One of my goals while attending homeschool conventions this past year was to find a foreign language program I could incorporate into the boy’s schooling. He has been very interested in speaking different languages and asking me questions on how to say things. After talking to various friends and teachers, I had several recommendations to start him with Latin. To say the least, I was very excited when I came across Song School Latin from Classical Academic Press. I just knew it would be a great fit for our family. (FYI: Classical Academic Press also has Song School Greek and Song School Spanish is coming soon!)
- Grade level: K-3rd
- Comes with music CD (30 songs)
- Classical and Ecclesiastical pronunciations
- Interactive workbook text with lots of activities
- 31 weekly lessons including review chapters
- 100 + everyday vocabulary
- Gentle intro to Latin grammar
Here are some chapter samples from all 3 language options: Latin, Greek, and Spanish.
So, here is my honest opinion of the products I received:
- Accompany Music CD – This was our family’s favorite part of the program. My son loves music and we all know how powerful an aid music is in memorization. The included CD has a song for every chapter. The songs teach the Latin words by using them in context. The melodies are catchy and repetitive, perfect for little ones to jump in quickly. The songs are short so you can play them as many times as necessary to help the new words stick for your child.
- Workbook/Activities – The activities in the book may have been a little advanced for my son because my son is a young kindergartener and struggles with writing. That didn’t deter us though. We were able to just work our way through pages orally.
- Teacher’s Edition – I would recommend the Teacher’s Edition for parents of older children (2nd/3rd grade). It’s loaded with extra activities such as word searches, crossword puzzles, drawing activities and more. It seems like it would be a great tool to help extend the lesson or maybe give the child something to work on while you attend to a younger learner or just put your feet up. Otherwise, the Teachers Edition isn’t essential because the answers are easy to figure out on your own.
- Flashcard Game – The Latin Monkey Match Flashcard Game offers a fun option for reinforcement and review. This is a way for the whole family to test their Latin skills.
- Free Resources – I was very excited to discover that Classical Academic Press offers a few free resources (coloring pages, pronunciation audio and website of video/review activities) to go along with Song School Latin. My two favorite being the coloring pages and free chapter videos on their website Headventure Land. These are a great way to extend the lessons and reinforce new vocabulary. Besides my son absolutely loves to color and do anything on the computer!
Overall, this is an unique product that offers an easy introduction to Latin. Although some of the activities were difficult for my kiddo, the variety of free resources helped us tailor it to his abilities. This is definitely a foreign language program worth checking out.
Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me at no cost, by Classical Academic Press for the sole purpose of product testing. All opinions expressed are my own. |
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