lexi Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 When did you start Latin with your kids? What age do you think it's best to start? What do you wish you had known before you started? What curriculum do you use? What do you like/dislike about it? Can someone list the Latin programs available (for elementary)? I'm starting to research out options and trying to decide when we should start. Please share your thoughts and recommendations. I need something to hold my hand with Latin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpskowski Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I'm doing GSWL with my third grader. He likes it and looks forward to it. But we only do one lesson a day, 3X a week. For him it is a good pace (nice and slow) so he is able to digest and remember. I like it as well because I've never had latin. Although I think I'm going to start researching programs for myself as I'd like to move a bit faster. I'm sure there are others who have been doing it much longer and can give better advice. But this site has a nice comparison chart for some starter info. http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/curricula/reviews/latincomparison.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I am doing Latin with dd7 this year, but only because she really wanted to. We are using Prima Latina, and I really like it, as it takes a very gentle approach to teaching Latin. I didn't know when I started that all of the Prima Latina vocabulary is used in the next year with Latina Christiana, and I really like that, too. That said, I am not sure I would label Prima Latina as a hand-holder. Because it doesn't teach conjugations or declensions at this stage, there is nothing in the TM about it. So if your dc has a question about it, you have no support to rely on to get the answer. There is also little explanation as to pronunciation. I am using the LC flashcards for our vocabulary, and those have the accents to help with pronunication. Though I have never studied Latin, I have a strong Spanish background, which I think I have leaned on quite a bit. I think that any foreign language background would be enough for this, but I would hesitate to recommend it for someone who has never studied any foreign language before. OTOH, there really are not a lot of good options for Latin for this age group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Can we talk Latin? Well, I don't know a lot but I'll try! Salve, Magistra! Quid agis? Meum praenomen est Fraidycat. :laugh: Sorry, I couldn't resist. Now off to read your post.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 We started this year in third grade. I have zero Latin background (I took Spanish and German in high school and college). We are using Getting Started With Latin, and I'm VERY happy with it. My son loves it, and so do I. Best of all, I understand it!!! I looked at several programs, and I had a hard time understanding some of them, and this one made sense to me, so I chose it. I'm thinking we might go to Latin Prep after we finish GSWL. I expect to spend next year in GSWL also, as we're still in the 40s lessons. We do Latin 2-3 times a week right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 Well, I don't know a lot but I'll try! Salve, Magistra! Quid agis? Meum praenomen est Fraidycat. :laugh: Sorry, I couldn't resist. Now off to read your post.... I knew someone would do that!! :tongue_smilie: Now I just need something to help me understand what you said!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 When did you start Latin with your kids? This year, our first full year of homeschooling. My kids are 6 & 10, 1st and 4th/5th grade. What age do you think it's best to start? For us, ASAP. What do you wish you had known before you started? I can't think of anything yet. What curriculum do you use? Song School Latin with both, along with Getting Started With Latin with the 10yr. old. What do you like/dislike about it? Both are fun and gentle. I can't think of anything I dislike. Can someone list the Latin programs available (for elementary)? I'm starting to research out options and trying to decide when we should start. I can list the ones that I've personally looked at and intend to probably use: Song School Latin (and SSL2 when it comes out) Getting Started with Latin Lively Latin Visual Latin Please share your thoughts and recommendations. I need something to hold my hand with Latin! Latin is MY favorite subject to teach so far, probably because at this stage I don't actually have much teaching to do, and I get to learn right along with them :). The kids seem to enjoy it, too. They especially loved learning a new English "threat" with the SSL DVD (Derivative River). Now our new threat around the house is "If you don't (or do) __________________, I will defenestrate you (or a certain object)!" :laugh: ETA: Defenestrate - throw out the window, from Latin fenestra (window). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I knew someone would do that!! :tongue_smilie: Now I just need something to help me understand what you said!!! Hello, Teacher. How are you? My name is Fraidycat. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeachingMyTwo Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 I was leaning toward Song School Latin. I have never heard of the Dino one. I'll check that out! I'm a little nervous to teach Latin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We started GSWL and Minimus (just the student book) at age 8. I had bought SSL several years previously, but I couldn't stand the voices and the songs, so I opted to focus on Spanish and put of Latin. Right now we aren't doing much with it, but will probably pick it back up after New Year's Day. Ariel loves Minimus. She tolerates GSWL. I'm seriously considering using Lively Latin, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We LOVE Latin! The kids started with Song School Latin at ages 5 and 6. Then we moved to Minimus, and it was much enjoyed! Now we're on Lively Latin (kidlets are now 7 and 8) and it's not as enjoyable as Minimus, but we're still learning and enjoying. It's not the most requested subject anymore, but fun enough. What I'm really seeing are the kids making connections between Latin and English derivatives. I don't suppose we'll ever be reading large original works but we'll all have a working knowledge by the time they're through school, plus they