We are using LC this year and have enjoyed it as a gentle intro to Latin. We bought the DVDs, but only used them for the first lesson or two; they just dragged out the lesson too long, especially defining the derivatives. The key for us is a little each day. We bought the Ludere Latine game book (mostly for the parse strings and the grammar crosswords) and the Cumulative Review book. This provided enough written work to cement the grammar concepts. The flashcards are also important. We do about 15-20 minutes a day, five days a week for third grade. An older student could probably move through faster, but it won't overload you.

My kids do two pages a day, typically a new lesson page and a review page. For each lesson there are 3 new lesson pages (A-C) and three review pages (D-F) and a test. When they do two MUS pages, it usually takes them about 20 minutes. This strategy uses 4 days per lesson times 30 lessons in the book (+ 4 unit tests + 1 final test) = 125 lesson days. Of course, this is if you do every page. My second son started Beta in Feb and is almost done. We skip everything that I know he has down pat (like clocks, money, skip counting, etc) and only do the review pages for these lessons. As long as the child is willing and able, there should be no problem Beta and Gamma in one year. The end of Gamma gets pretty tricky (multiple digit multiplication), so he will have to slow down here.

Little Bear is the first book of their 1st grade package. Can he read the books towards the end of the 1st grade package? Can he not read the words or is it the amount of words that is the problem? MP really spaces out the amount they read each day, so you could either compress the 1st grade readings or start with the second grade and read them slowly (a couple of pages a day). I would start reading through the 1st grade books (without comp guides) over the summer and try to be on target to start the 2nd grade books in the fall (with guides).

I copy the page and cut out the strips. I don't want to destroy the HIG since I have four kids.

We use AAS5 & AAS 2 for my two older boys, and AAR for my daughter. They each have their own box and dividers, but they use the same tiles. I keep the appropriate cards in my younger son's box and the upper level cards in my older's box. As my younger needs a card, it shifts to his box. When my older needs review, I can use either box. It actually works out quite well. Strangely enough, this is also how we hand down clothes...

Yep, and I have to say the boxes are so nice. I used generic ones for a while, but after I saw my friend's box, I had to go and buy my own!

I am using the same tiles for three of my kids. My daughter is using AAR and I've put her "consonant teams" together at the top, then my second son's blue tiles (who is in AAS2), and then the extra ones my oldest uses (AAS5) at the bottom. It's not ideal, but no one seems to be getting confused, so we're going to continue this way. There are just so many little tiles that I don't want to have to keep track of two sets...

AAR and AAS use the same tiles/magnets/phonogram CD. My kids share tiles. You might want a separate card box & dividers because the cards will be different.

You might want to start with books in which each (short) chapter is a different story, like Uncle Wiggly or Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Or you can read books with really short chapters like Thornton Burgess' books. A lot of picture books are more advanced than early chapter books, so don't write them off altogether. And Jim Weiss' audiobook cd's are a big hit in the car with us.

That is an awesome article. Wow, grade inflation is bad for the "good" students and bad for the "bad" students. What a concept! And I think that 4-year colleges should not offer remedial classes. If you aren't ready for regular college classes, you should go to community college until you are ready.

HWT teaches the capitals that look like the lowercase letters first, then groups the remaining capitals according to how they are formed (P, B, & R).

As my (quite large) FIL says, "Fat people are always hot." They must be the ones in charge of the thermostat.

We are a big fan of nonsense words around here. I'll make a nonsense word on the refrigerator and they read it. It usually sounds funny, so the kids have a big laugh. This helps them use phonics, and they definitely can't memorize these!

I think that's more than enough. On day 1, I usually intro the lesson/vocab and have them copy the words for cursive practice. On day 2, we usually do the Lesson exercises and review the vocab/prayers. On day 3, we do a vocab dictation exercise and prayer review. If we do a day 4 or 5, it is usually just reviewing previous prayers & vocab. We did Prima Latina 3 days/wk, but we have to do Latina Christiana 5 days/week to solidify everything.

