Memoria now offers a classical pronunciation CD, if that helps. We aren't too far into First Form, so I don't yet know how ecclesiastical it's focus might get, though. So far, it seems like a basic Latin intro.

We were just like you. We spent about 6-8 months using Latin Prep and reached a point where we needed more repetition/review. I loved (love) the humor in Latin Prep, and the translation work as well, but we felt lost - even using the workbook. Anyway, we switched to First Form Latin. I thought we would be bored with the repetition, but instead we feel much more confident. We really like it. I do keep Latin Prep on hand, though, to have fun with translation.

When it comes time for the spelling test, I use the words to form a story about my two daughters. This has become a favorite for the girls, as they are eager to find out what happens to them each week. One child was chased by trolls, while another wandered a lonely road and consumed brussels sprouts along the way, LOL. :)

Thanks! That is just what I wanted to hear!

I'm planning to sign my daughter up for the VP Self-Paced Online Middle Ages and have a quick question. Once lessons are completed, is it possible to go back and watch them again? I'm assuming work can't be redone, as the program is graded. BUT, I'd love to personally watch the lesson and might not be able to alongside my daughter. It is possible to re-watch at a later time/date? Thanks!

Thank you. There is probably a list of online Latin programs on this board - I should go hunt! My goal is to reach AP Latin.

Well, we are trying to drill - we've made/use flashcards for the vocabulary and grammar. Perhaps we should step it up and add charts as well. Since you are familiar with Latin Prep - is this a program I could handle through Level 3? I will be doing all of the work alongside my daughter.

Hello High School Board! I feel a little silly posting over here as my eldest is only entering 5th grade next year. So please bear with me - I only have littles and don't really know what I am talking about. :mellow: Anyway, I feel like I am hitting the point where decisions I make for my eldest could guide/impact her high school career. Maybe that is ridiculous (?), but I want to be careful in these middle-school years. Thus - I want to hear from folks who have BTDT. LATIN. What method/program would best enable my daughter to be prepared for something like Lukeion? Right now, my daughter and I are working through Latin Prep 1 together. We love it - love the explanations, love the humor, love classical pronunciation. What I'm wondering, though, is if I can manage through the other Latin Prep levels on my own. I'm learning alongside my daughter (and doing the work!), but I wonder if I will hit a point where it becomes too hard without more help. Latin Prep does not offer any help that I know of? Do you know of? Also, do I rather need a program that is more heavy on the grammar? Something like Memoria's First Form? We are learning grammar in Latin Prep, of course, but it is not necessarily cemented/DRILLED INTO YOUR BRAIN like MP's program. Would it be better to hammer the grammar? Does Lukeion use the classical pronunciation? Is it hard to switch back and forth between ecclesiastical/classical? Is Lukeion my best option for high school? Or would following something like Memoria's online course, using Henle, prepare my daughter equally well for the NLE and AP Exam? I do see the MP AP course studies Vergil...if that matters? Am I overthinking this??? :001_rolleyes:

I'm having to type this on an iPod, so please excuse any typos. Can I just say thank you? Your comments and shared personal experiences have been so, so, so encouraging. My husband and I sat dumb and mute in the dr. office, in a state of shock, and didn't ask enough questions. We turn our research to the web and, lo and behold, some TERRIFYING videos come up. 20/20 documentary worthy stuff. Scary. But hearing from you that life can be full and productive is just so encouraging. We think we are going to stay away from the meds for now. Hubby was a neuroscientist in a different life and is wary of what they can do to a developing brain. And I like what someone said up above.....if they aren't a problem to my daughter, they shouldn't be a problem to me....that's a loose paraphrase anyway...right now the tics don't bug her. But, sigh, she HAS been teased in ballet class. A verbal "ha!" in the middle of a quiet ballet moment has brought her unwanted attention. How should we handle situations like that? So what things impact frequency? I see stress and sleep are biggies. What else? It seems like there are mixed messages on food....And I should look into the supplements... Has anyone used behavioral therapy? And the mention of genetics made me smile. DH had a tic that sometimes makes its appearance. the neurologist actually caught him doing it and DH wasn't even aware it had happened. :) Anyway, I'm rambling, I know. But thank you...these positive comments have really helped and I might take up the offers to PM.

