monkeymama07 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 im looking for curriculum suggestions to begin teaching my son Latin. Thank you, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I suggest Song School Latin for preschoolers. It's fun and the songs are very catchy. I was a bit nervous about tackling Latin with my children but this program is geared with young children in mind. My oldest daughter is 4 years old and although she can read and write I feel she isn't quite ready for the SSL workbook. It demands a smaller font that she is capable of managing just now. So what I have done is started teaching her the songs from the their cd. I introduce each song and we go over pronunciation. I print off the free coloring pages from their Headventure Land website. This website also offers a wide variety of free resources: games, printables, videos... Anyway, after I introduce the song and we listen to it together. Then we take the corresponding coloring pages and color them while I replay the song over and over. We've only done the first two lessons so far but my 4 year old loves it and 2 year old seems to be singing in Latin more clearly than she does in English...go figure. I feel that by the time we finish the cd and the coloring pages, my older daughter will be better able to tackle the workbooks. Then we will go over it all again but using the worksheets she'll gain even more out of it the second time around. Then when she is older we can advance to Latin for Children Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 We are going with SSL for our little ones. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Oh, one more thing. I recently starting looking into Minimus Mouse but haven't met anyone with any experience with it yet. I don't like spending money on something unless I know I will like it. So I called my local library and asked if they can get one of these books. They called me back earlier this week to say they have ordered two from the series. They should get them shortly and I will let you know what I think. Minimus Mouse Then again, if anyone on here is familiar with it I would love to know what they think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Oh, one more thing. I recently starting looking into Minimus Mouse but haven't met anyone with any experience with it yet. I don't like spending money on something unless I know I will like it. So I called my local library and asked if they can get one of these books. They called me back earlier this week to say they have ordered two from the series. They should get them shortly and I will let you know what I think. Minimus Mouse Then again, if anyone on here is familiar with it I would love to know what they think. Never heard of those. :lurk5: Waiting for your review ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeymama07 Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) thanks Ill be watching to see what you think of this one but SSL looks good (we spend 12 hours every other weekend in the car so a great time for the cd).. my son is not ready for the ready for the writing portion and Id be shocked if he was this fall. so something I dont HAVE to use the writing in is GREAT Edited February 25, 2011 by monkeymama07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Minimus is a fun little program that is ideal for mid to late elementary school. I can't imagine that many preschoolers would appreciate the context -- a Roman family living at a fort next to Hadrian's wall in 3rd century Britain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) We are doing a combination of SSL and Getting Started With Latin for my 1st grader. My 2 year old loves the SSL songs and has them all memorized. One issue that you may encounter is what to do after SSL. If you dc is reading well, then I think there are some programs that would work well. (GSWL has been a fantastic fit for my 5 y.o. even though there are no pics, no songs, no color, no bells and whistles.) If he wasn't reading well, it wouldn't work. So there's a possibility of there being a gap in the Latin instruction unless you find something to bridge the gap between SSL and a more difficult program. Just food for thought.;) Edited February 25, 2011 by Staceyshoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeymama07 Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 I like the SSL in theory and it seems popular ... it will be a great fit in we can listen to it the car... I guess if I have a bridge to gap between finishing SSL and whatever we move on to next Ill deal with it closer to when I know where Liam is acedically in other areas. How long does SSL usually take :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 We are doing a combination of SSL and Getting Started With Latin for my 1st grader. My 2 year old loves the SSL songs and has them all memorized. One issue that you may encounter is what to do after SSL. If you dc is reading well, then I think there are some programs that would work well. (GSWL has been a fantastic fit for my 5 y.o. even though there are no pics, no songs, no color, no bells and whistles.) If he wasn't reading well, it wouldn't work. So there's a possibility of there being a gap in the Latin instruction unless you find something to bridge the gap between SSL and a more difficult program. Just food for thought.;) We will be using Prima Latina after SSL. My older ones started with that program and I think it may work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 The thing is (gently saying this), preschool is just not the time to introduce Latin which is why there is really no curriculum for it. Perhaps listening to songs - fine. But Latin is a very grammar-based written language, and many to most preschoolers haven't even learned grammar or to read and write their own language yet. Other than basic oral vocabulary, I think it would be time wasted on skills that are just not age-appropriate. However, Spanish or another modern spoken language could be a great asset to a preschooler! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 The thing is (gently saying this), preschool is just not the time to introduce Latin which is why there is really no curriculum for it. Perhaps listening to songs - fine. But Latin is a very grammar-based written language, and many to most preschoolers haven't even learned grammar or to read and write their own language yet. Other than basic oral vocabulary, I think it would be time wasted on skills that are just not age-appropriate. However, Spanish or another modern spoken language could be a great asset to a preschooler! I agree with this. However....my little ones are watching my olders and want to learn. :) So....I am finding a way to most gently do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I agree and it's important to note that this program isn't claiming to teach Latin comprehension. Their website states, "As an ideal introduction to the language, Song School Latin will prepare a student to begin a grammar school program such as Latin for Children." Sure it is by no means needed as a prerequisite to learning Latin. But my 4 year old (and amazingly enough my two year old) love the catchy songs. The songs are made so that as you sing them, you connect it to the English translation. Will this make learning Latin any easier? Probably not. But maybe slightly less intimidating and foreign. And- as an added plus- it helps grant ME some exposure to a language completely foreign before we start really tackling it. Here is a link to some of the workbook pages from SSL for anyone who hasn't seen this curriculum. As I stated before- I have not started my dd on the workbook yet because I think it is still a little over head at this point. We'll come back to it at a later date. We've literally just been doing the songs and the free coloring pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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