For us, I get whines and groans when I haven't been consistent and they think they can get out of something. I would set a reasonable amount of work ahead of time, show them what's expected, and don't let them get out of it! For example, my oldest knows he doesn't get a break until he does math, grammar, and spelling. Then I use the timer for a 30-minute break. Then he knows he has to do his Latin and has a break until after lunch, etc. Remarkably, this also works for chores and other expectations... Oh, and whining isn't allowed. I make my kids run around the block when they talk bad about their schoolwork. Then they have to sit down and do it. Good luck!

With the ages of your kids, I would do a block of work in the morning, take a long break to do something active/fun/group-related together, and then send the youngest to his room for quiet time while I finish up with the older. That's similar to what I do. I'm also thinking about special projects like sewing crafts, various kits, his own garden project, lego construction following directions, or (our favorite) let him take something apart. My kids also work on similar subjects at the same time. First comes math. I give my oldest his lesson, then send him downstairs while I work with the youngers, etc. This way they are both busy at the same time. Hope this helps!

Prima Latina is an intro course for young students. It focuses on vocabulary, some prayers, and incorporates the parts of speech into the lessons. It's good for 2nd, maybe 3rd grade. If you want to start conjugating/declining, I would start with Latina Christiana. If it is for both of your older kids, it could be independent with the DVD. I don't know anything about Getting Started with Latin, but it is probably a higher level than Prima. Latin is difficult, and I wouldn't expect my kids to be able to do this independently. I'm learning along with them so I can answer their questions. You might want to check out online Latin classes if you want it to be totally independent.

AAS builds up from Level 1, so you should start there. However, if you've got an older student, you could probably start with level 2, which includes some review of Level 1 in the first lesson. Level 2 will probably go pretty fast too, but there are key concepts there that shouldn't be skipped. My kids zoom pretty quickly through 1 & 2, a little slower through 3, and then slow down in 4.

AAS doesn't take much time. We usually do 15 minutes 2-3 times a week. For my oldest, we did it at naptime. The trick was keeping the littles from getting into the tiles. I put them on the fridge just out of everyone's reach. And this location was convenient, because I'd usually be making myself a cup of coffee during the lesson...

We left AAS after level four because my son was zipping through levels and my second son was going to start AAS. I was looking for something more independent. We tried Spelling Workout, R&S spelling, and Soaring with Spelling. However, after AAS they seemed unimpressive. And I realized that I really liked the dictation and writing station in AAS, so now we're back. Now I've got three kids all using the same tiles (1 in AAR, 2 in AAS) and we're much happier.

I just finished reading this myself for the first time. The action ebbs and flows, but the cannibalism really turned me off. That's probably the major reason I wouldn't read it to a fourth grader.

AAR is a reading program. There are reading games, readers, and the lessons focus on recognizing how to read the letter groups. AAS is a spelling program, which focuses on how to choose the right letter groups to make a word. To me, they are completely different skills. They use the same tiles and the same phonograms, but the usage is different, and so are the lessons. You could make AAS work for reading instruction, but if you want step-by-step instruction on how to teach reading, you should buy AAR.

Do you have the teacher's manual? There are detailed instructions in the manual. The manual also includes a Latin recitation that should be done daily, which should be second nature to your student. We use the Student book, the grammar/vocab drill sheets, Ludere Latine game book, and their Cumulative Review Exercise book. These provide enough translation and conjugating/declining practice and my student doesn't have any trouble. For us it is important to do Latin every day (like math). I haven't done First Form yet, but I have looked at the student book and there is a lot more practice, enough to do a little every day. I have only heard great things about their new Form series, so I am excited to move into it next year. MP sells a daily schedule for their subjects if you give them a call, which might help.

You are talking my language! For efficiency I usually try to combine subjects. For example, we combine handwriting, copywork, and usually another subject like latin or grammar. I also try to combine students, though sometimes it is easier to have them work separately. We like R&S English and Latina Christiana. We read SOTW for history and use it for narrations/writing. I also like MP's States & Capitals course.

I think there is a balance you have to make. Having tons of short lessons causes lots of time lost to transitions, though a little a day usually keeps things fresh. We do a quick recitation time each day along with a weekly history, science, geo, and Greek Myths lesson in order to go into depth.