Greek 'N' Stuff is a Christian curriculum company that sells Greek, Latin, and Bible study curriculum. We received Latin's Not So Tough level 2 to review back in September. Buster was excited about it as soon as I told him it was coming. Latin was something I had considered teaching him in the future, but I had not really looked into any curriculum yet. The package we received contained the LNST short set for level 2. In it we received the student worktext, the answer only answer key, and the pronunciation CD that is used for Levels 1-3. Level 2 starts out by reviewing the Latin alphabet, which is taught in level 1. It then goes on to teach 50
Latin vocabulary words. There is no grammar addressed in the Latin's Not So Tough series until Level 3.
According to the Greek and Stuff website Level 2 is appropriate for Mid elementary level. I would say it would work best for grades 2-3. The worktext is easy to use, and is written directly to the child. It can be used independently if your child reads well, or with some teacher guidance. LNST Level 2 contains 36 lessons, and is meant to cover one year of school. Buster is currently on lesson 25. The lessons vary from 2-5 pages, and contain a variety of exercises to help kids memorize the vocab words. In the short set you will find a set of flash cards that can be removed from the back of the worktext. Parents are instructed to remove the flashcard pages, and assemble them by gluing the Latin word on one side of an index card, and the English word on the other. I found the flash card assembly to be quite time consuming, and it might be worth it to spend the extra to get the pre-made flash cards. Student are to review their flashcards at the end of each lesson, and then make a check mark to show that they did. LNST uses a spiral approach to teaching Latin, and has plenty of built in review. It also has large enough writing spaces for the younger elementary crowd.
According to the Greek and Stuff website Level 2 is appropriate for Mid elementary level. I would say it would work best for grades 2-3. The worktext is easy to use, and is written directly to the child. It can be used independently if your child reads well, or with some teacher guidance. LNST Level 2 contains 36 lessons, and is meant to cover one year of school. Buster is currently on lesson 25. The lessons vary from 2-5 pages, and contain a variety of exercises to help kids memorize the vocab words. In the short set you will find a set of flash cards that can be removed from the back of the worktext. Parents are instructed to remove the flashcard pages, and assemble them by gluing the Latin word on one side of an index card, and the English word on the other. I found the flash card assembly to be quite time consuming, and it might be worth it to spend the extra to get the pre-made flash cards. Student are to review their flashcards at the end of each lesson, and then make a check mark to show that they did. LNST uses a spiral approach to teaching Latin, and has plenty of built in review. It also has large enough writing spaces for the younger elementary crowd.
Overall I found the program to be an easy to use no frills program, and the price is very decent. I also found the pronunciation CD to be quite helpful, because even after studying the Latin alphabet we couldn't always figure out the exact pronunciation. LNST uses the classical pronunciation. One last plus I have to say about this program is that Buster really enjoyed it, and never once complained about having to do it. If you know him you would know that is saying a lot. Complaining about school work is something that we are working on still. I asked him what he thought about it and he said, "I like how the words in Latin sound, and how some of them are like English words."
You can purchase all of the parts needed separately or the short set for $36.95, and the full set for $51.40. The full set contains pre-made flash cards, quizzes/exams, and a full text answer key. The only con I can think of for Latin's Not So Tough is that it is not visually appealing, and doesn't contain any frills. Those things may or may not be a con to you. Right now Latin's Not So Tough level 2 is working for Buster, and he even ask to continue with it for next year. If you want to see sample pages you can here.
Latin's Not SO Tough Level 2 Short set was given to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was given.
Pros:
Easy to use.
Straight Forward.
Contains pronunciation CD
Decent Price.
Cons:
No Frills.
Be sure to head over to the Homeschool Crew Blog to read more about this and other Greek 'N' Stuff products.