will be able to transfer into the romance languages with ease. Well, one would hope ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Younger is just about done with Lively Latin book one, and i like t and so does he. He doesnt loooove it, thoug. We are switching older from Henle (he has done a year and a half and will finish through unit four) and move him to Lone Pine Latin online in January. He also did Gswl first and it was a great intro. Younger will continue with lively latin, book two, i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HecticMama Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We started Prima Latina when oldest daughter was 8 (the youngest did it, too). We are now in Latina Christiana II, and doing very well. We did part of Minimus over the summer and will finish this summer (this was very enjoyable). You can look at some of Visual Latin's lessons on line (or download to take your time over it). I have purchased First Form Latin for next year. I will say my girls don't enjoy Latin as much today as they did when we began, because you must continually review vocabulary until it is in your head. But they are doing great with translating back and forth between English and Latin, using correct declensions and conjugations and tenses. I am scrambling to remember as much as they do! In addition, I found BJU's Latin book at a used bookstore (an older edition) and really liked the way the lessons were put together (it reads like a play). It made it more interactive and had good explanations for things that PL and LC I and II covered but didn't really explain (often it just said to memorize and you'd learn more about it later). Even though I found this frustrating in LC, I still think it was a good program for us. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mschickie Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We started with Song School Latin in 2nd grade. After that we have moved into Latin For Children. Dd is using primer b now. I really like LFC. Dd enjoys the videos and chants. The work is well laid out. The only thing we have not liked is the activity book but that is just an add on so we just are not using it this year. Dd loves the history readers. They are a great review over the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Thank you for that Dino Lingo link. I had never heard of them before. DS says he really wants to learn Japanese. I have ZERO desire to learn Japanese, but I might get him that dinolingo DVD set some day when it's in the budget for him to play with himself and learn a little bit. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We began in second grade with Song School Latin, which I consider wasted time. As much as my daughter enjoyed it, it was just vocabulary that was not embedded in Latin sentences (or grammar). Parallel to Song School Latin, we did Minimus. I liked Minimus, as did my daughter. It has rich vocabulary and real Latin sentences, but it is weak on conveying the grammar in any comprehensive manner. We then moved on to I Speak Latin towards the end of second grade. ISL takes a conversational approach in which you drill the grammatical patterns by using them. I find its main weakness is that we don't have enough vocabulary. Fortunately, our previous study of Minimus gives us additional words (especially verbs) to use. We also have a problem in only having one student, and a teacher (me) who is also learning Latin. We compensate for the first problem by about a dozen stuffed animals in tee-shirt "tunics" and giving them Latin names (this faciliates use of the vocative case!) I think the author of ISL recommends his book for third grade and above, but I see no reason not to use it with younger ones., Indeed, I wish I had started using it in first grade. I think younger children are geared to learning languages by imitating patterns orally. I think one could use ISL very successfully with younger children by using the book only orally (although this would take some care on the part of the parent to be careful and consistent with the pronunciation). As it is, even though by daughter is in third grade, we do very little writing. And instead of drawing pictures, we take photos to use as flash cards. We try to do Latin about 4 times a week. Rather than adhering to the very slow schedule suggested by the author for younger students, I would recommend moving through the chapters as soon as the child has absorbed the lesson. We try to use Latin in a variety of situations outside of formal instruction to help consolidate the lessons. I think the author is no ambitious enough in his recommendations for how fast to move with younger children. We do about a chapter a week. The only problem with moving through the book quickly is to decide what to use as a follow-on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 Wow! Thanks for all the insight! I'm leaning toward starting Latin next year-in the fall. I don't think I'm ready yet with a newborn. I think I'm leaning toward Song School Latin but the Dino Lingo one looks really fun too. After that I think we might try Minimus which looks so cute! I also like the looks of GSWL and LFC. Lively Latin looks fun for later too. I didn't realize there were so many options. Ok, I have to admit that I'm a little excited to start Latin and learn it with my kids now. But now I'm going to have a terrible time choosing a program and I'm gonna kill my budget! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We are starting second grade in January and we will be starting Prima Latina then. I was not confident in my ability to teach it, since I have never taken a Latin class myself, so I purchased the DVD. So the lady on the DVD teaches about a 20 minute lesson once a week and you spend the other days doing the other pages in that lesson/chapter. I watched the first day and I am glad I purchased the DVD this time. I may not need it in the future but I think it will be a big help for this first year. Good luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeachingMyTwo Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Thank you for that Dino Lingo link. I had never heard of them before. DS says he really wants to learn Japanese. I have ZERO desire to learn Japanese, but I might get him that dinolingo DVD set some day when it's in the budget for him to play with himself and learn a little bit. :D Check out www.drmoku.com to learn hiragana & katakana. A quick heads up to the more conservative parents, there are a couple references such as the symbol for "mu" is a cow breaking wind and the synbol for shi and tsu are two cute dogs but the boy is romantically interested in the girl dog. I am pretty liberal and let my kids use it because we've found it to be effective and I don't think that little bit will corrupt them, at least not completely anyway. ;) The app works on smart phones AND your computer! There are two seperate apps, one for hiragana and one for katakana. From what I understand, most children's books are written in hiragana. (We are moving to Japan next year so we have a specific interest in learning at least the basics. I was excited I got 30 out of 40 something on my Dr. Moku katakana quiz a few days ago. :D) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdJdRwjPVkM Also check out the Hiragana Mama blog for more resources. Good luck! http://hiraganamama.wordpress.