We are in full swing with our Nature Notebook group. There has been some discussion about Charlotte Mason notebooking and the mom (she rocks!) coordinating our group came up with this Jewel!
If you are in need of a good look at what Nature Journaling is all about, this blog will give you the eye candy you have been looking for.
I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating them in the best way I could. John James Audubon
Welcome to the funniest way to learn two languages
My Experience
While latin is not new around our home, the focus has been on vocabulary. But, now that 2 of the boys are older, it is time to delve into sentence structure. I have been very nervous about trying new programs due to initial costs and the possibility of them being a complete failure. I stepped out once with what I considered a great program, but, the all text format wasn't working for the boys. Since then, I have come across Visual Latin and they gave me the opportunity to give an open review.
The teacher for the Visual Latin videos is Dwane Thomas. Mr. Thomas has been teaching latin for 15 years and his wife homeschools their 5 children.
Thomas Purifoy, Jr., is the producer for Visual Latin. Compass Cinema, has already produced 2 other series;Modern Parables and Seek Social Justice. Mr. Purifoy's wife homeschools their 3 girls
Each part averages ~7 minutes and is followed by a worksheet so the student can immediately put to use what they have learned before moving on.
This set up allows for the flexibility in scheduling and pacing that is needed in homeschooling. The lessons can also be synched with your phone or IPad to take advantage of windshield time or other down time.
The See, Hear, Write format of Visual Latin is top notch for retention.
Dwane's relaxed and funny teaching style is both interactive and engaging. My boys have commented on how much more they are retaining in this course and they love his random references. The younger boy also adds "...It doesn't cram a lot at you at once so I can remember more..." and "...Mr. Thomas is funny!"
Here are 4 free introductory videos plus 2 free lessons (click here!) that you should try! They are rather addicting, so, try at your own risk ;)
The Take Away
The guys at Visual Latin love language and their enthusiasm shows. The course work reinforces the student's understanding of English while learning Latin. You purchase the lessons in sets as downloads (I had no problem downloading the lessons) or DVD's. Each set includes the videos, instructions, worksheets and answers.
The Best Part!
Visual Latin has offered to give a 25% off coupon to my readers! Use the code Latin Is Fun in their store. The coupon is good for only 3 days, so take a quick peek now :)
"Humans have studied and praised rhetoric since the early days of the written word. The Mesopotamians and Ancient Egyptians both valued the ability to speak with eloquence and wisdom. However, it wasn’t until the rise of Greek democracy that rhetoric became a high art that was studied and developed systematically." ....
"What kind of people homeschool? What do they do all day? Visit these blogs where homeschoolers tell all the gory details of what it’s like not to send their children to school."