Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
While I wouldn’t call us a Classical homeschool (more eclectic, I think), we do love anything produced by Memoria Press. I have always been impressed with the quality of their products and the sound education that they provide. So, I was super excited when we were given the opportunity to review the Latina Christiana Complete Set.
As you can see from the picture, this set comes complete with Teacher’s Manual, Student Workbook, Vocabulary Cards, Teaching DVD, and a Teaching CD–all for just $98.90! I think that’s a pretty good deal for all that is offered.
There are so many different homeschool styles out there, and you may be like me and enjoy a more eclectic style of homeschooling. To be honest, when I first started homeschooling eight years ago, I never thought that Latin would be a part of our school day. But as I have grown as a homeschool mom, I have seen the benefits that Latin can provide.
We have always struggled with spelling. Both of my older kids have learning disabilities, and spelling has overwhelmed them. We have tried all sorts of highly recommended curricula, but nothing has really worked. They just can’t get the rules in their heads, and they can’t hear some of the sounds. (Yes, they have been tested and are getting the extra help they need.)
Along the way, I kept coming across the benefits of Latin for struggling spellers. Understanding where our words come from is actually quite beneficial and can help children figure out why words are spelled the way they are. Learning the Latin roots has been beneficial, but I felt we were ready to jump into a more fulfilling curriculum.
Latina Christiana is an introduction to the first form of Latin. It starts with the very basic conjugation of amo and progresses to more complicated grammar, building on each lesson and reviewing what the students have already learned. This program is a great jump-off point for bringing Latin into your homeschool. Memoria Press provides three different options for teaching:
- Teacher’s Manual: This fully comprehensive book gives you a complete lesson plan with notes to help you if you want to teach the course for yourself. It also includes the answers to the worksheets and offers suggestions on how to schedule your lessons each week. This curriculum is created for classrooms and homeschoolers alike, so it is easy to work with many children or just a few.
- CD: If you have audio learners or need to take your Latin on the road, this is a great option to make sure they don’t miss a single lesson. The lessons are recorded as completely as if they are being read from the Teacher’s Manual. The children can take their workbooks with them and complete the work on the road. My children are more visual, so this wasn’t an option we used except a couple of times.
- DVD: This was our favorite option as all I had to do was sit back and let a Latin teacher do the work. However, we found that the DVD teacher went way too fast. She asks the student to repeat something and then immediately praises them without giving them the chance to respond. Pausing after each word isn’t really an option when they are supposed to be conjugating together. This part was difficult to get through, and oftentimes, I had to follow up after the video and teach from the manual.
Of everything, I think the workbook is the most beneficial part of the curriculum. The kids were able to look up the terms and build on what they were learning. My twelve-year-old especially took to this as she likes to be able to look things up for herself.
My nine-year-old son struggled at first and definitely doesn’t love it as much as his sister, but he’s been able to complete the worksheets in a timely manner once he focuses on what he is doing.
I also like that there is a quiz or test every five lessons to check in on them and see what they are learning. This is great for my kids, who need to know that there is something to aim for at the end of each section.
We still have quite a ways to go before mastering Latin, but I think we are off to a great start and will be able to build on this foundation. If you want to check out some of the wonderful curriculum provided by Memoria Press, just click on their logo:
And, of course, don’t forget to check out some other great reviews from my fellow Homeschool Review Crew:
katiecruicesmith.com 