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May 8, 2007
Languages
I've known about Muzzy for years. It's expensive, though, and reviews did not convince me that it would be worth the money.
However, it turns out that my local library as several of them. You can't beat free, can you?
The videos themselves are nothing special, but my kids, especially my 5 and 6 year old, love them. Love them. They sit and watch, over and over again - which, of course, is exactly the point.
Muzzy is a cartoon in a foreign language, done in such a way that it teaches and reinforces specific beginning vocabulary. It's immersion learning. With our main study focus on Latin, I wanted some kind of immersion/exposure thing for the kids. I throw a few Spanish phrases around the house, but that's not enough. I don't know that Muzzy is enough either, but it's something. The kids watch the cartoon in the target language over and over. The package also comes with a cartoon book of the same story, in English and various other languages. You also get a CD with the audio track of the story, an extra DVD (or video) for vocabulary building, and a DVD (or video) of the story in English.
We began with the Spanish, but last week the little kids asked for the German version. Next week they want the French. Muzzy also comes in Italian and Mandarin Chinese, according to the website, although my library also has a Japanese version. I imagine we'll rotate through them all. I don't expect the kids to walk away from the TV spouting German or Spanish, but at least they're hearing the language and making those connections in their brains. That's all I want. I don't expect us to really study a modern foreign language until high school, or late junior high. This kind of exposure is perfect for the little kids, and it won't hurt my 9 and 11 year olds.
Speaking of Latin, I am thrilled at the progress Connor and Aidan are making! At this point I have several different Latin books and programs, and we rotate through them however it seems best. Connor is working in Henle I, and Aidan has finished LCI and has picked up Using Latin Book One. Every week the three of us sit down and read Lingua Latina together, which has done wonders for their comprehension and enjoyment. It's fun.. (Lingua Latina is a wonderful little beginning Latin book, written entirely in Latin. There's not a word of English in the book, including in the grammar explanations, index, vocabulary defintions ... not a word.)
Myself, I'm about to tackle Homeric Greek, but I expect it to be very, very slow going. Did I mention slow? Slow.
Posted by lynx at May 8, 2007 9:14 AM
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Comments
I don't suppose you'd be interested, but there will be a new Homeric Greek study group starting within a few months (according to an e-mail the coordinator sent me a few weeks ago). The announcement will be posted to the Greek Study list (http://www.quasillum.com/study/greekstudy.php) when it's about to start.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 8, 2007 10:45 AM
I'm still working through Henle 1, the baby is soooooo NOT sleeping through the night...so my progres is S.L.O.W. (grin).
Next on my list is Greek....I can't wait!!!
Have you seen 'A Reading Course in Homeric Greek' ? (I don't know how to do a link to Amazon, sorry), there is a revised edition, but you can also buy an used older edition and (very important!) there is an answer key.
Regards,
Catharina
Posted by: Catharina at May 8, 2007 10:46 AM
It's so reassuring to read that someone else is using multiple Latin programs. I could probably stick to just one program if I knew Latin (and knew how to teach it well), but for now we're mixing parts-to-whole and whole-to-parts programs, hoping to get the benefit of each method.
Posted by: GailV at May 8, 2007 11:30 AM