For what do you have your children use a set of enyclopedias?

[melmac]

I was the lucky recipient of a complete set of 1989 Encyclopedia Britannica from our local freecycle group.

 

I'm showing my ignorance here, please forgive me. :) I'm looking for ideas. I'm thinking mostly they would be used for research, but wondering about other uses.

 

My oldest is a 5th grader and I remember reading in TWTM that this is an ideal time to get a set of encyclopedias(although, there wasn't really any recommendation for what to do with them). So, I was so excited to get this set, but now I have it and I'm not completely sure what to do with it, LOL.

 

Any suggestions would be helpful. TIA

Edited April 13, 2009 by melmac

[vettechmomof2]

My children will pull them off the shelves to look everything up.

 

They do this all of the time, plus my youngest learned his alphabet by reading the letters on the binding of the encyclopedia set on the shelves.

Mainly my 9 year old uses them for research and my 4 year old for pictures though.

[melmac]

Thanks, Allene. My 2yodd is currently showing and naming the letters on them. :)

 

I want to add to clarify what I'm asking. If one has most of the books SWB recommends, then what does one use a set of encyclopedias for? I hope that makes more sense. :)

[Ria]

I think a good set of trustworthy reference books are invaluable. My kids are no longer homeschooling, but they use the encyclopedias now the same way they always did when they were homeschooled - as a "first stop" for information about a topic of interest (or an assigned topic, etc). Yes, you can always Google for information, but I like my kids to sit and read from the book first if possible. Especially in this age of instant information, it makes them slow down a bit, read, and think. Then they can get on the internet to search for additional information, or reserve books from the library, etc.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Ria

[love2read]

We have an old World Book and an old Britannica set. I use the WB to teach the kids how to research and also have them look up topics in it instead of online if it's not for a long report. The Britannica set doesn't get much use. I've all of the children use it during their senior year for a paper of their choice.

[Snickerdoodle]

When I was a kid I read the dictionary. Oh how I would have loved to have an encyclopedia set.

[Denise in Florida]

One benefit of printed research material (as opposed to on-line) is the accidental discoveries made while paging through to find the item for which you are looking.

 

When the girls were elementary age we would do something we called subject linking. For example, if you looked up horses you might find a reference to Arabia, then if you looked up Arabia you might find a reference to x and then y and then z. Some of the bunny trails were a lot of fun. Since we had very casual lesson plans there wasn't any reason to stick to the original subject.:001_smile:

[athena1277]

One benefit of printed research material (as opposed to on-line) is the accidental discoveries made while paging through to find the item for which you are looking.

 

When the girls were elementary age we would do something we called subject linking. For example, if you looked up horses you might find a reference to Arabia, then if you looked up Arabia you might find a reference to x and then y and then z. Some of the bunny trails were a lot of fun. Since we had very casual lesson plans there wasn't any reason to stick to the original subject.:001_smile:

 

That is the coolest idea! Now if I only had a set of encyclopedias!!!!

[Colleen in NS]

My oldest is a 5th grader and I remember reading in TWTM that this is an ideal time to get a set of encyclopedias(although, there wasn't really any recommendation for what to do with them). So, I was so excited to get this set, but now I have it and I'm not completely sure what to do with it, LOL.

 

Any suggestions would be helpful. TIA

 

If one has most of the books SWB recommends, then what does one use a set of encyclopedias for? I hope that makes more sense. :)

 

We got a free set of World Book 1993, and Encyclopedia Britannica 1985. I was ecstatic, because I'd read that in WTM, too. Ds is in 5th grade this year. So far, we don't use the EB much, the WB gets more use, just because of how it words things. However, if I only had EB, I'd make it work. I'd help him find parts of articles that aren't so hard for an 11 yo to understand and that are interesting to him.

 

We use it every week. After ds has read his spine topic in history or science for the week, the next stop is the encyclopedias (esp. if we don't have library books out on the topic yet). Let's say he reads a spread in the Kingfisher history book. I will say to him, "OK, what interested you in that spread?" He'll tell me, and then go look up that topic in the encyc. - then we use the article to do an outline or a narration. I'd say they get used 3 or 4 times a week, esp. on weeks when we don't have library books.

 

As for the set dates, I don't care right now that they are old - ds is getting experience looking things up and using them as references and getting writing practice. I hope in high school to get more updated sets somehow.

 

hth

[melmac]

I feel the same way, and there is just too much to choose from on the internet for it to be a good starting point. :)

 

 

I think a good set of trustworthy reference books are invaluable. My kids are no longer homeschooling, but they use the encyclopedias now the same way they always did when they were homeschooled - as a "first stop" for information about a topic of interest (or an assigned topic, etc). Yes, you can always Google for information, but I like my kids to sit and read from the book first if possible. Especially in this age of instant information, it makes them slow down a bit, read, and think. Then they can get on the internet to search for additional information, or reserve books from the library, etc.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Ria

[melmac]

Thank you! :)

We have an old World Book and an old Britannica set. I use the WB to teach the kids how to research and also have them look up topics in it instead of online if it's not for a long report. The Britannica set doesn't get much use. I've all of the children use it during their senior year for a paper of their choice.

[melmac]

Me, too. :)

 

When I was a kid I read the dictionary. Oh how I would have loved to have an encyclopedia set.

[melmac]

That's true, I hadn't even thought of it, till you mentioned it. Thanks!

 

One benefit of printed research material (as opposed to on-line) is the accidental discoveries made while paging through to find the item for which you are looking.

 

When the girls were elementary age we would do something we called subject linking. For example, if you looked up horses you might find a reference to Arabia, then if you looked up Arabia you might find a reference to x and then y and then z. Some of the bunny trails were a lot of fun. Since we had very casual lesson plans there wasn't any reason to stick to the original subject.:001_smile:

[melmac]

This helps a lot, thank you. I was hoping it could/would replace some books needed. Our library is awful. Thank you! :)

 

We got a free set of World Book 1993, and Encyclopedia Britannica 1985. I was ecstatic, because I'd read that in WTM, too. Ds is in 5th grade this year. So far, we don't use the EB much, the WB gets more use, just because of how it words things. However, if I only had EB, I'd make it work. I'd help him find parts of articles that aren't so hard for an 11 yo to understand and that are interesting to him.

 

We use it every week. After ds has read his spine topic in history or science for the week, the next stop is the encyclopedias (esp. if we don't have library books out on the topic yet). Let's say he reads a spread in the Kingfisher history book. I will say to him, "OK, what interested you in that spread?" He'll tell me, and then go look up that topic in the encyc. - then we use the article to do an outline or a narration. I'd say they get used 3 or 4 times a week, esp. on weeks when we don't have library books.

 

As for the set dates, I don't care right now that they are old - ds is getting experience looking things up and using them as references and getting writing practice. I hope in high school to get more updated sets somehow.

 

hth