Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Time 4 Learning

I had the opportunity to review Time 4 Learning with my 3 boys(ages 6 and 10) for the last month. First I want to say that we have home schooled for the past 9 years and have never tried an online learning system. I found out about Time 4 Learning a few years ago when I was searching for some math help for my son with Autism. Since then, I have occasionally gone back to the site and have debated with myself about trying it. When I was given the opportunity to try it for free I couldn't pass it up.
 
This online interactive curriculum is available for Pre-K through 8th grade and covers main subject areas(math, language arts plus extensions, science and social studies). The curriculum includes animated lessons, interactive activities, reviews and quizzes and even printable worksheets. It has automated grading, lessons plans and detailed reports that tract the students progress (this makes it ideal for homeschooling). It could be used as a total curriculum, or as a supplement.
 
We actually tried it for grades 1 and 2. I loved the fact that we could still access one grade below and above the target grade. For example: if you are  using grade 2 you can still access grade 1 and grade 3 activities. This is perfect for those who need more review or can move ahead in one area. We had no trouble accessing the site. We were able to access it 24/7 with no delays or problems.
 
The animated lessons themselves were idea for visual learners. I have 2 with special needs and they are visual and kinesthetic learners(hands on); so personally I would choose to use it as a supplement curriculum. Although the lessons were animated my 2 special needs children seemed to gaze off during some of the lessons; which made it difficult to complete some activities and questions. I actually used my base curriculum and then let them get on certain activies that related to what they were learning that day. The activities are so engaging that most children could go it alone. If it is the child's first time or you have children with learning difficulties it would be wise to sit with them for guidance. The activities correlated perfectly to what we were learning.
 
My kids favorite thing about Time 4 Learning was definitely the playground. A parent or teacher could set the timer for the child to complete activites for a certain amount of time before the playground would open up to them. The playground is full of fun and educational interactive games and activities. A playground timer can also be set so they don't go overboard.
 
We have decided to continue this program with one of  my boys, because of his math struggles. This program has already benefited him in a continual review of his base learning and he actually enjoys doing math with Time 4 Learning .
 
I recommend this product as a total curriculum or supplement to any homeschooling, after school or school classroom. It is only $19.99  a month with no contract of any kind. You can cancel at anytime and you have full 24/7 access to the program; not to mention 24 hour email help and phone call support from their customer service. It's worth trying at least for a month. If you have a child who is struggling especially in math or language arts, want to continue education through the summer months or want a stress free no hassle homeschooling education this program is perfect for you. I only wished we would have tried it sooner.    
 
 
*I was given a free month of Time 4 Learning in exchange for my honest review of their program.
 
 
 
 
 
 

1 comment:

  1. I've read your review and I agree with most of what you said. We have used Time4Learning for almost 6 years as our core curriculum and I am continually amazed at the material presented in Time4Learning. My daughter loves the fact that she controls the speed, if she "gets" a subject and wants to zip forward she can, or if she needs to slow down and practice a little more she can. I love that the lessons are planned and the records are kept, this means I spend more time interacting with my child and less time planning to teach or recording what she has already done.
    Anyway, thanks for a great review.
    Oh, one other thing, since you are obviously into books, have you checked HomeschoolLiterature.com? This is a site that has books by homeschoolers, for homeschoolers. Lots of great info over there!

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