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Beginning Latin with a wide age range
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Latin is one of those subjects that I’ve wanted to do all along but have let myself remain intimidated by it. I’m ready to tackle it and want to add it in to our morning time. My kids will be 8th grade, 6th grade, 4th grade, 2nd grade, K and toddler. Is there any hope of finding a curriculum that we could all do together? Recommendations? Thank you!
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I would love an answer on this. My older boys will be 11 and 9.5 next term and both are keen to begin Latin. My 7.5 year old is begging to be part of it, but I wonder if this is too young -he is always eager to take part but sometimes feels frustrated or left out when he does achieve the learning that he sees the older brothers getting to. If Latin is really NOT for a 7.5 year old, I’d love to just know one way or another.
The resource I have on my shelf is “Getting Started With Latin” by Linney. I’d planned to use it to get us warmed up and then move into a more in-depth curriculum afterwards.
Hi, my son started Prima Latina at 7.5 and likes it. My 6 and 3 year olds like to watch the videos and are picking it up pretty easily. It is not a requirement for them. I don’ t know if it would be too easy or juvenile for an 8th and 6th grader. We only have one year under our belt. We will be starting Christina Latina in the fall. We are looking forward to learning more. I am sure there are others that can give you better suggestions. Take a look at Prima Latina or you could begin with Christina Latina by Memorial
Press.
It kind of depends on your goals. Your 2 youngest can learn words, but the grammar needed for anything meaningful like translation is going to be beyond them for some time, unless you want to start drilling them in grammar (I don’t recommend this) Your 4th grader can begin and can learn translation as you go, but will almost certainly need to move much, much more slowly than your two older ones. My own personal goals for my children in learning Latin were that I didn’t want them parroting words, and I wasn’t using it primarily for vocabulary (although considered that a very nice side benefit) but that I wanted them to benefit from the logic, from the orderly habits it forces the mind into to do real translation work. For this goal, I never started a child before 10-11 or so, and even waited a bit longer for one child. It’s really easy for a younger child to chant declensions but for what? It just didn’t fit what I wanted to do. It’s like doing tons of grammar work at a young age that you then have to repeat again and again until they UNDERSTAND it—they can “learn” (read–memorize) it, but what’s the point of teaching a six year old to chant declensions including accusative or dative case if they have no concept of what that is or when to use it? Anyway, that wasn’t what I wanted. So. If I were doing your group, I’d start your two oldest now, and then pick it up with your next two in 3 years. Yes, that will require doing two classes for a bit, but it’s not that much harder. I did this with mine and it worked OK. Yes, if they listen in your younger kids can pick up some, and that’s a plus, but they just aren’t going to love translating Gallic Wars for some time. 🙂
I used Prima Latina with those ages. The younger ones did everything orally (we listened to the CD, did the workbook pages orally, and reviewed with flashcards). Once a week, my older two (ages 10 and 8 at the time) would copy their words and prayer in place of copywork for the day.
Yes, Bookworm, that’s exactly what I’m going for! The logic and structure of the mind. I’ve been assuming that Latin is one of those subjects that small children should be familiar with even before they can understand it later, which has left me feeling badly about not starting my older boys yet (both have asked to do it). I’m relieved to know that I haven’t ruined them. In latin anyway. 🙂
MAy I ask what program you’ve used? ANd I do imagine that the youngers will listen in but I’m relieved to know that nothing needs to be required of them yet.
I have used with great satisfaction (and plenty of help from the authors) Latin in the Christian Trivium. My youngest son, who was apart from the others for reasons of age, was not quite ready for it at 11, and since I wanted to see it anyway, I began him with Getting Started with Latin, which convinced him not to be afraid of it, and he is now in vol. 2 of Latin in the Christian Trivium. There are CD’s and a teacher’s manual (comfortingly larger than the student manual, full of helps). It thoroughly teaches vocabulary and grammar (must memorize forms!) but in the context of a story–set in the Holy Land about Romans who met Jesus–then adding in later the necessary readings from the Vulgate, the Gallic Wars, and Cicero. (later volumes, don’t worry!)
@Bookworm did your son spend an entire school year in Getting Started With Latin before moving into Latin in the Christian Trivium? We’ve just started Linney’s book; you are right about it being gentle (in a good way! I like it…). With the lessons being so short and gentle though, is it reasonable to think we would complete it in just a few months instead of a whole school year? 4 months or 6 months? We are doing it daily, 10 minutes per day. He has not done any other language study aside from a tiny bit of French Learnables.
My thought is not to rush him (whatsoever), just more trying to understand when I will need to buy my next program…
My student is 11 year, just entering grade 6. Any help welcome!
Angelina, I think my youngest took not quite a full year on it. We did have lessons later in the book that we did more than once. 🙂 It wasn’t as short as 4 months but it didn’t take us until May. I already had from the older kids what we would use next.
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