 14, 2017 by lllll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 You don't have your kid's ages or grade levels in your signature so it's hard to give suggestions. But things I've been happy to spend money on: math manipulatives science kits or supplies (I recommend Home Science Tools. com) foreign language tutoring or books or apps etc. educational games books like DK and Usborne - encyclopedia lite perhaps but my kids enjoyed them. art supplies field trips (zoo memberships and science center memberships etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Yes, give us ages, grade levels, and special interests and we will spend your money for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 I've stopped buying encyclopedias, no one really used them. Instead we buy thematic books though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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