The Curriculum Choice

Birdcage Press Art Ditto Game Review

Art, Electives, Elementary, Fine Arts, High School, Middle School, Preschool 22 Responses »

Feb 232012

You are in for a treat! Not only are we offering a giveaway but you have nine more chances to win at the sites we are teaming up with…
We are all about adding in the joy of art in our homeschool. And what a fun way to view beautiful pieces of art – holding copies of them right in your hand. Playing a game? Even better! As a parent, I am very impressed with the quality of Art Ditto by Birdcage Press. The children are very impressed with the fun factor.

For ages 4 and up (all my children enjoyed it – from age 4 up to 14):

Brilliantly-colored cards. Glossy and thick – will stand the test of my rough and tumble household.
Simple memory game with benefit of learning famous pieces of art.
Includes 48 tiles – so younger ones can play with just a few and older children can be challenged by using the whole set.
Easy enough for children to play independently.

For a more advanced way of playing – pretend your are an art collector:

Eight (8) art collecting cards that show details on one side and full paintings on the other.
Cards include names of famous artists (hooray! A supplement to our homeschool studies).
Find the matching tiles and collect them on the cards.
The cards give a visual of how different artists depict birds, boats, cats, flowers, horses and more.

Need even more of a challenge? Learn words in 4 languages.

You might be interested to know:

Art Ditto won the Creative Child Game of the Year Award as well as the Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.
Art Ditto is also available in an American Art version. (Which Rachel at at Finding Joy is reviewing)
You can browse all the Birdcage Press art products here.

Conclusion: Playing Art Ditto over and over makes us interested in all the other products from Bird Cage press. Click over to their site for more detail and to browse other games in the art category. We loved Art Ditto so much that we ordered Go Fish for Renaissance Artists to compliment our Tapestry of Grace studies.

Happy faces! Play memory games! Collect your favorite art! And as a homeschool parent, enjoy a high-quality, educational resource for your homeschool.

Find Art Ditto and many more wonderful educational products via the Birdcage Press website.

Join the Birdcage Press mailing list for future promotions.
Birdcage Press also has digital products. We particularly enjoy the My Bird World app!
You can follow Birdcage Press on Facebook.

*Special shipping discount code on all orders: IN12 is good until 3/31/12

Please note: I received this Art Ditto game in exchange for a review. I always give my honest opinion and love to share our family’s experiences when reviewing a product.

Now for the giveaway! The giveaway will only run through Sunday, February 26th. The winner will be announced Monday, the 27th. Birdcage Press is kindly offering one (1) Art Ditto game to our readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Chances to Win! The Curriculum Choice is joining with these wonderful sites in reviewing Birdcage Press products. Be sure to visit each blog to find out about more of these great resources. Plus enter to win a different game or product at each site!

Spell Outloud — Choice of Egyptian Art Cards or Battle Cards-Military Jets

Finding Joy — Choice of Wild Cards – North American Birds or Art Ditto Game.

Jimmie’s Collage –Choice of Impressionist or Renaissance Art Game

Mama’s Learning Corner — Renaissance Art Game

Handbook of Nature Study — Wild Cards-Backyard Birds

Harmony Art Mom — Choice of Go Fish for Art or Art Close-Up Cards

Hodgepodge — Go Fish for Wildlife – Sea Creatures

The Traveling Praters — Choice of Go Fish for Van Gogh and Friends or 52 Amazing Places-National Parks
Get Along Home — Choice of Wild Cards, Backyard Birds or Renaissance Art Game

Tricia has been homeschooling for over a decade now. She faces a daily dose of chaos balancing the needs of five children from preschool to middle school (and playing educational games) at Hodgepodge.

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Sisters in the Wilderness, an Introduction to Canadian History and Literature

Elementary, Geography, High School, Highschool, History, Literature, Living books, Middle School 1 Response »

Feb 222012

Here’s a wonderful introduction to Canadian history and literature for the whole family: Sisters in the Wilderness. This DVD portrays the mid-19^th century pioneer life of two sisters who sailed from England expecting an easy existence in the Canadian bush. Incorporating both contemporary artwork and dramatization, this quality film full of beauty, pathos, humanity, and history tells the story of Susannah Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill, both writers. Their two families settled in the bush close to each other and, after years of hardship, moved to town. Throughout their lives both Catharine and Susannah continued to write about their experiences. The movie Sisters in the Wilderness is based on their books.

