The second question on everybody's lips - living books, encyclopedias, textbooks? {Episode 24}

It’s conference season! Which means I get to meet tons of you and have the privilege of answering loads of science questions. In this episode of the Tips for Homeschool Science Show, we are going to chat about the second most frequent question I get.

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The Highlights

Which should I use – living books, encyclopedias or textbooks? It’s the second question I typically get.

Our students should be consuming some type of science-related information at least twice a week throughout the school year.

So, what can we use?

• We can use living books – these resources have scientific fact woven into an interesting storyline.
• We can use children’s encyclopedias – these resources are packed with facts in a visually-appealing way.
• We can use on-line articles and videos – these resources include articles on the latest science advancements, video lectures for top experts, and much more all available on the Internet.
• We can use textbooks – these resources will cover the information your student needs to know in a systematic and organized manner, which is very beneficial for the high school years.

How to decide which kind of resource to use – here are a few questions to help:

• What would I prefer to use?
• What would my student prefer to use?
• What have we enjoyed learning from in the past?
• What are my goals for science?
• What do I need to prepare them for?

As you can see, there is no clear-cut, right-or-wrong answer here. The type of resource you choose to use will depend on your goals and your preferences.

Additional Resources

Check out the following articles:

• What are living books? 
• 50+ Books we love to use for homeschool science 
• Ep 19 – Do I really have to do experiments, which is the question I get most often!