Thank you, everyone, and thank you for the hugs! Yes, I think the vocal tic sets Tourette's apart and she has had a vocal tic for over a year now. I will look into the things everyone has suggested and post over on the special needs board as well. Thanks for the tips on the meds. She has been prescribed a med, but we are hesitant. She is a growing girl and don't want anything to impede that......

Our sweety 7-year-old daughter was just diagnosed with Tourettes ('s ?). We are still in a bit of shock. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with this syndrome? What we could/should expect? At this point she is considered mild, though she does have 2 motor tics and up to 3 different vocal tics happening right now. Their frequency isn't too invasive at this point. And overall kind of cute....but maybe that is because I think my daughter is cute. I'm not sure what I'm asking for yet, just any advice from experience, I suppose. Should I expect this to get worse? The doctor said that 60% of cases remain relatively mild - has this been your experience? How much does environment play a role? We just moved to a tiny apartment and all of our neighbors smoke. Our kids are enjoying playing outside with the neighbors, but there are some stressors like the smoke, dogs, having to not stomp on the floor and disturb the neighbor. Or I'm wondering if the move itself was a stressor that has brought out more tics than usual. Does diet play a role? We've been reading that gluten can be a culprit - is this true? Anyway, any thoughts? We are still reeling a bit and just wonder....how bad is this going to be? Thanks!

Okay, so does it count as an "embarrassing church story" if the event didn't actually happen at church? I went Full Monty, LOL! Many years ago, when I was still single, I rented out a room from a very kind family that I knew from church. The bathroom was shared among many of us and opened almost directly into the living room - not much privacy at all. Anyway, one evening I was taking a shower, thinking I was home alone....must have forgotten to lock the door. I finish, step out from the glass door and reach for my towel when, surprise!, my PASTOR walks right on into the bathroom and catches me completely, dripping wet, naked! He mouth formed a perfect horrified "O". He bolted from the bathroom and left the house before I could even grab my towel. Man, oh, man, I couldn't look him in the eye for YEARS after that! Apparently the family had come home while I was in the shower and had brought the pastor with them. My current pastor catches me off-guard too, but this is because I'm married to him. :tongue_smilie:

Oh, I'm not alone! We are in the process of moving to a 900 sq ft apartment and will be homeschooling two kids there. :) We are seriously purging our stuff and trying not to over-crowd the place with furniture. We are placing bookshelves in the dining area and making that our school room. Another thing...we are thinking "up". Floor space will be limited, so we are going to install shelving in the walls ABOVE the furniture. Trying to maximize space. IKEA is our friend, ha! Twill be an adventure! Years ago, we lived in a 400 sq ft cottage. We didn't even have our own bedroom. slept in the living area. I think as long as you have a private space somewhere (aka bedroom), small sq footage can be managed.

We enjoyed The Wanderings of Odysseus, but our favorite has been this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Odyssey-Gareth-Hinds/dp/0763642681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383360670&sr=8-1&keywords=the+odyssey+hind It is The Odyssey in graphic-novel format, done by Gareth Hinds. It is very, very, very well done. It keeps to higher language, but the imagery helps to make the story easier to understand. My girls can't get enough of it.

Covenant College matches a great deal on this list. I transferred into that school at the start of my Junior year and loved every minute of it. The class sizes were small and the courses were rigorous (beyond some of the fluffy pre-reqs anyway...) 1) Covenant would be considered conservative, especially about Scripture. It is a school affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) 2) There are many different majors, including the sciences. It offers both a strong pre-med and pre-nursing program. It also offers an engineering program that, I believe, partners with Georgia Tech....I think...but that would need confirmation. 3) They have theater. :) 4) Every student is required to participate in an "abroad" experience. This could be by way of a short-term mission, but they also offer study abroad programs for a semester/summer. When I was there, places such as Oxford and Ireland were options. I went to Ireland and LOVED it. :) The study-abroad experiences of course went on the transcript. 5) I believe there are many financial aid options, including a work-study that can be done on campus. Hope that helps! Another school to consider is Grove City College. I've heard good things about that one as well.

Oops...I quoted above and then somehow posted! Sorry about that. Anyway, we just started Latin Prep and it uses classical pronunciation. It seems to take it pretty seriously. Also, we were able to get a CD - that might be a newer offering though?

Ray at Horrible Books is the guy! I just purchased Latin Prep from him this week. His customer service is amazing. While shopping, I noticed he had some Horrible History DVDs available, but can't remember which ones...

Thanks!