Although not designed as a curriculum, Sisters in the Wilderness can be used as the basis for a thorough study of Upper Canada pioneer life. It shows

the English background of many immigrants,
the ocean journey,
the arrival in Canada,
survival and adaptation in winter and summer,
hardship and ingenuity,
the Rebellion of 1837
and so much more.

Each element of this beautifully produced movie highlights a fascinating aspect of the history of Upper Canada in the middle of the 19^th century and beyond.

After watching Sisters in the Wilderness and seeing how real pioneer families lived, younger students understand A Pioneer Story much better.

Sisters in the Wilderness gives older students an appealing introduction to the two women’s books as well.

Catharine Parr Traill, the optimistic sister, wrote The Backwoods of Canada, focusing on hints for new colonists and on nature. There is a wealth of practical and everyday history in Catharine’s writing. This book is part of our Canadian geography curriculum.
Susannah Moodie, more gloomy and literary, wrote the famous book Roughing it in the Bush. This sombre personal history of an upper class British gentlewoman trying to survive in the woods was written as a warning to those ‘back home’ who were considering such a move. Roughing it in the Bush has become one of the foundational works in Canadian literature, greatly influencing it in modern times.

In summary, Sisters in the Wilderness, available from Northwoods Press, introduces the whole family to Canadian pioneer life in a delightful way and sets teens on the path to studying Canadian literature.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Sisters in the Wilderness from Northwoods Press.

Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

See the Light Art DVDs

Art, Electives, Fine Arts, Uncategorized No Responses »

Feb 102012

I love art, but have no real training in it. I believe my children need to learn art techniques, but I can’t afford $60/hour lessons at the local art studio. What’s a homeschooling mom to do? Well…I had the blessing of reviewing lessons 1-12 of See the Light Art Class DVD’s and found them to be full of solid instruction at a reasonable price.

Before I even begin telling you about the lessons, you ought to know the film quality is very good. That means a lot to me considering so many DVD programs I review leave a lot to be desired in quality. No need to worry with these!

The complete first year program consists of 36 lessons, meant to be taught once per week. The teacher has an engaging personality, gives clear directions, and models lessons at an appropriate pace – all important aspects allowing my children to stay focused. And, she teaches lessons incrementally, meaning each new lesson expands on a previously learned skill.

Technique and art vocabulary are key components in the lessons, as well as learning how to effectively use various art media. Even though the lessons are simple to implement, they are in-depth, making art class a serious (and fun) venture. Additionally, each lesson is wholeheartedly Christian, tying in Bible verses or mini-devotionals to the art topic at hand.

Students are encouraged to have their own “toolbox” of basic art supplies including #2 pencils, paper, a drawing pencil, charcoal pencils, a black Sharpie marker, colored pencils, a sharpener, a medium to large box of crayons, a large white eraser and a kneaded eraser. Some lessons will include easily found household supplies, too, like two apples in lesson 3, for example.

Each lesson lasts approximately 15 minutes and it’s assumed your child will put to practice some of the newly learned skills afterward. I have used the lessons with my 6th and 9th graders, but even my five year old enjoyed taking part most of the time.

You can purchase all 36 DVD lessons in a bundle for $99. (Yes, that seems high, but it’s an entire year of art instruction.) You can also purchase DVDs of four lessons each for $14.99 or get an online subscription which “unlocks” four lessons at a time for only $10 per month.

My children aren’t the most artistically gifted kids you’ll ever meet, but the lessons have really improved their skills. If you’re skeptical, try the first three lessons for free!

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K5 Learning

Elementary, Language Arts, Logic, Mathematics, Online, Phonics, Reading, Spelling, Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Jan 182012

To be honest, when I was approached about writing a review for K5 Learning, I was going to pass. We just haven’t liked any online sites that we have tried. I decided it was only fair to give it a quick look before saying no, and my five-year-old was immediately drawn into the site. I responded to the request with a yes.

We started with the recommended learning assessment, to see where my son scored on grade level, so the program could correctly place him to start the program. The assessment has a variety of levels given within it. Some answers will be too easy, others too hard. This is the only way the program can know where your child is in his learning. However, I wish there was a button for parents to choose “does not apply”, as my son correctly answered some questions he had no clue about, just by chance. Once the assessment is over, the parent can log in to see where your child was placed. Evan scored 1st grade, and he is in Kindergarten. (I thought he was reading above K!) After the program knows where your child’s skill level is, you are ready to learn.

