Saturday, September 10, 2011

Time4Learning Online Curriculum - Review

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Time4Learning is an online curriculum for grades PreK-8.  It can be used in a variety of ways, including...

homeschool core or supplement
after school supplement
summer school review and refresher

Lessons are provided in math, language arts, science, and social studies.  Many of the lessons are animated and interactive.  Printable worksheets are provided for more on the go reinforcement practice.  It is web based, so there is not software to download.  You can access your account from any computer with an internet connection!  Each child can work at their own pace and even re-do lessons when needed.  Parents can see their child's progress by visiting the 'My Portfolio' Section and can even print progress reports.
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Time4Learning membership is $19.95 a month for the first child, and $14.95 a month for each additional child.  Membership is month to month with automatic billing monthly.  You can cancel and renew at any time.  Here is what you will get for your membership...
  • Online curriculum for grades Pre-K through 8th
  • More than 1,000 interactive animated lessons
  • Self paced lessons that kids will enjoy working on
  • Math & algebra tutorials & printable worksheets
  • Language arts, phonics & grammar lessons
  • Interactive, project-based reading activities
  • Science (grades 1st - 6th) & social studies (grades 2nd - 7th)
  • Detailed reporting for easy record keeping
  • Extensive lesson plans & teaching tools for parents
  • Independent grade level settings for each subject
  • Access to the grade above and below
  • Time-stamping feature on lessons (for attendance)
  • Lesson plans to preview curriculum contents
  • Online playground which rewards and motivates
  • Automated grading and reporting for portfolio use
  • ...and much more!
Language Arts and Math are considered the core subjects with Time4Learning The lessons are sequential and build upon one another to establish a strong foundation.  Both correlate with state standards.  Science and Social Studies are considered bonus subjects and are offered for 1st-6th grade and 2nd - 7th grade, respectively.  These subjects differ in standard from state to state so supplement may be needed.  You can click HERE to see an overview of the curriculum for all subjects for each grade, PreK through 8th.

Time4Learning recognizes that each child is unique in their learning and understanding in each subject.  For that reason, you may select a grade level for each subject depending on where your child is at and how they progress.  So, for my son who is in 6th grade, we were able to choose 5th, 6th or 7th grade for each subject.  This worked well for him especially in math since the 6th grade math was much too easy for him.  The 7th grade math was a much better fit.  I found the process to be easy to use.  The navigation is simple.


Time4Learning offers a 100% money back guarantee!  If, within 14 days of purchase, you are not completely satisfied you will receive your money back.  You can even try a FREE Demo by clicking HERE.  I love when a company offers a "Try Before You Buy" option!

So, now let me chat with you about how the Time4Learning experience was for my family.  When I saw that Time4Learning was being offered as a TOS Crew Review, I leaped at the chance and practically begged to be on the reviewer's list.  I have a friend who uses it with her son and she raves about it.  My son is in 6th grade.  We do not, and have never, use the computer for any of our lessons for any subjects.  We have used computer software minimally for extra math practice and we use the computer for research....that's it.  So, my son was resistant to even trying this out because it was so different from what he is used to.  He did not share in my enthusiasm.  

We started off with Science and then moved on to Social Studies.  My son would describe the experience as "painful".  The lessons were very text book style and dry.  In his words..."If we wanted to learn just by reading a text book then that's what we would do.  I don't want to learn that way.  It's boring".  So, I figured we would move on to Math, one of his favorite subjects.  We quickly realized that he needed to skip to the final lessons for 6th grade and then begin the 7th grade lessons.  We still found the 7th grade level to be too easy and skipped to the middle lesson.  He also found the math to be dry.  I was hoping he would agree to finally try the Language Arts, but his face said it all....no way. So, I tried the lessons myself.  Although I didn't think the lessons were as horrid as my son's drama described, I did agree that it was dry and text book style.  Since that is not how I teach or how he likes to learn I can see how it was a shock to his system.  In addition, and in my opinion most importantly, the context of the lessons were not Christian based.  We only use Christian curriculum to be sure only the truth is being taught.  Although Time4Learning was not a good fit for my family, I do see the many benefits to it and how it would suit other families.

Here is how and why I think this would work for other families....
  • families that prefer a text book approach to teaching/learning
  • families that prefer a computer based curriculum
  • families that are looking for supplement or review opportunities for their children
  • students who need review during summer vacation so their skills are not lost and they can gain a leg up for the upcoming grade
  • families with multiple children where the parent needs an option for children to be working on lessons independently while teaching other children
  • families that do not necessarily want a Christian based curriculum
I would suggest you go to the website, check it out,  try the FREE demo, and decide for yourself.  You have nothing to lose!  Don't forget that awesome 100% money back guarantee.  You can't beat it!  I would also suggest that you visit the TOS Review Crew to see what my fellow crew members have been saying about Time4Learning.  I know there were crew members who LOVED Time4Learning.  It's always great to hear a review from a few different families to get a good perspective on things.

Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how we used the product within our family.  I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

5 comments:

  1. I agree with you. We only use Christian curriculum too, so this was not a good fit for our family either.

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  2. Great review! You did a good job including all sorts of information. Unfortunately, my kids didn't really like the program either. I can see how it would be perfect for other families.

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  3. I think that the reading was very "textbookish" and don't think I'd like to keep up a subscription. I also thought the price was a bit high with multiple children. We tend to only use Christian curriculum.

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  4. I have to say that the program is strongest at younger levels than 6th grade.

    Good job outlining what it does do :)

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