Comparison between Prima Latina and Latin for Children

[LTBernard]

My son has completed SSL1 and 2.  I am now trying to figure out what is next.  Can anyone help me with this?

 

Leslie

[Insertcreativenamehere]

How old is your son?

 

Prima Latina is very, very basic and is mostly vocab and not as much grammar.

 

LFC is grammar-based. 

[Dmmetler]

For DD, at age 6-7, LFC was just too much memorization and not enough fun. It didn't stick. What worked better was to just read Latin, first with Minimus/Minimus Secundus, and then with Cambridge, with other reading in Latin as we found it. By the time she finished working through Cambridge, she was heading into middle school, and, we jumped back to Latin Prep, which is definitely grammar/translation based, and it's worked well because she has a solid Latin vocabulary and an awareness of how it works, and is ready to pick it apart.

 

For some kids, part-whole works well, but for mine, she needed the whole language first, and then could break it down.

[RootAnn]

LfC can better be compared with Latina Christiana since Prima is so basic and gentle.

 

Where you want to go next depends on your goals and how much your kid is interested or can handle grammar-wise.

 

LC is pretty dry, but is well spelled out. LfC has some more fun aspects, but could be too much for a younger kid.

 

Another option is Getting Started with Latin which is inexpensive and easy to use with kids of all ages.

[SeaConquest]

Sacha finished SSL2 and Minimus this past year. Our plan is to do GSWL and Minimus Secundus in 2016-2017. If we still have time left in the year, then we will probably move onto the Cambridge materials. 

 

I have tried to sell myself on LFC several times, but, after watching the videos, I think that Sacha would have the same experience as Dmmetler's daughter with it. It looks so soul-sucking with all of that chanting. I've never learned languages by chanting, even inflected languages, so I don't see why Latin requires that methodology. Sacha is normally a pretty linear-sequential learner, but I agree that a big picture/whole to parts approach to language study is far more interesting for him.

 

After this year, we plan to move into Lively Latin or Latin Prep, along with the Cambridge materials. 

[LTBernard]

Thanks everyone!  Ds is 7 at this point (turning 8 in February).  It looks like I have more items to check into :)

[SeaConquest]

Thanks everyone!  Ds is 7 at this point (turning 8 in February).  It looks like I have more items to check into :)

 

Sacha is the same age -- 7 turning 8 in January, so it looks like they are working at about the same level in Latin. Please let me know what you decide in case we need to make changes. :)