The layout is attractive and inviting. Evan has really enjoyed learning his lessons with this program. I wanted to share with you a few examples of the curriculum in action, to give a better idea of what a lesson looks like.

The pros:

These lessons aren’t full of games and a little education, your child will really learn:

phonetic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
numbers and operations, geometry, measurement (including time and money), algebraic thinking and data analysis.
basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. (with monitored progress for mastery)
spelling-you can even assign your own word lists.

Other positives:

works for special needs learners.
parents have access to learning reports to track progress.
the lessons adjust to your child’s individual learning automatically.

{my favorite part of the lesson}

Each lesson also has a preview of sorts that explains what you are about to learn and how to answer. I really like that about the program.

{this math lesson was challenging, but enjoyable}

{we apparently needed this, as Evan asked if dragons were real!}

The con:

This online curriculum has some great positives and I am glad we were invited to try it. I do have one negative to give, however:

When we went to work on the math facts for mastery, we found they are timed drills. Drills makes sense for older children – but Evan is five, with little keyboard skills. He never could get fast enough to pass, even though he answered all of the questions correctly.

As you can see, 0 were answered quickly enough, but all were correct. It had nothing to do with knowing the facts. I do wish the curriculum had thought of smaller children with little hands and no knowledge of why the numbers don’t go in order on mommy’s computer pad. Evan couldn’t understand why he didn’t pass when he knew all of the answers.

The rest of this site is great, so we will likely just be skipping this section unless that aspect is changed. Overall, it is a great program with true learning as the star. It is just fun enough to keep Evan from feeling overwhelmed, but this isn’t busy work. I would definitely recommend this if you have any interest in computer learning.

Purchase info:

After the trial ends, the monthly subscription for one child is $25 or you can purchase one year for one child for $199. K5 Learning has a free 14 day trial that doesn’t require your credit card to begin. (I love that.)
I would recommend giving the free 14 day trial a try. Evan has really enjoyed this in the few weeks he has been using it. If we had the extra $25 in our budget, I would continue on when our subscription expires. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy K5 Learning this much. It has been a great addition to our day.

Sam's Noggin

**I was given a 3 month subscription in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

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Draw, Write, Now

Art, Elementary, Handwriting, Language Arts No Responses »

Jan 092012

Draw Write Now handwriting and art program helped my daughter develop her printing skills and have fun while doing it! The series consists of eight books, each with a different theme and all written at the same level. You can start with any of the eight books. I took my daughter to the nearby children’s book store and she chose Book 1 – On the Farm, Kids, Critters. It was full of her favorite animals to draw!

When we opened the book together, we saw that each lesson included a shape or animal to draw and a short story to copy. Each story included facts about the animal or shape, such as “Rabbits eat plants” or “Ducks have webbed feet.” My second grader enjoyed copying down these new facts, and of course, drawing her new animal!

My daughter’s favorites were the sheep and penguin.

Benefits:

This program is built on success! Each animal or shape is explained in step-by-step drawings.
Explanations are very easy to follow.
While drawing, my daughter was developing her fine motor skills! We placed special drawings into frames and, of course, posted on the frig!
Draw,Write Now was a good fit for my daughter because she knew how to form each letter but needed a lot of practice in her printing.
Drawing also helped my daughter practice following a sequence – which improved her reading skills!

Skill building: As we worked through three of these books, my daughter developed better control of her pencil. Then while copying the sentences, she began to think up her own stories! Soon she was writing down these stories and illustrating them. The following year, she wrote a story about a toucan and illustrated it for a story contest.

Draw Write Now is aimed at the first or second grade level.
Although we chose from the animal books, Draw Write Now also offers a number of science and social studies topics.
Each of the eight books has 64 pages and is non-consumable.
Draw, Write, Now also offers lined paper, books to draw in, pencil grips and grasp positioning guides and more on their site.

Below are the eight Draw, Write Now titles:

Book 1 On Farm, Kids, Critters
Book 2 Columbus, Autumn Harvest, Weather
Book 3 North America, Native Americans, Pilgrims
Book 4 Polar Regions, Arctic, Antarctic
Book 5 U.S, From Sea to Sea
Book 6 Animal Habitats, Land, Ponds, Ocean
Book 7 Animals of the World, Part 1, Tropical
Book 8 Animals, part 2, Savannas, Grasslands

In summary, I would recommend Draw, Write, Now to families with young children who know how to form letters – and want to improve printing skills in a fun and creative way!

