Springtime always brings change to my family's rhythms and routines.
The mornings have lost their "nip" and the air is softer, fragrant with a mossy dampness.The light has assumed a cool greenish cast as it filters through the leafy oak curtains that surround our little house. And the birdsong begins right after dawn each morning, softly at first, then gaining momentum like a feathered chorus in the branches of the forest abbey.
This is a time for freshness and a change in rhythm. Time to try new things. This year, especially, it seems like a new chapter is beginning for us. One of the biggest changes has involved simplifying and enriching our lesson time. Multum non multa, as Drew Campbell writes, meaning: not many things, but much. This winter I began reading about a true classical approach to education-- specifically a Latin-centered curriculum. And the more I read, the more I believe that this is just what my rising sixth grader is craving. She and I have been playfully dabbling with Latin this year: taking it slowly, enjoying the challenge of new vocabulary, chanting declensions until they're as simple to say as familiar nursery rhymes, and learning time polished songs and prayers like the Pater Noster.
The study of Latin is new to me. However, we home educators quickly discover that it is never too late to learn something new. In fact, counter-cultural oddballs that we are, we actually enjoy learning, don't we? And there's nothing like Latin to keep those old synapses connected-- it has been aptly described as the arithmetic of language. I truly enjoy studying right alongside my daughter, who (ahem!) gently reminds me of the correct answer when I forget a case ending.
As a bonus, I've found that focusing our lesson time on a few essentials gives us more time
to get outside and run around on these lovely May afternoons.
Our current list looks like this:
and
So the question is: Can Latin actually be the centerpiece of an excellent homeschool curriculum? If you're curious, here are some articles that might be of interest:
Multum non Multa a sneak peek from Drew Campbell's new book which I hope to receive this week. (I'll post a review as soon as I've finished reading it.)
An Apology for Latin and Math Cheryl Lowe has written an excellent and convincing article. And there are many more at Memoria Press.
In Defense of a Classical Education by Tracy Lee Simmons (an excerpt from Climbing Parnassus)
Latin by the Dowling Method One approach for studying Latin.
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