Aubrey Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I mean, is it the kind of thing that a kid could work through on his own? Maybe not completely, but generally? How much parental involvement do you think it would need? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningirl71 Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I see ds is 7. If he can read fairly well, he can probably do LL independently. Is he a fairly independent worker? LL is written kind of like a dialogue, where the teacher is actually talking to the child. There are reminders on certain pages to study flashcards and such. My dd is 10 and works through it herself for the most part. Sometimes she doesn't understand a concept, so then I'll have to explain it to her. What I usually do is go over new concepts with her at the first, and then she works through the worksheets by herself. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 I see ds is 7. If he can read fairly well, he can probably do LL independently. Is he a fairly independent worker? LL is written kind of like a dialogue, where the teacher is actually talking to the child. There are reminders on certain pages to study flashcards and such. My dd is 10 and works through it herself for the most part. Sometimes she doesn't understand a concept, so then I'll have to explain it to her. What I usually do is go over new concepts with her at the first, and then she works through the worksheets by herself. HTH! He's not as independent as I'd like, but I've seen that skill beginning to blossom at the end of the yr last yr. I was thinking of treating it more like math--there's a lesson that I can offer on an as-needed basis, but-- to a reasonable extent--you don't need me sitting there to get it done. I hate to say that, but...if he's going to need me there more than that, Latin may not be doable this yr, w/ 1yo & newbie. I'm just trying to see how much I can chew before I start biting, kwim? LOL I'd decided to skip Latin, but I'm having 2nd thoughts, & I'm working on creating a schedule--that's based off of an unborn babe, lol! So we'll see. I just needed to know what would be a little flexible & what I'd need to be there for. A read-aloud w/out me isn't very loud, you know? (Or maybe the wrong kind of loud? ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningirl71 Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Yes, I understand, you have a lot on your plate! If any a Latin program could be done fairly independently, it would be Lively Latin. You could treat it like you do math, do the initial explaining up front and then let him have at it. But, to be honest, maybe you should just skip it with a new baby coming. When I got around to finally teaching Latin {we lived overseas for 9 years and my kids were learning two other languages, so we couldn't start Latin} my kids were 9 and 11. Yes, I agree that younger kids are good at memorizing and it is important to get your facts down in the grammar stage, but if you don't have the time/energy/strength to put in the effort, I think it can wait. Although we're going into our third year of studying Latin, only this past year have we *enjoyed* it, after switching over to LL. LL is pretty painless, and if you wait until ds is older, he'll just go through it at a quicker pace. I'm all for simplifying! Happy decision making!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I would wait on doing Latin until you feel comfortable having the time to do it with him. Seven is still very young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 My girls did Lively Latin independently last year, but I know that it would be too much for my 7yo. He'll be doing Song School Latin instead. With Lively Latin, you could drop separate history and grammar programs though if that would make things easier. There's plenty of both in there for a 7yo, IMHO. I agree that trying to do Latin on top of everything else with little ones underfoot might be a bit overwhelming. One thing that we did during a particularly hectic year was to listen to the Lingua Angelica CD (Memoria Press) in the car. It works well if you don't mind the Christian content. My kids learned the songs and things on the CD, even though they didn't know what they meant, and when we did Latin the following year, they often recognized when we encountered something they knew from a song or prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 Well, he'll be an old 7, if that makes a difference. I'd planned to use LL for his grammar this yr, so that's part of why I've had trouble dropping it. Dh will be doing Greek in the fall, & I'd thought it might be nice for them to do that together, but since Greek is...well, Greek...dh & I have both had enough Latin that we're pretty comfortable teaching that. Greek hasn't been incredibly different so far, but...for *me* keeping the alphabet, etc. straight requires more diligence than I've got avail. It's not the most important thing on the schedule, & I won't be too sad if it gets dropped, but...I don't think it's going to get easier next yr when I've got a 1yo & a 2yo, kwim? LOL And I don't want ds's ed to be based *too* much around the ages & demands of his younger sibs. Anyway, I tend to be a control freak, partly because I'm a control freak, but partly because I don't want to be left out. I mean, he could read hist on his own, but then dd would miss out & so would I. And wanting a finger in everybody's pie really limits how many pies we can have. So I was just wondering if this was one I might could pass off to him (if I can let go!).... I think y'all have basically answered that. It's a tentative yes? Maybe if I go slowly--say only try to do 3-ish lessons/wk? Hmmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in SouthGa Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 .I don't think it's going to get easier next yr when I've got a 1yo & a 2yo, kwim? Amen, sister! Last year was a breeze compared to what we are expecting when school starts in a couple of weeks. If I turn my back on my 16 month old for even a minute, she empties all the kitchen drawers, pulls the books off the shelves, and generally finds all kinds of trouble to get into!!! We will also be starting Lively Latin in the fall, with my 7th grader. I plan on him doing it independently unless he has questions. We did Latin for Children last year with the dvd...he did fine with it, but for some reason the dvd really annoyed him. Have you seen the new roots program by Memoria Press? That is what my 9 and 7 year old will be doing next year, then Lively Latin the next when they are 10 and 8 1/2...or maybe even the year after that for the 8 year old. My dd (then age 8) had a lot of trouble with Latin last year using LfC, so I'm not in any hurry to push it. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in SEVA Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Aubrey, Our kids are at similar ages/stages (well, if you add a 3yo in the middle and make all 5 boys), and I just purchased Lively Latin *because* it was something that seemed do-able during our hectic fall. I had already purchased and started Minimus, but after really looking at LL at a conference, I realized it will work so much better for me because: 1. It is all-inclusive. I purchased the printed version (which also includes CDs to print additional copies for youngers), so there is nothing to photocopy or prepare. There are no teachers notes to read through, in fact most of the pages don't even seem like I need to be familiar with Latin to help if he needs it. 2. There are no set lesson plans. We can do one page or five pages, however it works out that day. We will finish eventually. 3. There are no additional items to buy, find, look up, or keep track of. Everything is included in the binder, just open to the next page, pick up a pencil, and we're ready! 4. Most of it can be done independantly. There are only a few sheets that I feel Blue will need help with, and none of the pages require a lot of writing. 5. I talked with the writer a bit at the conference, and she homeschools her four kids. I figure she's going to write something that is DOABLE with multiple kids. We haven't actually started using this yet, so I may be way off base... but I'm optimistic that LL will be great for us this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latinteach Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 We haven't actually started using this yet, so I may be way off base... but I'm optimistic that LL will be great for us this year! You can still use Minimus as a supplement, when you have time, instead of as your core curriculum. Lively Latin and Minimus approach grammar in a slightly different way, with Lively Latin having a greater focus on forms and Minimus providing practice on reading material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in SEVA Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 You can still use Minimus as a supplement. That is what I was thinking. DS enjoys the comic strips (he's already an Asterix The Gladiator fan, ha ha), and reading about the family is interesting to both of us. I have the CD for Minimus, my thinking was that it would be good to hear different people in Latin. Plus... I have major commitment issues with curriculum, so it will be good to keep Minimus around so I'm not tempted to purchase something else. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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