For more information, please visit the Draw Write Now site. You might also like Shannon’s review of Draw, Write, Now.

~Written by Betsy, a veteran homeschooler who likes unit studies and offers Homeschool Consulting, as a volunteer, to new and experienced families. She can be reached on her Facebook, at Jane Sproger.

How to Raise Your High School Grades by Half a Point in One Semester

High School, Highschool 1 Response »

Dec 022011

Teens need to think about thinking, studying, time management, and the future. There are all sorts of serious, sober, and expensive approaches to these topics. However, if your family has a sense of humor and likes outside-the-box ideas, Gary North’s free study course might work for you. How to Raise Your High School Grades by Half a Point in One Semester is full of quirky opinions mixed with excellent advice. The excellent outweighs the quirky, but it’s the quirkiness that made this course such a success in our homeschool.

Our children delighted in their weekly sessions with Gary North. There seems to be something in Dr. North’s writing style that brings out humor and independent thinking in my teens, because their summaries were almost always insightful and often downright funny.

In this guide, Dr. North discusses:

study skills
attitudes
time management and tricks
study partners
vacations
textbooks
note-taking
test-taking
writing
keeping up with the news

The lessons are short, full of short sentences and definite opinions that sometimes had me sputtering. Aim for a B in your book reports! Indeed! But they generated great discussion. What’s more, many of the suggestions are truly wise.

Although Dr. North set this course up so that students would get one lesson a day—and presumably raise their marks quickly—our approach was more long-term. Once a week our teens would go to the website, read the lesson, summarize it, and write down the take-home message. This kept them interacting with the material for a much longer time, which is better for real learning and thinking.

I have not read much other material by Gary North and cannot vouch for the rest of the things he says. In fact, I don’t even agree with all he says in this course. However, How to Raise Your High School Grades by Half a Point in One Semester has been a highlight in our homeschool for the past 27 weeks, and my teens are sad that they have finished it.

Your teens might also enjoy it. They will certainly learn from it.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

Digital Photography Unit Study by Amanda Bennett

Grammar, High School, Highschool, Middle School, Unit study resources No Responses »

Nov 092011

Before the start of this school year I asked my older children what they’d like to learn more about. My eldest, then a rising eighth grader, said photography. Specifically digital photography. Hadn’t I just seen Amanda Bennett tweet about that same unit study being on sale?

“I think a photography class should be a requirement in all educational programs because it makes you see the world rather than just look at it.” ~Author Unknown

Not only did my daughter learn about digital photography but her enthusiasm encouraged her siblings. It’s also been a learning opportunity for mom. Isn’t that a wonderful benefit of homeschooling – continuing education for the teacher too?

The unit study is an approach for the whole family. Each week is presented:

For Two Levels – Lower (elementary) and Upper (middle/high grades) – so everyone can learn together if you’d like!
With a List of favorite books

From the unit study site: “Topics covered in this study include:

The science of light and lenses.
The history of photography.
Camera basics.
Composing a photo.
Famous photographers and their work.
Applications of photography.
Working with a digital photograph. “

“Every artist was first an amateur.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Four Weeks of Study. Each week includes:

Learning Plans for Days 1-4
Weekly Windup
Additional Internet Sites
Today’s Quote
Words of Wisdom (vocabulary)
Interesting people and places
Read and discover

The Digital Photography unit is in pdf format. A download with all the internet links readily available.

The digital photography unit is fun!

What we liked: This unit is easily adaptable to any schedule. We chose to spread the four weeks out over eight. The study is rich with information so you can dig as deeply as you’d like for your student(s) to – on any level. We really enjoyed the family project ideas (e.g., a family calendar for grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins across the country), plus the daily quotes, a few of which are scattered throughout this post. My daughter liked the photography assignments – she used her iPod on photo scavenger hunts and challenges and photography journal assignments. This study was even the inspiration for her science fair project: Comparing the Camera to the Human Eye.

“Photography was once described as painting with light.” ~ Anonymous

Where to find Digital Photography Unit Study and more information:

Amanda Bennett’s Digital Photography is available from Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett here
You can view a sample and peek inside the unit here
You might also be interested in Amanda’s explanation of What is a Unit Study? here

In summary: Digital Photography was everything we needed in one, neat pdf format. A jumping off place for learning. Inspiration for more exploration. Amanda Bennett’s unit study built confidence and opened wider the doors of delight with photography.