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Check out www.drmoku.com to learn hiragana & katakana. A quick heads up to the more conservative parents, there are a couple references such as the symbol for "mu" is a cow breaking wind and the synbol for shi and tsu are two cute dogs but the boy is romantically interested in the girl dog. I am pretty liberal and let my kids use it because we've found it to be effective and I don't think that little bit will corrupt them, at least not completely anyway. ;) The app works on smart phones AND your computer! There are two seperate apps, one for hiragana and one for katakana. From what I understand, most children's books are written in hiragana. (We are moving to Japan next year so we have a specific interest in learning at least the basics. I was excited I got 30 out of 40 something on my Dr. Moku katakana quiz a few days ago. :D) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdJdRwjPVkM Also check out the Hiragana Mama blog for more resources. Good luck! http://hiraganamama.wordpress.com/ Thanks! I'm pretty sure a cow breaking wind is a lot tamer than the "fart" montages DH (!!) was picking out on YouTube for all of us to watch tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 :lurk I have a 9 and 7 yo. We did some SSL, stopped, reviewed, moved on, and ... Stopped. During our downtime, I acquired Minimus. So my current quandary is, do we drop SSL and move onto Minimus or should we do both? I was also considering getting GSWL and doing that alongside Minimus. I'm just not sure as the older likes the chants and songs of SSL while the younger responds well to the layout. Grrr.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We will start Song School in the new year. I am also going to use I Speak Latin because it has movements to accompany the words which I think my dc will enjoy. After SSL, I plan to go to Prima Latina, but plans can change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 When did you start Latin with your kids? What age do you think it's best to start? What do you wish you had known before you started? What curriculum do you use? What do you like/dislike about it? Can someone list the Latin programs available (for elementary)? I'm starting to research out options and trying to decide when we should start. Please share your thoughts and recommendations. I need something to hold my hand with Latin! 1. Early - but our worship services are in Latin, and we 'start Latin' with little memorized prayers and hymns. Benedic Domine nos et haec tua dona; Pater noster qui es in caelis; Et cum spiritu tuo; Regina caeli, laetare; etc., etc. Not so much "wish I'd known" but rather "glad I did"; when shopping for a Latin program, I didn't ask homeschoolers what they used or liked, but asked who had a child who had successfully learned Latin, and what got the child there. Wheelock's and Artes Latinae were the big winners. But this was more than a decade ago, so no doubt there are new programs to consider. YMMV. 2. Artes Latinae. Expensive (though subscribing to Bolchazy's e-newsletter yields a yearly $100-off coupon), but results in a child who can actually read Latin. Lets you choose your pronunciation. Doesn't have the feature of suddenly springing great paradigms for memorization on you; it focuses on genuinely understanding the grammar, not memorizing meaningless (at first) tables. We start it in mid-elementary and go slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We started this year, 3rd grade. It's been great. I wanted to wait to start to focus on reading and phonics. We are using Prima Latina and love it. We are taking our time with it. Both of my kids really like it and enjoy the DVD. I like that it has ecclesiastical (Christian) Latin pronunciation and that it teaches prayers they see in latin at Mass (we're Catholic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLDoll Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 We started GSWL with my 2nd and 3rd grader this year, at their request. They both enjoy it and for $10, you're not out much if it doesn't work for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Link started Latin this year with Prima Latina. He'll be moving to Latin for Children next year, and when Astro starts he'll do Song School Latin first. Prima Latina is just a little dry and workbook-y for us. I knew it wouldn't work for Astro so I'm just switching everyone over. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 Link started Latin this year with Prima Latina. He'll be moving to Latin for Children next year, and when Astro starts he'll do Song School Latin first. Prima Latina is just a little dry and workbook-y for us. I knew it wouldn't work for Astro so I'm just switching everyone over. :) I wondered if that one would be a little dry. Song School Latin and Latin for Children look a little more exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Younger is just about done with Lively Latin book one, and i like t and so does he. He doesnt loooove it, thoug. We are switching older from Henle (he has done a year and a half and will finish through unit four) and move him to Lone Pine Latin online in January. He also did Gswl first and it was a great intro. Younger will continue with lively latin, book two, i think. Did you find that there were many errors in Lively Latin? If there were errors, were they easy to spot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Did you find that there