Three of my five children and I have been reviewing Time4Learning Curriculum for this past month. We received free trial one month memberships in exchange for a candid review.
Thoughts on T4L Kindergarten
Little Miss will be starting Kindergarten this Fall, and I have been looking at various curriculum for her. She loves to use the computer, and we have already used Starfall and PBS Kids websites for homeschool preschool. We also use these workbooks for her (and Little Miss has been attending a local preschool both in Florida and here in New England).
I haven't decided for sure yet, but I am leaning toward doing a similar approach to Kindergarten with Little Miss. We already know we will be mothershipping again (aka it will be another year of traveling back and forth), making it impossible for Little Miss to attend a Kindergarten in one place - as I would prefer her to. At the moment I am thinking she will be working on Kindergarten workbooks, arts, crafts, PE & various activities at home, supplemented by online learning, possibly Time4Learning.
Little Miss liked Time4Learning, and the online work and games seemed age appropriate and fun for her. I would need to ask her to log-in though, she wouldn't ask to use it (like she does to access nickjr.com or pbskids.org). I do think using Time4Learning would be a good supplement for our homeschool Kindergarten curriculum.
Seventh Grade Review
Missy and Mr. D will be starting 7th Grade this Fall. What I appreciated about Time4Learning was my students would have access into 6th, 7th and 8th grade material with our monthly membership(s). It is also easily accessed being a web-based curriculum, and works both on macs and pc's.
Yet, I don't think this is a good fit for Missy or Mr. D.
Missy did not care for the program at all. She thought the 'talking mouse' was so childish, and she quickly lost interest. I'm not even sure she gave Time4Learning a fair chance, but she is thriving on AOP Monarch anyway, so I didn't push her.
Mr. D liked reviewing Time4Learning better. He appreciated how many of the lessons were interactive, visual and/or read to him by the computer. He is an auditory learner, and he enjoyed that part of Time4Learning.
At this point, though, we are not planning to switch Mr. D from AOP Monarch to Time4Learning. He didn't seem enthusiastic enough about the curriculum for us to make the change, and we have found ways for AOP Monarch to work better for him. I am also keeping T4L in mind in case we want to supplement Monarch.
So I guess overall we are still seriously considering Time4Learning, but aren't 100 % convinced it is a right fit for our family. We really appreciate Time4Learning allowing us to review their curriculum for free.
***** The author’s opinion is entirely her own, the content was not written by Time4Learning, but the writer was compensated.*****
My family and I are thinking about becoming full timers on the road, so I was excited when I came across your blog.
ReplyDeleteBefore I had a chance to read more of your blog I saw this post and wanted to say that we use & love Time4learning :)
I Really enjoyed your review and look forward to reading the rest of your blog....
Keri
Mom to a Cutie pieKindergartener and a thinks-she-is-all-grown-up 3rd Grader
Hi Keri, thanks so much for your comment!! Wow, full timing sounds great!! I hope you'll blog about your plans and journey! We are not full timing, but do try to take as many trips as we can. Our RV is now waiting for us in Florida, and we'll be heading there next month. We can't wait :)
ReplyDeleteAny pointers for us before we give up on T4L?
I just wanted to comment on your review of Time4Learning. We have been using Time4Learning for 4 years now and it is an excellent fit for my daughter. Her favorite thing about T4L is that she can make it go at her pace, since there are no deadlines except the ones that I impose. If she can get the information fast, great, if she needs to review it more, also great. For me, the best part of T4L is that my lessons are planned for me, and records are kept. It makes my paperwork load a lot lighter. I guess every child is different and needs a curriculum that is suited for him or her. That is certainly a wonderful thing about homeschooling! Best of luck in your adventures and thanks for taking time to present your views on T4L!
ReplyDeleteLinda
P.S. As to a suggestion about T4L before you give up entirely, I might say that if your youngest child becomes accustomed to using a curriculum like T4L you will probably get better results from it than starting children who are used to a different way of schooling. T4L is the way we started homeschooling and so, for my daughter, this is how school is. Students who become accustomed to other methods of learning might be more resistant to changing to a new format. Thanks again for your review, I appreciate your viewpoint!