Mumkins wrote:That's a possibility, thank you.
Carrie and Julie, I know you both have a few to go through them. What are your plans?
In keeping with the thought process that families enjoy having choices about use of materials, Carrie makes several different suggestions in the plans for annotating. Some involve zero markings made in the books (as are shared in this thread), and some involve marking directly in the books. The ideas shared here are good! They work! They will be an excellent format to annotate for many, many families using HOD. Personally, I have used HOD from the start. I have 3 dc about 4 years apart in HOD, and as my oldest is now doing the US1 High School History guide, I am able to reuse virtually everything with my younger 2 dc. As Carrie plans for there to be very few consumables in HOD, I'm just replacing history notebooks, math workbooks, BOC timelines, DITHOR workbooks every other year, etc. It isn't much to replace each year! Where many other curriculums rely heavily on consumable materials, often because they are worksheet/quiz/test driven, in contrast HOD relies on non-consumable materials, mainly in the form of wonderful books/audios/DVDs.
Of course the cost for replacement items goes up as the amount of resources goes up in middle school/high school. However, when I think of the cost of enrolling my dc in a private Christian school, the only other form of schooling I'd consider, the cost of replacing materials each year is extremely minimal. I also am a total and complete believer in the merits of annotating! I have annotated in my own personal Bible during sermons and during daily Bible readings for the past 20 years. I love to see the 'journey' of my walk with the Lord, all laid out and annotated there for me to see.
When my grandfather died, both of his sons (one being my Dad, of course) desperately wanted his Bible, more than they wanted any other earthly treasure he left behind. Why? Because he personally annotated in it, and his words were precious - made even more precious at his passing. When my grandmother died, it was the same situation. The brothers agreed to share the Bibles. I find now that my own father has passed away, anything he annotated is like pure gold to me. I annotate every single book I read, including whichever read-through-the-Bible devotional/Bible/plan I am using. I also annotated "Stepping Heavenward" when I read it, and any other devotional/book I have read. I did not annotate "Pride and Prejudice" when I read it years' back, nor more recently "Lantern in Her Hand." Why? I got them as part of Wyatt's set of books in HOD (yes, I know they are for the girls, but I still like to get the girls' books for his own library - they're good!). I cannot tell you how many times since I read those 2 books I have wished I'd annotated them! I'm always foggily trying to remember a wonderful quote or a poignant moment from those 2 books, and they are in my top 3 favorite reads of all-time, along with "Stepping Heavenward." Annotating a book on the first read through is quite enlightening for me, more so than a second time through, though annotating both a first and second time through is even better as the two can be compared, and often (hopefully) a more mature me is reading it the second time through, simply based on my age increasing with the passing of time.
In "Practical Happiness"
this year, Wyatt annotates first as he reads. Then, I read it and annotate it. He always asks to read my annotations before we begin. He can't wait to read them actually, which is kind of a pretty amazing moment for me as I am his mom and as he happens to currently be a teenager.
We like to both look at the book as we discuss it, so we can see our annotations.
So, you can see where I am going with this. I have him annotate directly in his literature books. Why? Because I want these books to become his treasures. Would I have him write in his books in this manner prior to high school? No. His thoughts were not so mature nor memorable at that point. However, as he is becoming a young man, and as these are grown-up books, I want him to write in them, own them, take them with him. These books will go with him when he leaves this house. They will be the start to his own personal library for 'classics.' They will line his first bookshelf in his own first home with his own family. I don't feel it 'special' to annotate science, or math, or grammar, or any other more disciplinary subject. But his Bible? His devotionals? His classic literature books? Yes, I do feel that is special. My love of annotating myself comes first and forefront in this decision, as does my love of books being like personal friends to truly use and love and make your own. Not everyone feels this way! That is ok! There isn't one right way to annotate, which is why Carrie includes multiple ways of doing so. However, as you asked Mumkins, I thought I'd share my take on it. If I had more than 3 dc, maybe I'd view this as over-the-top. If I had multiple dc born only a year or two apart, maybe I'd cringe to replace a lit set like this every year or every other year. But, as it stands, I just have the 3 blessings from God, and they are 4 years apart. So, this is the way we are doing it for now, and I'm happy with it. Anyway, there is my very long answer to your very short question - thanks for allowing me to digress.
In Christ,
Julie