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Classical Academic Press, the company that provides Latin for Children and The Art of Argument, now offers Greek programs! They have a great book to introduce the Greek Alphabet (The Greek Alphabet Code Cracker, which TJ is loving, by the way!), Song School Greek, and the (recently released) first book in the Greek for Children series. TJ and I had the opportunity to try Song School Greek.
TJ loves this program. She hums the songs and knows her Greek alphabet better than I do. I think Song School Greek is the perfect introduction for young children (grades 2-3) who want to learn Greek, as well as the parent who has no experience with this wonderful language. The program gives you the choice of which pronunciation you'd like to use. The main program uses Koine (common/traditional) Greek but there is the option of using the modern pronunciation. Each CD track is available in both pronunciations and the teacher's manual and student book are clearly marked for the optional, modern pronunciation.
What's Included: The 220-page student workbook is consumable with an audio cd that includes 62 tracks (covering both Koine and modern pronunciations). With 32 lessons full of music and fun activities, your child will learn lots of new vocabulary words. One small feature that I find particularly helpful – each two-page spread has the Greek alphabet across the top. It's very useful for this forgetful mamma who often confuses her Greek letters!
The teacher's manual is a very helpful resource. It includes a copy of each lesson page in the student book along with the answers. Each chapter also contains a teacher's materials section with more helpful information for the teacher to use. There is also a DVD included with the teacher's manual that discusses the Greek alphabet, breath marks, and an introductory chapter for each lesson in the book. Very helpful for those who have no experience with teaching Greek!
Now that I've given you a few of the basics about the program, let's look at a lesson. Here's what you'll find:
- Words to Learn: Vocabulary words for each lesson (in both traditional and modern pronunciations)
- Chapter Song: The lyrics for each song are included in the lesson and you'll find the music on the accompanying CD
- Chapter Lesson: In this section of each chapter you'll cover new words, counting, letters of the Greek alphabet, and many other topics
- Practice your Greek: Your child will practice writing the Greek letters, do simple writing exercises, or a fun puzzle
- Grow your English: Includes fun facts about English words with Greek roots
- Chapter Story (some lessons): Simple stories for the teacher to read aloud, some words are replaced with Greek words (thankfully the teacher's manual includes pronunciation help!)
- Chapter Fun (some lessons): Fun activities like Simon says or color by number (in Greek, of course!)
- Show what you know: Simple quizzes for the student to apply what they've learned
We also received the Greek Beak Match cards to use along with Song School Greek. All of the vocabulary words from the program are included in this set of cards along with some fun game ideas. The cards are color coded to the lessons as well, making it easy to find the vocabulary words that you're child has learned.
What we thought: TJ and I both love this program. She loves the songs and the fun activities. I love that she's learning Greek with ease. Teacher's prep is minimal; flip through the lesson to get an idea of what's coming up and watch the DVD for some extra hand-holding, if necessary! I would also recommend The Greek Alphabet Code Cracker as a supplement to this program. It's a fun, engaging way to learn the Greek alphabet.
Song School Greek is available through Classical Academic Press for $72.95 (this includes the student workbook with CD, teacher's manual with DVD, and the Greek Beak cards). You can also purchase the items separately. Classical Academic Press is having a sale right now, so if you've been considering this program it's a good time to purchase!
Now for the fine print… I received this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.
Oh, and I better not forget our attempt at making papyrus. We used strips of paper and a paste of flour and water. I showed TJ how to dunk each strip in the paste and lay them out, making two layers of paper strips. We did this project on a large piece of tinfoil. Well, our papyrus stuck to the tinfoil and refused to be removed. I left it outside, hoping the sun and warm air would help it dry completely, making it easier to remove. Well, the dog was also in the backyard. She decided that papyrus makes a good snack.
And, in no particular order, some of our other fails:
I just found out that voting has opened for the 
I love going to used bookstores. I always end up leaving the store with a huge pile of wonderful finds. The one downfall? Very often I end up with a book that I already have at home. With 10 bookshelves full of books it's easy to forget what we already own. I highly doubt that I'm the only homeschooling parent with that problem! Well, I've found a solution - Collectorz. 
