kristin0713 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 First day of school today and we are all bummed about the SSL DVD. I guess it is my fault for not previewing it. We were expecting a fun, animated monkey and it is a poor recording (bad lighting and sound) of adults explaining some vocab and derivatives with a few monkey graphics thrown in. This was supposed to be the highlight of our day today as my kids rarely get to watch TV so it was a real letdown. I'm assuming there are no other fun options for Latin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I saw the sample video and was pretty disappointed too. We have the Latin for Children DVDs too and those are nothing to write home about either. I was expecting much higher quality for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 There is Latin For Kids. I haven't used the program but the videos are entertaining. :) http://dinolingo.com/languages/latin.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I saw the sample video and was pretty disappointed too. We have the Latin for Children DVDs too and those are nothing to write home about either. I was expecting much higher quality for the money. The Spanish ones are likewise unimpressive. I am going to have to take notes on what is covered and pre-teach each lesson before letting DS see the DVD segment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 We usually skip the Derivative River parts because a - it's my least favorite sections and b - it's far more Christian than the rest. The rest is still a big favorite. Maybe give it a few chapters first? It does grow on you a bit. Yes, though, the production quality leaves quite a bit to be desired. You don't have to use the video to teach the lesson. There's still quite a bit of fun within the program itself. We really like the monkey match cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I was also going to mention that Headventureland.com does have some online games to go with each program. That might be worth trying. I also used the free coloring pages for SSL, printed them 4 to a page, and use them as flash cards. For some reason, my 6 year old loves those (whatever works, right? 😉). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 We found learning the Latin in SSL to be enough fun on it's own. Headventureland.com can add more fun if needed. We do use CAP DVDs regularly and have no problem with them, so take my comment with salt if needed. I find them effective at teaching the language, which is why I bought them and continue to use them with my younger kids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawky Acres Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I am so sorry it was a disappointment, but would give it a chance and do a few more lessons. It is certainly not all-fun-all-monkeys-all-the-time, but the Simeon clips are very cute and enjoyable, and I found the instructors to be excellent and quite interesting. My children do not love the Derivative River Part, but I make them watch it anyway if they want to watch Simeon. They have actually picked up quite a bit from it in spite of themselves. We play our own games and make our own fun (animal charades for the Latin animal names, for example, or "Simeon says" for body parts), and I don't use the DVDs as a reward or promise that they will be as fun as watching a regular kid's program. They aren't THAT fun, but I find them to be a useful addition to our Latin study. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Ok so the dinolingo Latin is what I was expecting out of SSL. Now I wish I had just gotten that. My kids saw me watching the sample and LOVED it. The thing is that I don't have time to make this another thing that I have to do with them with all the games etc. We are already doing a lot of Latin grammar in CC. SSL was going to be an extra that they could watch and listen to and pretty much do by themselves. DD (9yo) has the SSL book and DS (7yo) has a set of the coloring pages that I printed and had spiral bound like his own workbook. If I had realize this before, I would have just bought the dinolingo DVDs. So, if I get the dinolingo DVDs, the vocab will not be what they have in their SSL books. Maybe I should get that as an extra and it can be a reward for doing the SSL lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Ok so the dinolingo Latin is what I was expecting out of SSL. Now I wish I had just gotten that. My kids saw me watching the sample and LOVED it. The thing is that I don't have time to make this another thing that I have to do with them with all the games etc. We are already doing a lot of Latin grammar in CC. SSL was going to be an extra that they could watch and listen to and pretty much do by themselves. DD (9yo) has the SSL book and DS (7yo) has a set of the coloring pages that I printed and had spiral bound like his own workbook. If I had realize this before, I would have just bought the dinolingo DVDs. So, if I get the dinolingo DVDs, the vocab will not be what they have in their SSL books. Maybe I should get that as an extra and it can be a reward for doing the SSL lesson. We have Dinolingo Latin ( as well as Spanish and French!) as they are fun and cute. But there really isn't a way to make them line up withSSL or SSS, they are just too different. However, Dinolingo is fantastic for vocab as a fun extra... If you sign up for email offers on the Dinolingo site they frequently have 10% and 20% off deals:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarson Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 We have SSL and never bothered to buy the DVD. I'm glad I haven't!! Sounds like I'm not missing anything~ Now I want to check out DinoLingo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmama1209 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 No dvd here, either, but my kids LOVE the cd. They Put it on while they do chores and sing the songs all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squawky Acres Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 We love the CD over here, too. In fact, the children used to dim the lights, get out flashlights for spotlights, and dance around to the songs. They called it their "Latin dancing." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAttachedMama Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 We love the DVD. Comparing it to other DVD programs on the market (example: Prima Latina)---it is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more fun. The quality is also much better than any other latin DVD for this age group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 The quality is also much better than any other latin DVD for this age group. Wow. Seriously? It is as if I recorded it myself in my living room. The sound and lighting is awful. I ordered Dinolingo. We will use both. Thanks so much for the replies! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 My ds loves the SSL dvd. The first few weeks we didn't have the dvd and SSL was not very fun. I ordered the dvd to see if it would help, and it made a huge difference. It assisted with correct pronunciation and added additional context. Plus my ds loves Simian. We completed the first year and purchased dvd 2 for this coming year. I don't have a problem with the quality. I think it *is* recorded in their living room (and office). But the content is excellent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 We just used the Cd with SSL and my kids thought it was great fun! We have the DVDs for Latin for children and while they are not high in production values, Chris Perrin's teaching is effective. We do use Headventureland for some video fun with Latin and my kids enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My kids like the DVD. They are easily amused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemota Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Wow. Seriously? It is as if I recorded it myself in my living room. The sound and lighting is awful. Don't ever try to use Essentials in Writing then. If you think the SSL DVD is bad, you'll hate EiW. That said, my youngest LOVES the SSL DVD - both the Simian story and the opening sequences. She dislikes derivative river, but I like it and I call in my elder girl when that part is on, as she "gets" it more than the youngest does. DD7 liked it so much that we got SSL2 with the DVD and will be starting it next week. Youngest also loves Essentials in Writing. The video/audio quality doesn't bother her - she loves the teacher and the work. She actually ASKS to do a writing lesson as her first subject of the day! My elder is also trying it this year and enjoys it. For both of them it is about content rather than video quality. I think lower quality may be something to expect with DVD programs that are created for homeschoolers - those smaller companies don't always have the big bucks of powerhouse publishing companies, and it shows when it comes to DVD supplements. If you can get past that, there are some real gems out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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