Tell me about Latin

[MelissaD]

What age do you start teaching Latin and what is the best program to use? I know ZERO about Latin and didn't enjoy studying language in college so I need a program that the whole family can sit down and work on together. Maybe if we all do it, it will be fun, right?

Melissa

[Beth in Central TX]

I started to teach Latin when my oldest sons were in 2nd and 3rd grade; we started with Prima Latina. Here is a website with a list of most (but not all) of the Latin programs that you can choose from: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/latincurricula.htm

How you decide which program to choose depends a lot on the ages of your children and what your goals in Latin are.

[ArwenA]

I start Latin in 3rd with Latin for Children. I learn Latin along with my kids and we have fun together.
How old are your kids and what are you looking for in a Latin curriculum? Those are two key factors in choosing what to use.

[Closeacademy]

We start Latin in the 2nd grade after they have learned to read.

My oldest is a whole-parts learner so we started with Minimus, then we will do Secundus and Learning Latin Through Mythology combination and then go through the Cambridge Latin Course units.

My youngest is a parts to whole learner and I am looking at using Song School Latin followed up by Latin For Children and their High School program. But we will see maybe Minimus will work for her.:001_smile:

[Mrs Mungo]

We start Latin in third grade using Latin Primer but we take it slow.

[LlamaMama]

The books the Well-Trained Mind and Teaching the Trivium both include some introductory Latin information. I'm a bit intimidated about teaching Latin. I still have a couple of years before my oldest gets at that point so I will hopefully know some Latin by then.

[Plaid Dad]

What are your reasons for wanting your dc to learn Latin? Not that I'd try to dissuade you - quite the opposite :) - but which program you choose depends on what your short- and long-term goals for Latin are.

If you want to increase your dc's vocabulary, then a roots program might be a more efficient way to reach your goal. If you want to teach English grammar via Latin, then you'll want one kind of program; if you are focused on fluent reading in Latin, then another type might work better.

That said, for parents with no Latin background, the two elementary school programs I like are Latina Christiana and Lively Latin. You can get DVDs for LC, and Lively is a mostly self-teaching worktext with audio downloads. Both prepare students to go to Henle.

Children can begin learning Latin as soon as they are reading fluently (http://www.memoriapress.com/articles/phonics.html) in their native language.

HTH!

[Cadam]

I am ordering Song School Latin for my 6yo and we are doing Latin for Children A with my 10 yo. We really like them. I might be adding in Lively Latin because it has integrated English grammar. I am of a mind to start Latin as soon as you think your child is ready. That might be verbally for a non reader or it might be after getting down English phonics well first and then diving into Latin. It depends on your goals, interests and the child but the earlier the better for me.

I am going to get those wooden blocks with the Greek letters for my toddler though so maybe I am just a nut!

[frogpond1]

It looks like a lot of fun! They are 2nd-3rd grade. I have had no trouble doing Latina Christiana with third graders though. Latin for Children works great for 3rd and up too. We really love Latin around here, Latin and Math.

[nmoira]

I'm not sure how old your kids are, but for 3-6 grade, I'd highly recommend Lively Latin. Its pace is gentle, but it systematically prepares students for a more rigorous program down the road.