That is encouraging to hear and what I'm hoping for next year. Thanks!

Thank you to those of you that have shared your systems thus far! You've all given me some food for thought.....and it seems to be 50/50 on whether or not to use a separate history program. :lol: Stm4hm, I REALLY like your idea of drawing the cards! What a great way to combine both technical art skills and history. One thing that is nice to see in the posts, regardless of how one approaches it, is that the memory work seems to be worth it. I'm also walking away with a sense that even just focusing on the main CC history points/timeline can generate a substantial knowledge of history. That is making me feel much more at peace with the decisions ahead of me. I'm all about streamlining and I think I'm leaning towards jumping into CC and enhancing/building on it......hmmmmm.........

Thank you for sharing, Micron4 - a lot of what you said really resonated with me. The scenario you presented when first starting out in Cycle 1 is exactly what I wonder about for us next year. I can picture myself feeling the exact same way - like I was attempting two different history programs. Which makes me wonder if I should just take the plunge and jump into CC. How did your year go when you started to follow the topic sentences? Did it flow well then? Thank you for the encouragement - I think I needed to hear I wasn't crazy..that it is okay to focus on 24 topics and know them well. Anyone else that has tried this? Or anyone that disagrees? Thanks!!!!

We've signed up to join CC this fall and I keep swaying like a pendulum, back and forth, on how to handle the year. This is in regard only to the history/geography portion as we will definitely be adding our own science program. Anyway, I've seen posts of people using CC as their core and posts that say it isn't enough. I'm wondering if you'd take a look at my thoughts and offer some opinions. Here are the two options: 1) Use CC merely as memory work, perhaps reading a blurb to provide context from time to time. Use TOG as my main history/literature/geography source. I love that TOG combines so much together and I'll have two daughters working at different levels - a 4th grader (UG/Some D in Literature) and a 1st grader (LG). Even if I use CC as my base these next couple of years, I think I will eventually end up in TOG for its lovely dialectic and rhetoric work. HOWEVER. I can see myself burning out trying to spend my first year in CC AND enter TOG. I can see myself potentially feeling overwhelmed and essentially getting nothing done. Perhaps I could combat this fear, knowing it and my weakness ahead of time, but it is a concern nonetheless. 2) Throw myself into CC. I like memorization to be in context with what we are learning. Also, an attraction here is that we will already be part of CC, so why not use that day at CC and build around it during the week. It would make that day at "school" less incongruous with what we are trying to accomplish at home....less of an intrusion into our week, so to speak. If that makes any sense. I DO think that following the weekly sentences will help hold me accountable and stay on track. Cycle 2 seems to be fairly chronological in its format and does cover the "big" moments in history. It also leaves out a lot, though....am I okay with that? Hmmm. If I were to use CC as my base, I would use the coordinating SOTW chapters along with their respective questions, mapwork, and activities....and, of course, lots of fun extra books and ideas from blogs. Looking at the SOTW chart, we would end up reading 39 sections, whether that be an entire SOTW chapter or just a portion thereof. Is that enough? I know we would miss some events in history, though some of those slots would be filled in Cycle 3 of CC. I guess I need to ask myself if these big moments in history are enough to study....am I okay with exposure rather than wanting them to know everything about that time period. I see women like at Halfahundredacrewoods (is that right?) and it seems wonderful - like a very full year. But then I hear so many posts that say otherwise. For now, I think I would stay on better track if I were to follow CC and add lots of context each week. If I did this, I think it would be just for the next two years. Cycle 1 in CC doesn't seem chronological at all and I would probably ease into TOG then - especially since I would have D level and UG level students by then. Hmmm. Or should I just start TOG now? ARG!!!! Would this be enough???????? I'm sorry. I know this is long and I've rambled. Thank you for bearing with me!

My kids are early-birds and are usually up before us. However, on the rare occasion that we need to get them up and they are being extra grumpy, we like to break out the following song: Good Morning! Good MORNing! We hope you're feeling swell. Good Morning! Good MORNing! You don't look so good. Your face looks to us like a tractor ran over it. Your hair looks like Don KING'S.... You don't look so good. The kids seem to like that one. It was a song that played on a DC radio station eons ago, when I was a child. I had to clean up the lyrics a bit, but it still runs in my head after all these years!

Thanks! That is really helpful. I was just looking over Easy Classical again and wondering if many of the items would be over my daughters' heads. You've answered that!