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

Foxmind Games

Logic, Mathematics 1 Response »

Oct 242011

Remember my love for logic? Well, here I am again talking about incorporating more logic into your homeschool – this time through games!

I’m teaching a logic and critical thinking class at co-op this year and needed some activities that were both fun and challenging. I hit the jackpot with Foxmind Games!

Each of the games below can be played by one person or a group of kids – it doesn’t matter.
They can be used with younger/beginning logic kids all the way up to adults. Seriously. Each game includes cards of varying skills. The earlier cards are easier and require less critical thinking ability. Each card as you go through the deck builds in logical intensity.
All the games use manipulatives, making them very hands-on and good for tactile learners. But, they don’t have too many pieces to try to keep up with.
They are colorful and inviting.
All directions are concise and easy-to-implement.

ZooLogic requires you to arrange animals on a grid so that all the animals are peaceful. In other words, no animal can be placed next to its rival or beside its favorite food. A simple, illustrated chart supplies you with a quick-reference about who and what can/can’t be placed next to each animal.

My four-year-old is able to complete the earlier puzzles and loves the colorful animal pieces. He had no trouble at all catching on to the rules. Conversely, my middle school logic class gets a kick out of the game, too. Obviously, they work more towards the middle and end of the spiral bound deck of 60 cards, but they can’t get enough.

Meta-Forms includes a simple 3×3 grid as the playing board, with nine attribute blocks as the playing pieces. At first, the directions make the game seem as if the puzzles are nothing more than merely looking at a clue and placing an attribute block on the appropriate square. Very quickly, though, the clues get harder and there is nothing extremely easy about placing nine shapes on the board.

My middle and high school logic classes have already spent many moments pondering the clues and working (then reworking) the pieces to try to find the correct configurations. Each of the 80 puzzles (also in a spiral bound deck) in supposed to take only 5 minutes. Tell that to my high school students.

Equilibro offers a spiral-bound deck of 50 cards on which 2-dimensional figures are pictured. At the bottom of each card, you are given specific 3-diensional shapes you must pull out from the supplied set of blocks. Using the photograph, you are to build a 3-dimentional structure with the blocks.

Again, the directions sound easy enough, right? Again, the puzzles are only supposed to take 5 minutes each, right? Again, tell that to my high school students! The earlier puzzles are easy enough for 1st graders, but they quickly become more complicated and require much more critical thinking. (Don’t worry, answer keys are provided for each of the games! )

What’s super-cool about Equilibro? You can purchase other guides in their Brain Builder series which will utilize the same blocks from Equilibro, but focus on different structural concepts!

I’m new to Foxmind Games, but I’m in love!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of three – 9th grade, 6th grade and K4 – living in Central KY. You can find Cindy blogging at Our Journey Westward and find her NaturExplorers studies and other creative curricula at Shining Dawn Books.

Cindy was provided review copies of these games upon her request. Her opinions are always her own.

Foundations in Personal Finance Curriculum

Economics, High School, Highschool 2 Responses »

Oct 172011

During school time Mr. 16 was sitting at the computer, chuckling. Having that much fun doing ‘schoolwork’ suggests to me that it’s not really schoolwork on the computer….

So I sternly asked, “What are you doing?”

Sweetly he answered, “Dave Ramsey,” and continued chortling.

After listening to a few more minutes of this laughter, I pulled up a chair beside him to watch “Bargain Shopping,” Chapter 8 of the Foundations in Personal Finance Curriculum, Homeschool Edition, a wonderful curriculum by Dave Ramsey. Soon the Little Misses joined us and we finished the chapter…and then started again at the beginning, laughing and learning all the way.

Sure, not all of the lessons are this funny, but we love this curriculum. It’s fun and relevant and practical. Dave’s mission is “empowering students to make sound financial decisions for life,” and he does it in such an appealing way!

He covers a lot of topics too, and, besides being excellent training for life, this course also meets state standards. In his 4 teaching DVD’s, Dave covers the following topics in great detail:

Unit 1: Saving and Investing
Unit 2: Credit and Debt
Unit 3: Financial Responsibility and Money Management
Unit 4: Insurance/Risk Management and Income/Careers

There’s also a Teacher’s Guide CD-ROM with lesson plans, tests, answer keys, activities, case studies, and more, as well as a Student Workbook containing worksheets, reviews, and many interesting tidbits of information. (For more information, please see the very detailed review on my blog.)

