I’m hoping to spend this week working on it with my children.  It should be fun!

My last review for the TOS Homeschool Crew is for two products published by Memoria Press.

Memoria Press is a publishing company that produces classical Christian education materials.  The items I received demonstrated that the products made and distributed by this company are of a high quality. 

Part of their philosophy states: 
‘"Memoria Press’ educational philosophy can be best described as classical Christian education. Classical Christian education is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue through meditation on the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. This is accomplished in two ways: first, through training in the liberal arts; and secondly, through a familiarity with the great books and the great thinkers of the Western tradition.” 

I find this extremely intriguing.  A great basis for eduction if you ask me.  Read more about the philosophy of Memoria Press here.

Onto the reviews…

For review I received the Prima Latina teacher manual, student book, DVD set, and CD.

Prima Latina is an introduction to Latin; a  prepatory course, designed to precede Latina Christiana, another Latin curriculum produced by Memoria Press.  Prima Latina is intended for children K – 4th grade.  It is also meant for teachers with no Latin background.

This course is extremely thorough and quite intense.  I have no previous experience with Latin and found this be very interesting.  I have not yet been convinced of the need to begin studying it at this stage of our homeschool journey, however, the instructor, Leigh Lowe, had me pretty close.  My daughter is 7 and did find this to be interesting too. However, it is quite rigorous and I cannot imagine a kindergartner doing this unless lessons were broken down into much smaller segments.  There is also a decent amount of writing involved in the student book and this too might pose a problem for younger ones.

Let me say that if I were to pursue Latin further at this time, Prima Latina would be the course I’d use.  Especially with the DVD’s.   The DVD’s provide something a little different from Mom always being the teacher.  They also make lesson presentation very easy!  The author of this curriculum, Leigh Lowe, is the teacher on the DVD’s.  She does a great job presenting the lessons and explains things very well.  I really enjoyed her enthusiasm and most of all, her emphasis on “doing your best work.”  For Mom’s with no Latin experience, or who could use a little help, I highly recommend these DVD’s to accompany the Prima Latina curriculum.

The teacher’s manual and student book are both neatly and clearly laid out.  Lessons are straightforward and easy to follow. Most lessons follow the same format, beginning with some practical Latin, then moving on to the lesson (learning something new).  Next is vocabulary, then Latin prayers, derivatives, review questions, translation, speaking Latin, write and learn, and finally, fun practice.  There are 25 lessons, one is to be completed each week.

The Prima Latina CD is also quite helpful in facilitating learning.  It includes a general pronunciation guide, prayer instructions, the prayers, pronunciation guide for specific words used in each lesson, and four Latin songs (which sound wonderful).  Children can use this CD for daily practice and review (and Mom can use it too).

By the end of Prima Latina, children will have learned:

• English and Latin alphabet, vowels and consonants
• 125 Latin words
• 25 great Latin sayings
• 4 Latin prayers
• 4 Latin hymns
• 12 constellations
• Latin numbers one through ten
• and much more…click here to so what else is covered

As you can imagine, a child who completes this course would be well on his way to knowing and understanding Latin. 

Sample pages of the student book and teacher’s manual can be found here.

Price Details

Sets:
Prima Latina Text Set $32.95
Teacher Manual, Student Book, & Pronunciation CD

Prima Latina Texts, DVDs & Flashcard Set
Teacher, Student, Pronunciation CD, Instructional DVDs, Flashcards $90.90

Individual items:
Prima Latina Student Book $14.00

Prima Latina Teacher Manual $14.00

Prima Latina Pronunciation CD $4.95

Prima Latina Instructional DVDs $45.00  3 DVD set

All these items can be purchased through Memoria Press.

All in all I give Prima Latina a thumbs up.  It is a very thorough program, easy to use, fun and rigorous. 

Leigh Lowe and Cheryl Lowe have created both a teacher and student guide to accompany D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths.

I have enjoyed all of the D’Aulaire books we have encountered so far.  They are always well written and beautifully illustrated.  This is no exception.  Memoria Press’ study guides aim to utilize the stories and pictures through a variety of activities including drill work, vocabulary, and comprehension questions.

In the very beginning of the teacher’s guide under “Why Study Greek Mythology,” the author states that "Greek myths are universal stories that describe human character types and the human situation in a wonderfully imaginative and entertaining way".   It is proposed that through these myths children will learn about the types of people they are sure to encounter throughout their lifetime.  This is why an entire study guide is devoted to the topic.

Recommended for grades 3-6, the student guide consists of 103 pages while the teacher’s guide has 143.

As with Prima Latina, the lessons are laid out in a neat, straightforward and predictable manner:
 
Each lesson begins with Facts to Know; a section that highlights the most important information from the D’Aulaire text.  Definitions are given for each item.  These facts are intended to be used for memory work and drill.

Vocabulary is next. 
New or challenging words from D’Aulaires’ text are listed along with parts of the sentence they were used in to give context.  Discussion of the meaning and spelling of these words is encouraged.  There is space to write the definition beside each word – definitions are given in the teacher’s guide!

Following vocabulary are a list of Comprehension Questions.  These questions were created for more than simple recollection, the authors have crafted them in such a way that students should be able to notice and understand the virtues and foolishness of the Greek characters.  Basic answers are given in the teacher’s guide.

Each lesson ends with Activities.
This section includes a variety of ideas to pursue.  It begins with identifying and discussing events and people in the stories by looking at the beautiful illustrations in D’Aulaires’ book.  Discussion questions, writing prompts, drawing, map work, and time lines are some of the enrichment activities included in this section.  Brief answers and guidance is given in the teacher’s guide.

Maps, a pronunciation guide, tests, and review lessons are also included in these guides.  There are 25 lessons in total.

This is certainly a much more in depth study than I ever intended to do with Greek Myths.  However I do see it’s value.  The layout and work required in these guides is something I would have greatly enjoyed in my school years.  As with the Prima Latina curriculum, the Greek Myth guide is rigorous and thorough. 

This is a little different to the read-and-narrate process I have been enjoying with my daughter. A lot more writing and studying is involved here.  This curriculum is very good and one that would be enjoyed by many.  Especially those pursuing a classical education.

Price Details

D’Aulaires’ Set $45.95 (save 15%)
Softbound D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths, Student Guide, & Teacher Guide w/ key

D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths Student Guide $17.95

D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths Teacher Guide $17.95

D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths Softbound $18.95

These items can be purchased at MemoriaPress.com

To find out what other homeschoolers thought about Memoria Press visit the Homeschool Crew