were many errors in Lively Latin? If there were errors, were they easy to spot? No, we didnt find a ton, but keep in mind that I only started working with younger this year. DH was his Latin teacher last year, and he wouldnt have known any errors had he encountered any. But nothing glaring, so far as I can see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 We started in 3rd grade with Prima Latina. Ds1 is doing Latina Christiana and is doing very well, though I spend a lot of time with him. I love it, though, too and am learning the conjugations and declensions right along with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I wondered if that one would be a little dry. Song School Latin and Latin for Children look a little more exciting. I don't have experience actually using either of the above, but I do own Latin for Children and consider it to be more of a late elementary, early middle school program. I've used Prima Latina and now Latina Christiana with my kids, and find that they focus appropriately on vocab and grammar forms without introducing too many logic stage skills during the grammar stage. I know that others have used and love LfC for elementary kids, but it was too much, too soon for mine. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I used Lively Latin when my dd was in 3rd grade (and 4th...and 5th...) She finally finished it this summer and I started her on Latin Prep. She liked LL ok, but we both LOVE Latin Prep. She was intimidated at first because the text is much denser than what she was used to, but once we got into she realized it was funny and each lesson is short enought not to be overwhelming. I like that it explains things up front. She spent 3 years with LL chanting the endings for the noun declensions, but I never really understood what those endings did. LP introduces declensions in ch 2 and immediately tells you that the nominative case is used when a noun is the subject of a sentence. Aha! I understand! It gradually gets into explanations of the other endings, but just knowing that little tidbit cleared up a huge gap in my understanding of Latin. I wouldn't start Latin Prep with a child younger than 10 or 11, though. Last year, I used GSWL with ds9 (he was 7 or 8 at the time), until it started to get into more abstract grammar concepts and he got lost. Then I tried Minimus, but we were both a little overwhelmed by the pace. Finally, I tried to start ds9 in LL this semester. He hates it with a passion. This really surprised me, because I thought he'd love the history portions mixed in with the worksheets. But he finds the history selections too short and choppy. After readings he first page titled "Romulus", he was mad because it didn't even get to the part where Romulus was born. It took a few weeks before we finished the section on Romulus (where Romulus actually comes into the story). I could work around that by moving the history readings aloud, but I've also discovered that this particular child is allergic to worksheets. So LL is just not going to work with him (and apparently no other elementary Latin classes will work with him either). I've decided to start him in Spanish instead. I'll start up Latin with him in a couple of years when he's got a little bit of a handle on Spanish and he's old enough to start Latin Prep. I used Song School Latin with my 1st grader last year. He likes songs, and he had fun with it, but my older children rolled their eyes at it. It was too much like nursery rhymes for their taste. By the end of the year, it started feeling like busy work to me. He wasn't really learning Latin--just a few words each week learned as a part of the song that was mostly English words, so it wan't in context and he didn't retain much. My philosophy on foreign language kind of shifted over this summer, and I decided that I wanted them to learn Spanish at a younger age and then save Latin for 5th or 6th grade. I have several friends who are native Spanish speakers. One of them is a teacher, and she's started meeting them once a week to teach them Spanish with more of an immersion approach. I want them to develop an ear for the language and become comfortable speaking Spanish. It seems to me that this is a more useful way to spend their time when they are young, rather than trying to drill Latin grammar into their heads when they are young. I know enough Spanish that I can try to do a little bit of reinforcement during the week, and I've also started them in Getting Started with Spanish for some systematic study Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Did you find that there were many errors in Lively Latin? If there were errors, were they easy to spot? I remember a few, but they were pretty obvious to me (and I had no prior Latin experience). The one in particular that bugged me was that she classified "Great White Shark" as a proper noun. I wouldn't have capitalized it or classified it as a proper noun...unless I had a pet named "Great White Shark. " :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Thanks! I'm pretty sure a cow breaking wind is a lot tamer than the "fart" montages DH (!!) was picking out on YouTube for all of us to watch tonight. LOL. I could totally see my dh doing this. I raise my eyebrows at some of the things he pulls up to watch with the kids....then he trots off to work and doesn't have to listen to them quoting dumb songs and gross noises all day long.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 We started this year with a first grader that missed the cutoff by two months (so at almost 7) with Song School Latin. Next year, we will do Getting Started with Latin. After that, probably Lively Latin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psyche Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 We are using the course through K12 for now to see how he likes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLMom Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 We use Latina Christiana starting in 4th grade (taking 2 years) and then move onto LC II in 6th and 7th. I follow that with Henle for high school. I have used the DVD's, and I learned Latin right along with my first batch of kids. I have created some Latin gamesto spice up the curriculum, and they can be used with any Latin program. Here is a great Latin program comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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