Luanne Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I am just curious mainly. Do you like the history or science better (or do you like them both equally)? Do any of you use the other Eyewitness books (like the ones about artists and such)? Do you think they give a good base for upper level learning (in both science and history)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partyof5 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 My experience is primarily with the science topics in these books and I have to say that we love them. My kids are a little young to have interest in every detail but between the great photos and the quick captions, they serve as a great supplement. We have the one about birds out from the library right now and we are using it constantly. I also happen to own the Presidents book and it is ideal for quick and detailed info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I like history and science equally, but I would never use them as a spine, as suggested in logic stage WTM. They are nice, colorful supplements that the kids love. The pictures are fantastic. The information is good, but it it not well-organized, nor is it presented in any kind of depth. So ... I guess I like them for what they are - cool, higher-level picture books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I agree. I do sometimes use them as *one* of my spines, but never use them alone as they don't have enough depth. I own a ton of them and love them all! I was surprised when we were using one of the European art books once to find that the British versions had way more great art (and nudity) in them than the American versions, so evidently there's some degree of variety in at least some of the versions printed here vs. Europe...... Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 You know, I am a little reluctant to say this here, but we just do not enjoy them. At all. We have several, and they are nice to look at, for a little while, but they generally give me an actual headache. We are serious audio learners (is that the right expression - I'm having a brain burp) and we need narrative structure. The sound bites in Eyewitness books just do not do it for us. But. I will say that when I used Ria's My World Science program, I finally had a sort of a-ha moment about these books. Because she walks you through the material, I finally got it, how to extrapolate the nuggets of information and string them together. But I would need Ria's brain to be able to do that on my own. I hope this relevant and helpful... Maybe we're just freaks (!), entirely possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 No, I know lots of folks who find them too busy and choppy, and I'm inclined to agree. I don't use them with younger children, as I prefer more visually simplified texts. DK used to have out a good line for younger children that they let go OOP, and Kingfisher has recently come out with a simpler line. I think the new Eye Wonder series is DK's attempt to bring back a younger line again. We tend to read through the larger text first, and then read the pictures. If my middle school aged children are reading them alone, I may have them only read the larger text. I think they're easier to use with middle school age and up, but do agree that even then they are busy. You can't read through them speedily. You have to linger over them.... Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 The original creators of DK books and products had a language delayed child. The format was developed to help that child whose primary language was not spoken word but visual. So Dk works very well with visual learners and extremely well with visual spatial learners. I used their photo cards with my son when he was 4 to developed receptive language skills and have used the books as spines in the elementary years 5th and under. My oldest son's first language was visisual and he aquired spoken language as if it were a second language. I now use the adult series as introduction support books for the subject we are studying. Just so you know my son at 15 no longer has a language delay and has a very high non verbal IQ. So if you have a child who is a visual or visual spatial learner DK is an excellent way to get that child interested in a subject because that is the type of learner that the DK format was developed for. Blessings, Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 You know, I am a little reluctant to say this here, but we just do not enjoy them. At all. We have several, and they are nice to look at, for a little while, but they generally give me an actual headache. We are serious audio learners (is that the right expression - I'm having a brain burp) and we need narrative structure. The sound bites in Eyewitness books just do not do it for us. But. I will say that when I used Ria's My World Science program, I finally had a sort of a-ha moment about these books. Because she walks you through the material, I finally got it, how to extrapolate the nuggets of information and string them together. But I would need Ria's brain to be able to do that on my own. I hope this relevant and helpful... Maybe we're just freaks (!), entirely possible. And by the way, we love freaks at our house. We consider anyone worth knowing to be a freak. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 We generally like very visual books. We love Usborne books, for example, and don't mind the cluttered format. But, we've tried many Eyewitness books and my son (the oldest) always asks me to stop. He even wrinkles up his nose and says, "yuck" whenever we see them at the library or the book store. I will be honest though and share that I think the main reason he dislikes them is because there is just so much evolutionary teaching in the science books. We don't avoid the topic of evolution. We do use alot of books that contains references to evolution and we discuss it freely in our home, but these are just overkill in my opinion. In most of the books that we read, evolution is a part of the content but not so much a focus of them. We are creationists, so that's the bias. Maybe if it weren't for this, we would like them. I don't know. So, you may love them if you are looking for a very strong evolutionary bent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 "grown up reading". He asks me many, many questions about what he is looking at, and they hold his attention for a long time. The skeleton one is a particular favourite, as is the musical instruments one (and pirate and dinosaur). For me they have a "coffee table" feeling, but I can see a child of 10-14 reading favourites over and over and picking up things. I am more of a text person, but there are times I like to see photos to flesh out the concept in my mind. We've picked up a few of the videos, too, and kiddo pours out some long words I know he learned from them, e.g. The Human Machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I like history and science equally, but I would never use them as a spine, as suggested in logic stage WTM. They are nice, colorful supplements that the kids love. The pictures are fantastic. The information is good, but it it not well-organized, nor is it presented in any kind of depth. So ... I guess I like them for what they are - cool, higher-level picture books. I don't remember the WTM using them as a spine. Isn't it the Reader's Digest books that are used as the spine and the Eyewitness are supplements? Susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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