Thursday, September 15, 2011

Time for Learning - A Review


Product:  Time for Learning

Price:  $19.95/month for 1st child, $14.95/month for additional children
14-day money back guarantee

Age Range:  PreK - 8th grade

Company:  Time4learning.com

Brief Intro: (from the website)
Time4Learning is a technology-based online educational program that teaches preschool to eighth grade curriculum using a combination of animated lessons, interactive activities and reinforcing worksheets.
A top selection of the Homeschool.com "Top 100 Educational Websites" list year after year, the Time4Learning program has been refined through years of feedback from educators, parents, and students. The lessons are presented at the student's pace by an automated system in a sequence designed to build strong subject literacy.
Time4Learning is a great curriculum for families who homeschool. It is also a great after school skill sharpener and is often used for remediation and test preparation. Whether mainstream, gifted, or special needs, Time4Learning provides a flexible, student-paced approach.


 Our Thoughts:
We used this program with my 9 year old, 4th grader and with my 12 year old ,7th grader.  Both were in the upper grade level section of the program.  They used the program on a regular basis for several weeks.

The program can be used as a core curriculum for math, language arts, science, and history.  Math and Language Arts correlate to state standards.  Science and History may need to be supplemented to meet state standards.  Some homeschoolers use Time4Learning as their core curriculum, supplementing here and there as needed.  Others use bits and pieces of the program to supplement their own core curriculum.  You can choose to use one subject or all of the subjects.  Whatever works best and is needed by your family, but of course, the price stays the same.  If you would like to use it as core curriculum, you can use this handy chart to determine how many lessons per day your child should complete.

The program guides you from one lesson to the next with a green arrow, pointing to the next step.  It includes topic introductions, lessons, and quizzes.  It incorporates different styles.  Some lessons are read to you.  Some you read on your own.  Some are very colorful and entertaining.  The best thing you can do is try out some of the sample lessons and see if it is a good fit for your child.

The site also includes a game area with a 15-minute timer as a reward for completing lessons.  This can be a good motivator.

So how did it go at our house?  My 12 year old handled it better than my 9 year old.  She was better able to navigate her way around the site and understanding the directions.  My 9 year old needed more supervision and guidance.  I am sure this was a learning curve that would have improved more over time.  

Neither child particularly loved the program.  But my 12 year old would do lessons without complaint.  My 9 year old would complain every time.  It wasn't the best fit for her.  But that is why there are so many options out there on the market.  Because there are so many different learning styles.  So what wasn't a great fit for my 9 year old, might be a wonderful fit for you 9 year old.  Again, I suggest trying the demos for yourself.

On a side note:  A 4th grade vocabulary lesson on the word "PREHISTORIC" explained how prehistoric times would be times before history; as in the time of the dinosaurs before there were any humans.  This is contradictory to my beliefs, that God created the world in a literal 7 days; so there wasn't a time before the history of man.  If you choose to use this program and are a Creationist; be aware of these sort of learning opportunities to discuss the topics further with your child.

Read more reviews here.

Disclaimer: I received a trial to this site to review, as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew. The above is just my opinion. Please remember that opinions may, and do, vary.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for your review, it's too bad that the evolutionary world view is even in the spelling words!

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  2. I loved reading your review. I also have a nine year old fourth grader. We have been using time4learning since preK. We love it. But like you said, what works well for one child does not work at all for another.

    Kathi

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