Home ed help please

[sortanormalish]

We have been homeschooling for a few years, but I could really use some input about either a curriculum or a method, please.

We try to use a trivium based approach, but I am open to anything that works.

First, I'm having a little trouble getting the progymnasmata to go down smoothly. It is all so disorganized! Can anyone suggest a curriculum that binds assignments up neatly? I don't care about UK or US versions, I can explain why some words are spelled differently. Just so they are in English.

Second, a Latin program for mommies that don't have a clue that also teaches more than 50 words in an entire year would be a really great find.

All help welcome.

Please.

Please, please?

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I have no idea what progymnasmata is, but I can suggest an online Latin course:

http://www.learnlatin.tk/

[sortanormalish]

The progymnasmata is the 14-step classical Greek method of learning writing/rhetoric. Writing in the sense of clear communication of ideas and arguments, and rhetoric as the clear presentation of logical argument-not some guy sounding off and using logical terms badly. Basically the stuff most kids never learn or pay a leg to learn in law school. It used to be standard fare before education was taken to the masses and the powers that were didn't want the rest to understand what the powers were really saying. Being the powers they influenced educators to eliminate/limit the program. It is still, and always was, used in the more intensive and expensive prep schools, where the rich and powerful send their kids. Publlic schools try the 'pick and choose' method of implementing the program, and that is why so many kids leave school barely able to express a coherent sentence on paper. See what I mean! I'm trying to learn as I go.

Progymnasmata only sounds big and impressive. At its core it is just a series of reading and writing exercises. The problem I'm having is four children at different stages so I was hoping for a program that sorts it all out nicely.

Thanks for the Latin course. I'll check it out immediately.