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Thanks, for the info. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the living book approach to study subjects.

In general, HOD combines the living book approach with the scientific method, science experiments, notebooking entries, comprehension questions/vocabulary work, and CM style skills of oral narration and written narration (written is added at the older levels). I like to think of it as giving our dc the best of both worlds - books that are extremely narrative and keep my dc wanting to read more, and follow-ups that better cement the learning in dc's minds as well as show us parents what our dc have really learned. (So much better than one right answer quizzes and tests which dc can often "guess" their way through and which mean nothing to them.) All of our dc LOVE science, and they are really remembering what they learn! I think it is because the living books we use are written by authors passionate about whatever 1 thing they wrote about. Have you ever looked for a certain author of a textbook? Nope. Nobody even cares who wrote a textbook, because it usually does not include any personality of the author within it. It reads more encyclopedia-like, more like a "just the facts ma'am" kind of book. And it is utterly forgettable. Not so with living books - they live on in the minds of our dc well after "science" is done for the day. They have so much more worth.

In Christ,
Julie