UPDATE: Kristen Romano is our winner!
Visual Latin is a video-driven, self-paced curriculum for anyone who wants to learn Latin. Lessons 1-10 are currently available at a cost of $25 — this is the first half of first semester Latin and includes four introductory lessons, ten Latin lessons, and all the worksheets. Available in DVD or instant download.
The winner of this contest will receive a free download of Lessons 1-10. In addition, every fan of Facebook Homeschooling with the Trivium will receive a coupon code for 25% off the introductory price for Lessons 1-10. Subscribe to Facebook Homeschooling with the Trivium to receive your coupon code.
Here is the contest question: In the comments section below tell us why you think learning Latin might be useful. We’ll pick one winner later this week.
As a visual learner, teaching my visual learner son, this looks fantastic!
My kids ask this question on a regular basis as we do our Latin studies. I have enjoyed learning right along with – and I see lightbulbs go off when they come across an English word they have never seen and know it’s loose meaning because of the Latin they have studied thus far. They are starting to realize for one Latin word they learn – it has unlocked the meaning of up to a dozen English words.
I also like Latin as it makes the more ‘mysterious’ grammatical lessons a little more cohesive and understandable.
…and lastly, I have heard, but not yet experienced, that an understanding of Latin will open the door to *easier* learning of the other Romance languages. I do pray this is true!
Since Latin and Greek are the root words for most other languages, it helps in understanding the meanings of words. It is also important to know what the origin of a word is since the meanings do change over time. The little bit of Latin we have learned so far has been a big help for us in grammar usage. Plus, my daughter simply loves Latin!
Latin is the key to many languages. The knowlege of Latin unlocks medical terms, biblical terms as well as multi-ligual success!
I want to learn Latin, at age 40, so that I can teach it to my children as I begin to homeschool them. Eventually, I also want to learn for myself, and teach to them, Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew. I have a preschooler and 2 younger children. I am on chapter 5 of your Trivium book, and I watched the introduction to the Latin videos. I am eerily excited about the prospect of learning this at this stage of my life, and the implications it will have. (I took Spanish in a public school for 1 year. I never liked school, except cooking. Hence, I became a chef.) I am taking a class at church on how to study the bible inductively. There are so many similarities between the Trivium and the 3 ways to do an inductive study. There are so many realted things going on right now that I feel I am being divinely inspired to take this leap. Thank you both for your spiritual insight, and thank you for your consideration.
It will help my children and I learn to spell and to understand the meaning of many words. It can help in learning other languages that also have latin at it’s root. It is a great help in Science.
Expand Vocabulary
I appreciate any chance that I have to expand my knowledge and to teach my children new things also. We have been looking at Latin and this would be a great opportunity to go further.
I suppose one of the greatest and most mind blowing realizations that has occurred to me since embarking on the homeschooling path is that there really isn’t an end to the limitless teaching opportunities available for the truly dedicated parent. My children and I are free to make life our school house. The world is literally our classroom and therefore everything that it holds, has held, and might one day contain are awaiting our eager exploration.
To me this is where Latin fits in. Some may try to argue against the time and energy spent learning a “dead” language when there are so many currently-spoken forms to choose from. For these assertions I could counter with a litany of responses that any Latin lover knows offhand:
-increased reading comprehension
-greater vocabulary
-fosters a keen attention to detail
-builds a foundation for understanding even the most obscure grammar rules
-higher SAT scores
-easier transition when attempting to learn Romance languages
-instills confidence when learning terms and phrases in numerous fields including science, academia, religion, and law
Any one of these examples could stand on its own merit as a reason to continue the tradition of keeping Latin alive. For me, the choice to teach my children Latin derived from a sincere appreciation for humanity’s rich history and a deep-rooted admiration for its infinite possibilities. I view Latin as a way for my children to connect with the past while glimpsing the underlying tapestry that leads us to today.
Latin: rich in history; teeming with grammatical insights; a gateway to the classics; a doorway to the future.
Why Latin?
Why not!
Even as many others have stated Latin is the root of so many others that by learning it we are setting not only ourselves but others that ask for our help up for a chance to expand our knowledge and learning.
We would like to learn Latin together as a family for several reasons. First, we understand it to be a foundation and “gateway” to other languages. Second, we look forward to discovering the roots of our own language, English. Thirdly, it will be a help to us through our future years of science study. Finally, our children would like to have a “secret” language that they can speak in public which no one else will understand!
Thank you for the contest opportunity!
I learned Latin in the Middle school years and I still use that knowledge today. Latin will give the foundation for numerous languages and gaining knowledge in that way is so important. Besides other languages it allows you an understanding of roots, prefixes and suffixes that we use constantly. I think learning Latin will give a child a huge advantage in all stages of reading and understanding words and meanings. Plus it is a wonderfully amazing language in it’s simplicity and purpose. I would love to be able to use these lessons to help my children learn this great language and life skill. Thanks for the contest.
I come from a country where Latin used to be obligatory in high school. Sadly, it is no more.
Somebody said one time that Latin is gymnastic for the brain. I agree fully. Studyin Latin is more than just learning a classical language that is the root to many others: Latin makes you think!, it makes you exercise your brain! And that is key to so many other things in life…
I studied German when I was in my 20s. I had no trouble in figuring out what an ablativ or akkusativ was, because I knew it from Latin. I was not afraid of the declesions, because I had them from Latin.
Maybe because when I was growing up, everybody in my country had to learn Latin, it is simple difficult for me to conceive NOT to learn it. For me it is part of life!
On a Saturday Morning, when I was in high school, my neigbourgh saw me coming back home, all sweaty because I had been jogging. He exclaimed: “Mens sana in corpore sano!” He took for granted I would understand him. What I did. In those times most people would have.
Thank you so much. I am thrilled and can’t wait to begin the lessons with my three daughters. Thank you Trivium Pursuit and thank you Visual Latin!