Category: Latin in the Parks

Published Date

Written by Iris Project

pick up some Latin and ancient culture while eating lunch in your local park!

Latin in the Parks is a seasonal initiative for communities in London and East Oxford. Over the summer months (May-July) free and relaxed classes are offered in the two cities as lunch time sessions which take place in local parks.

Adults and families can bring their lunch (and blanket!), and learn some Latin and also ancient culture. Sessions are designed for adults, but children are very welcome to come along and take part. Each session lasts an hour, and involves a Latin activity and worksheet, which the group works through together, and then a short talk on some aspect of ancient culture - topics have included women in the ancient world, religion, the history of the Roman republic, and others.

The sessions are entirely relaxed and informal, and no knowledge of the Classsical world or Latin is expected or needed! People from all walks of life come along to enjoy the classes, and there is no charge for the teaching - we do however welcome a donation of £1 per session for material costs.
The classes were set up tohelp promote access to Classics amongst adults in local communities, and have been running since April 2008. Latin is often viewed as an elite area of study only accessible to the very educated, and this can be daunting or off-putting, so the intention is to encourage people from all walks of life and backgrounds in these communities to have a go at picking up a bit of Latin over lunch in a relaxed setting!

If you're interested in coming along, please contact us through the website - note that we are not planning to run this in 2010 or 2011.

London Latin in the Parks...

One off sessions have been organised across various London regions for specific groups. If you're interested in having a one-off session in your local park, please get in touch with us.