I homeschool my son and I want him to start learning Latin. My aim is for him to be able to read orignal works in Latin.
After looking around a Latin programs aimed at homeschoolers, all I can find it courses that use church pronunciation and teaches you prayers. That is not for me.
So, after looking around on these boards, I looked into Lingua Latina. This seems to be just what I am looking for. If I start slowly with it, will this be o.k. for an 8 year old? He is reading extreamly well. He finished Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland last week. I mention that, cause in the homeschool world, they say you shouldn’t start Latin until the 3rd grade. I’m not your typical homeschooler, and I don’t follow the rules with regards of what to teach and when to teach it.
If it is o.k., what do I need to get? I see that there is a CD-Rom and an audio CD. Are both of these helpful?
What about Greek? Or should I ask that on the Greek part of the board?
There are several enthusiastic supporters on this board of the Lingua Latina series and method. I am one of them. However, unlike others, I believe that Lingua Latina will be most useful if it is supplemented with another reading program such as Ecce Romani or Oxford Latin Course.
It is very useful to listen to recordings and they are definitely available with the Oxford Course and I believe they are available with the Lingua Latina series.
Since you are going to be teaching your son latin, you yourself will be learning. You yourself will not only be learn a new language but come to enjoy the beauties of classical culture. Please stay with the project for the long haul - for the sake of your son and for your own education.
I think it is great to start him at 8 if he likes it!!
However, Lingua Latina on its own will suffice as a text — audio CDs? Perhaps. I never made use of them and I’m not familiar with them, but they may be helpful. The reading level is essentially for a young child at first, growing more mature as the text moves forward. It will teach you Latin fluently.
You might try ‘Latin with Laughter’ by Frankenburg for starters. It worked for my son at a similar age. (Later, without further formal training, he was able to make the transition to enjoying Horace in the original).
Otherwise I agree that Ecce Romani + LL would be a good combination.
But for support materials, you really should check out these:
I would wait to begin teaching your son Greek until he is competent in Latin. But, if you wish to begin both immediately, see Annis’s sticky in the Learning Greek forum.
Count me in as one of the supporters of Lingua Latina + Exercitia Latina (the workbook that comes with it) + Audio CDs. I have not read Ecce Romani, but I am confident that Lingua Latina would suffice by itself.
i am impressed!!! in my country parents don’t know how to act in order their children not to learn latin, not even in highschool, nor in college, for not to mention in orimary school!i wish we had such people in our country!..
Congratulations!!!
I realize this is a late response to the originial post, but I want to reply for those who come across this thread after searching the forums.
I started teaching Latin to my nine year old son (homeschool) using Lingua Latina and it was a bit much. After a little research I bought William Linney’s “Getting Started with Latin.” This book is by no means a thorough text but it moves slowly enough to give the kids time to absorb what they are learning and stay motivated about their progress. After finishing Linney (about three months) we are moving on to Lingua Latina and it is going fine.
Now, I have also started teaching my six year old twin boys from Linney and they are having absolutely no problem at all. After about a month we are on lesson 75 and while the twins are not able to decline or parse they have no trouble translating and understanding the meanings behind the inflections (I’m trying to take a natural approach). My point is that I don’t buy this business about age eight or third grade or whatever. If you adjust your approach your kids can learn as much or as little as you expect from them.
Adler’s textbook
is also accessible for children - if only the dialogue sections are used, and the grammar avoided. (Grammar is always in Part A, except for the first couple of episodes.
The same goes for the recordings on Latinum.
The part B and C sections are accessible for kids - maybe not the syntax, but the simple dialogues - I have a hat? Have you got a hat? etc.
The book starts very simply.
Adler can be obtained cheaply from publicdomainreprints
There is a link on the website
