Wolf Pack Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 I'd like to start Latin with my nerdy 2nd grader (along with a tag along wild adhd type 1st grader) but my brain has been reduced to a puddle while trying to consider my options. I thought I was settled on prima Latina, but I don't know. And classical academic press looks so nice and shiny. But I can't decide which of their options would work best, or what out of all their product add ons and options I'd really need. And then when I research them on Amazon, bunch of other stuff from other publishers pops up, and soon I'm like "GAH, beer me!" Please, please. Crowd source me your favorite Latin resources for lower elementary. I tried and failed to find a definitive thread on here about it, though I'm positive it exists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 We enjoyed Lively Latin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkway Academy Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Last year, I had three kids (my daughters and a neighbor girl) from age six through age 10 who LOVED using Song School Latin 1 from Classical Academic Press. The DVD was a must, the flash cards not so much. The student workbooks come with song CDs inside. This year we are going to use Prima Latina, even though I previously bought everything for Song School Latin 2. Gah! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Pack Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 We enjoyed Lively Latin. What ages did you use it with? It looks interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 What ages did you use it with? It looks interesting! I think we spread the first book over 2nd and 3rd grade, so essentially ages 7-9ish. We supplemented with Minimus because...mouse. We also used the MCT Island/Town materials alongside, and the two really complemented one another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 We also enjoy Lively Latin. My DD#1 started it after completing FLL2 for English grammar, which I think was a good time to begin it. She was about 6.5 when we started Lively Latin. I'm guessing we'll be finished with Big Book 1 around December or January, which makes it about a year and a half for that book, and then we'll start Big Book 2. My DD#2 repeats the chants her sister is doing and likes to play the vocabulary games on the computer, so when she is ready to actually begin she may move through it faster. Because you were talking about the add-ons with other programs: With Lively Latin, you pay for the Big Book and you're set. You get access to all the resources online--video lessons, audio for vocabulary pronunciation, vocabulary games, and the pages you can download for each lesson (what she calls lessons, I would call chapters). I chose LL because I liked what I saw in the sample pages online--systematic study of Latin, but still gentle and very incremental for young kids. I have heard that Big Book 2 moves along at a quicker pace than Big Book 1, so my DD may need to slow down when we get there since she's on the younger side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 We are a Memoria Press family here (at least for Latin). I started my older three in third grade (although they say PL can be started in second) and have had very good results. So, here's my non-scientific and very personal reason for not doing CAP. I do love CAP's materials, we use their Bible curriculum, but... when I decided to do Greek with the kids as well as Latin I thought we'd start with Greek Codecrackers by CAP. I didn't like their presentation at all. It was kind of this mystery and you learned the Greek alphabet and solved this mystery. It was cute but gimmicky and my kids kind of got distracted by the "cute". KWIM? I know some kids like all the bells and whistles and can still learn what they need to learn, and maybe CAP's Latin isn't like that at all. MP's Latin is very straightforward, thorough, but some describe it as dry. But for us, it is basic. It's focused. I'm studying it along with my kids and have truly learned to love Latin. I'm ahead of them now, studying Henle on my own this summer. And, we are still doing Greek and are using Elementary Greek, which is working for us as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonflyer Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 We did Song School 1 last year for 1st. It was a great intro. I only needed the book and audio CD, my kid ended 1st really excited to learn Latin. We are doing Prima Latina this year for 2nd and it is building nicely on the foundation of SS1. We have already covered the practical Latin, and 1-2 vocab words for the lesson. He knows his Latin alphabet and vowels. Prima is gently introducing concepts like verbs and nouns and then builds into verbs are conjugated and nouns are declined through the program. It is also introducing Latin prayer memorization, which has been great for seeing the word endings change and seeing how they fit into sentences. Song School is less writing, less grammar, and a bit less vocab. Prima is just a bit more involved. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bics Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 My daughter started in Prima Latina in 2nd grade last year (using the DVDs because I was intimidated), and loved it. Hands down favorite part of her day. As I began to research the path to take from there, I found that there is more to the different programs than just presentation. There is a whole philosophy behind what they do. For example, Memoria Press's Latin programs focus on memorizing the grammar forms and such, keeping the vocabulary small so the learner can focus on what was historically considered of first importance. Vocabulary and translation come later, when the student is comfortable with the forms. It is based on Henle. CAP bases their program on Wheelock, which was a text written to serve a lot of men coming back from war and getting to go to college on the GI Bill--several of whom had not studied Latin previously, not thinking they could afford to go to college. So, it pushes translation quicker and has a larger vocabulary sooner. So, students in this path are mentally having to do more things simultaneously with the language. Some argue for Henle--that it leads to longer-lasting success and students can feel a certain rest in climbing that mountain and seeing attainable goals being met. Some argue for Wheelock--that working that long without being able to actually read something in Latin is defeating. I looked at many of the other programs online, but really honed in on these two, and got copies and looked through them. We chose Memoria Press. Their support staff is outstanding (not to say the others' aren't, because I don't know), and there is a forum on their website where many homeschoolers post--and even support staff monitor those and respond on a regular basis! So helpful. Plus, because the Latin grammar is easier to understand than English, my children are learning about parts of speech in Latin-killing two birds with one stone--. I can lighten up on abstract English grammar for awhile and just focus on capitalization and punctuation and things like that. I hope that helps you as you continue to look and figure out what will serve your children best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 (edited) We have used quite a few. The ones I didn't like: Prima Latina, Galore Park, and CAP. Although I do like some of the free printable charts from CAP. The ones I do like: Lively Latin, Minimus and Getting Started With Latin. I have one more great resource, but I can't remember the name. I'll have to go check. :) Found it- 'Looking at Latin'. It is a great resource for those who are more visual. https://www.amazon.com/Looking-at-Latin-Grammar-Pre-college/dp/0865166153/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468715819&sr=8-1&keywords=looking+at+latin Edited July 17, 2016 by my2boysteacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 For second grade I'd do Song School then move on to something more in depth in 3rd. Song school is really fun and easy to implement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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