We are extremely pleased with the Foundations in Personal Finance Curriculum. While studying other subjects is very important, learning Personal Finance may well have the most practical impact on your teen’s future life. This curriculum is not inexpensive, but I believe it is an investment that will pay back many times over, both in your teen’s life and your own.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

Disclosure I received a complimentary copy of Foundations in Personal Finance, Homeschool Edition, in order to give you my honest opinion of it.

Visual Latin

Foreign Language, Grammar, High School, Middle School, Technology 3 Responses »

Oct 122011

Visual Latin | A Quick Explanation from Compass Cinema on Vimeo.

Warning. The free lessons you may download and watch will have you hooked. Watch them with your children only if you want to hear…

Laughter. Soon followed by, “Can we watch another?” Then after the second introductory lesson, “Can we watch just one more?”

“…better to make students laugh than yawn.” ~ visuallatin.com

Why should you study Latin? Well, not only “because your parents told you to…” but pause here to watch the short video, above, by founder, Dwane Thomas, for a few reasons why plus an overview of the Visual Latin program. Mr. Thomas has 15 years of experience teaching Latin. He and his wife homeschool their five children.

What we have experienced:

The short lessons are one of the keys to successful learning with Visual Latin, most lasting four to six minutes. “This is what I want you to focus on…”
It is interest sparking: “That’s where we get the English word…but we’ll talk more about that in future lessons.” Mr. Thomas asks questions and says he expects interaction from your students.

The sentences, vocabulary and examples are right where your child can see them – on the chalkboard or highlighted on the screen. The lessons start slowly and begin to move a little faster as your child gains confidence.
You can pause the lesson if you miss something. You can rewind, repeat.

There are accompanying, downloadable, printable worksheets for each lesson. The questions will have your children laughing too (as you can see from this photo I caught of my son, above, reading a sentence from his worksheet). Following each lesson, the instruction appears on the screen, “Now do worksheet 1B…”

What age is Visual Latin for? ” 9 and up. Kids need to be able to read, but other than that, elementary kids love it, middle school kids love it, high school kids love it, college kids… you get the point.” We enjoy Visual Latin at Hodgepodge with 8^th, 7^th and 4^th graders. However, I’m not surprised when the youngest two show up when they hear the Latin teacher.

Visual Latin is good for high school credit! Students can count their studies as a half credit if only watching the lessons. But why not get a full credit by completing the accompanying worksheets? Full details here.

The program is tech savvy and portable:

Available in DVD format
Downloadable. This means you and your child can view lessons on any computer – PC and Mac as well as mobile devices - iPod, iPhone and iPad. Visual Latin as you wait at brother’s practice? Sure! Or you can stream your download via Apple TV and watch it in your family room together – like we do.

Affordable, one time purchase for the whole family. Available:

in single/family license
as a group/class license

You may purchase the program in sets. Downloads for lessons 1-10, then 11-30 as well as DVDs. Visit the Compass Store for more information.

Latin I – 30 lessons
Latin II – 30 lessons

Equaling about one lesson a week. The line up for Latin 1 – Scope and Sequence – is available here.

All the details on purchasing, downloading, scope and sequence and many more FAQs for your browsing pleasure in All the Specs in One Place on the Visual Latin site.

In summary: Having been a Latin student in both high school and college myself, I know personally the long-term benefits of Latin language study. We have tried two other Latin programs in our home but neither clicked. However, as you see from the quotes at top, Visual Latin is here to stay in our home. It is easy to build a habit of watching the lessons. I so appreciate this short, fun way of learning Latin. But I’m not the only one that is a Visual Latin fan.

I don’t have to remind. They ask, “When can we do our Visual Latin lesson?”

Don’t leave without watching that video at top! Then click over for your four (4) free introductory lessons plus two (2) regular lessons :

Lesson A – Why Study Latin?
Lesson B – Latin Then and Now
Lesson C – How to Learn a Language
Lesson D – Stuff You Should Know About Latin
Lesson 1 – Being Verb Basics – To Be and Not to Be
Lesson 2 – Being Verb Basics – Predicate Nominatives and Adjectives

But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

~Tricia faces a daily dose of chaos homeschooling five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.