Picta Dicta Natural World from Roman Roads Media: A TOS Crew Review

   Latin is one of the foundations of western languages. Learning this ancient language is beneficial for so many things, but especially in gaining a better understanding of our own language. I personally have not studied Latin formally although I have taught Latin roots for years in the English class for middle school homeschoolers I teach. I was exited to learn alongside my daughters using
Picta Dicta Natural World from
Roman Roads Media. We have had so much fun!
   Traditional language teaching utilizes more of a book-learning method. My experience with most digital programs has not been incredibly positive...until now! The pairing of a traditional approach added with the visual images of the program plus the auditory component has been incredible. My daughters and I are learning at a fast pace and retaining the information! With just a few minutes each day the girls are gaining a wide range of Latin vocabulary. 

I love the delightfully painted illustrations. The artistic renderings are lovely and have a more traditional look. They also provide such a clear visual that remembering the vocabulary words is incredibly easy. My girls are used to learning new things all the time. I am not so used to this, so I was surprised at how much I did retain from day to day.   

Another component I really like is the use of ancient stories to help with a fuller understanding of the words. The stories are easy to read and all three of my daughters enjoyed them. There are different levels within the program so you are able to decide which is the best fit for each of the students you have enrolled. Rose (thirteen) and Beth (eleven) are using Reader II. There are six levels from which to choose and they may be adjusted as needed even after the student has begun.  

The portion of the program which helps you check for retention feels more game-like and not like a test even though that is essentially how it functions. You are able to see how many you got correct, continue practice, and try again if needed. I have been assigning this to the girls daily and they are eager to get to this point of their day! Learning Latin is incredibly fun for them as a result and this will continue to be a part of our routine for the coming year. 

The anatomy section really grabbed Grace's attention as she wants to be a nurse and begged to study anatomy this year!

One thing I did find that as this is an internet-based program it is important to use a browser that helps it function at its best. For us that was Chrome rather than Firefox, our usual browser. We highly recommend this program to all ages. If you are already learning Latin it will be a great review or if you have never begun to learn the language it is an incredibly fun way to start! This is also a great add-on to other foreign language learning which is rooted in Latin. Our family is studying French and we have found some helpful carry overs from one language to the next.    Picta Dicta Vocabulary Builder and Fitting Words Classical Rhetoric (complete program)  are two more quality products available from Roman Roads Media. This is our family's first opportunity to work with the company, but based on our experience with Picta Dicta we are highly impressed and interested in what else they have to offer. 
Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!