Thanks, I'll look into Getting Started with Latin. In general our Latin grammar would complement rather than replace English grammar. I just wondered if Minimus might ease my daughter into both. EL doesn't really cover grammar. It's more of a vocabulary builder. FLL is a fine book. The consensus on this board seems to be that it is just too incremental an approach for accelerated/gifted students. The first 50 lessons or so focus on nouns, for example. I condensed these into 2 lessons for my son. We did memorize two or three of the suggested poems, but in general, I chose my own poems from more classic authors. Also, I found it more natural to incorporate narration with some of our science, history, and literature, so we skipped all the narration lessons too. Most of these quibbles are just personal preference. The actual grammar instruction is fine. We just glossed over so much of the book that it probably wasn't the best fit for us. Hope that helped.

Can you give me some information on Minimus? Ds6 is finishing Elementary Latin, and I'm considering Minimus Secundus next. It looks like a lot of the vocabulary from level 1 of Minimus is the same as EL. Ds also did a highly condensed run-through of FLL 1/2 this year, so he has a basic grammar understanding. His reading level is early 7th grade. Would Minimus Secundus be a good follow-up to EL? I know some of you don't care for Secundus. Some details would be nice, since I can't find online samples. Would something like Latin for Children be better? I do think he'd love the comic-style approach of Minimus. Also, I'm wondering if 1st level Minimus would be a good replacement for both FLL and EL for my dd4 next year. (She'll be 5 then and already reads on a 4th-grade level.) I wasn't thrilled with FLL, and Minimus looks like it gives some basic grammar. Dd is finishing up Latin's Not So Tough level 1 (mostly for handwriting practice), but she enjoys listening to the EL audio CD with her brother and knows a lot of the vocab. I always enjoy the insights on this board. Thanks in advance for your help.

I recommend this one. It's very true to the original, the illustrations are amazing, and there's an appendix with lots of helpful information. http://www.amazon.com/Beowulf-Grendel-Michelle-L-Szobody/dp/0979718309/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271361272&sr=1-1

Our older two children both started reading at 2. Our 1-yr-old is ahead of where they were at this age, so we're expecting similar things from him. Enjoy it. :) M.Z. http://www.BeowulfTheBook.com

Our two-year-old read her first word today! So her literary exploits consist of "cab" at the moment. (4-yr-old ds is reading Frog and Toad.) M.Z. http://www.BeowulfTheBook.com

I was MZ on the old board, though I posted only a handful of times in the 2.5 years I’ve been lurking. I’m working on being less shy. :) I am a children’s author and would love advice on getting more connected with the homeschool world. Our children are quite young and we are learning as we go. DS (4) taught himself to read at 2 and enjoys language arts, math, and geography. DD (2.5) is showing signs of reading readiness and enjoys language and fine arts and tea parties. DS (0.5) is working on crawling and enjoys giggling and listening to poetry and music. I have greatly appreciated all of your insight and encouragement. Thanks for letting me participate, MZ http://www.BeowulfTheBook.com