Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed that Peanut and I have been taking our preschool curriculum a little slower with a post every other week or so instead of every week. This was due in part to a very busy March but also because, as I mentioned in this post, we have found another fun way to “do school” that Peanut is just loving–It’s an online resource called Time4Learning.
I must tell you that when I first heard about Time4Learning I was both excited from the reviews I had read and apprehensive. After all, you often hear about how children should only be on the computer so-long on any given day. Yet, this was in the name of education so I thought I’d give it a try and we have not been disappointed
What is Time4Learning?
Time4Learning is an online curriculum of sequential lessons and activities designed for preschool through eighth grade students as a means for making learning fun, engaging, and easily accessible. Since everything is online, all you need to use Time4Learning is a computer, an internet connection, and a membership. They take care of the rest including correlating lessons to state standards, keeping academic records, and encouraging your students to mastery.
Who Would Benefit Most from Time4Learning?
Time4Learning is an excellent homeschool curriculum for Perfect Paulas and Competent Carls or as a supplement for Sociable Sues. With it’s very thorough record keeping database and state standards sequence, it can also ease the mind of those parents new to homeschooling as much of the leg work would be done for them automatically. It could also serve well as an alternative to tutoring for the public school child and/or as an online enhancement of what is being learned in the classroom. And what about my concern for too much online time? They even thought of that by having a parent timer that you can adjust so your child does not stay online too long at one time. Genius!
What Grade Should I Select for My Child?
The nice thing about Time4Learning is that they give you access to 3 grade levels at a time so if your student finds that a level is too easy or too hard you can easily switch forward and/or back in each subject as needed. I actually began Peanut on the Preschool level since she is still 3 but quickly moved her to the Kindergarten level as she is near the end of her preschool year and did not find the preschool activities very challenging. All I had to do is request to change grade levels and the kindergarten curriculum was ready for her by her next login. Ever since the switch she is very excited when she gets to do school on the computer and even sometimes begs to do school on the computer instead of in the playroom, much to this mom’s sadness. 😉
What is included in a Time 4 Learning Membership?
The monthly membership of $19.95 for the first child, and $14.95 for every child after that includes:
- Online curriculum for grades Pre-K through 8th
- More than 1,000 interactive animated lessons
- Math & algebra tutorials & printable worksheets
- Language arts, phonics & grammar lessons
- Interactive, project-based reading activities
- Science (grades 1st – 6th) & social studies (grades 2nd – 7th)
- Access to the grade above and below in each subject (to review or move ahead at will)
- Detailed reporting for easy record keeping
- Extensive lesson plans & teaching tools for parents
- and much more…
The CORE curriculum of Time4Learning includes math and language arts but there are also science and social studies options available once students are in the 1st or 2nd grade levels. To put it into perspective–an entire year of Time 4 Learning could cost as much as $239.40. Compare that with the cost of a tutor and/or a complete homeschool curriculum and you’ll quickly find that that is a great deal for the services provided.
Want to Give it a Try?
Time4Learning has given me the opportunity to share 14-day trials of Time4Learning with TEN of my readers. Yes, you read that right–TEN! So, if you have kids anywhere between preschool and 8th grade, you definitely want to enter this giveaway because the odds of you winning are REALLY good! You have until Sunday night at midnight (CST) to enter but the sooner you enter the better as this is one giveaway you don’t want to miss!
Participants must be over 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen to enter. There are several ways to enter the giveaway, however participants are limited to one (1) of each entry per person and up to two (2) people per household. A participant may not use additional email addresses to enter more than once. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Winners will be notified via e-mail and will be given 48 hours to respond before selecting another alternative.
And What Will We Be Doing Next?
A few have started to ask what I will be doing with Peanut once we complete our Preschool year in a few short weeks. While we haven’t nailed anything down specifically yet, I can tell you that we will be continuing on with our Time4Learning membership at least through the summer because I’ve already begun to see several benefits of using it as a supplement with our current resources. In addition it will help to keep Peanut’s grammer and math skills up while letting easing up the pressure on mom as I gear up for another school year. So, even if Time4Learning might not be something you want to replace your homeschool curriculum with or use full time, Time4Learning may still be a resource you might want to consider as a fun supplement for the summer. And, as a former public school teacher, I can vouch that your child’s teacher will personally thank you for having done something to keep their skills sharp over the long summer break.
Disclaimer: I was compensated for my time invested in the review of this product, writing this review, and hosting the giveaway. However, all opinions expressed are 100% my own. As always, I choose to only review products that I feel are beneficial to my readers and my family.
