I’ve used 3 of these so far. I use them as a “spine”. For example, when we were studying oceans we used the Seashore one. We’d read a page or two and then find some other books which would go into further detail. If we read about birds on the shore we’d pick up some books about seagulls and such. If we read about kelp or seaweed, we’d read a few books about that. Because we lived in CA at the time we also spent a lot of time doing hands on stuff as he suggested. We have used some books for areas we don’t live in, but he has great suggestions for learning about the area even if you can’t physically be there.
You could definitely use these books alone as they contain a lot of information. They are a little “busy” because of so many pictures and little areas of text. My boys really enjoyed them however. They liked the information they were learning and they loved looking through them over and over again.
It took us 2 or 3 weeks to get through each book. I purchase them as I find them at library and garage sales. For my family, they are books we want to own. Check some out of the library to see how you, and your kids, react to them.
Heather