Time4Learning Review

Time4Learning allowed us to give their program a free trial run for four weeks. I set it up for NG, IB, and LJ but ended up only using it with the older two. LJ quickly lost interest as I knew he would, but he just turned four. My main goal was to help NG get past a hurdle with math. We had gotten to a point where I couldn't teach the concept in a way he was understanding or he had a mental block and just needed to reset. Having been going through my own homeschool burnout, IB hadn't been getting everything he needed. We have been focusing on the basics and leaving out social studies and science. We all needed a little change in the scenery, so to speak. I have to be honest and admit that I took a break from our regular school work and let the boys do Time4Learning only. I don't believe that they suggest using it as a stand-alone curriculum.

NG, age 12, has struggled with math for a couple of years and his current battle was with operations with fractions. The first day on Time4Learning, he was able to understand it and move through it without difficulty. Obviously, he just needed a fresh take on it. The other focus for NG was language arts. He said he had to answer questions to determine if he was already familiar with the material before the lesson was presented (pretest) and the lessons were easy to understand. NG did not care for the science portion, but I'm sure that's just a personal preference, not anything wrong with material. He did say that he really liked doing his lessons online at first, but then changed his mind. He couldn't imagine sitting at the computer every day for all or even just several subjects.

IB, age 7, really enjoyed Time4Learning and was disappointed when it was finished. He loved all of it but his favorite part was the drill sergeant puppet in the language arts section. Perhaps because his dad has been a DS for years. The social studies program filled in gaps of knowledge and he soaked it up like a sponge. After looking over his scores, however, I do realize that he still needs one-on-one tutoring with me and more repetition to fully understand the material.

I liked the way Time4Learning is set up, for the most part. I would have liked an easier method for lesson planning, one that would be easier for a child to follow. I liked being able to check my children's progress through the portfolio and the fact that it is online only and accessible from any computer. Overall, my opinion is that Time4Learning is a great supplement to homeschooling. I would definitely consider it during specific seasons or situations of a homeschooling family's life that require us to put our regular curriculum aside, such as illness, new baby, summer break, burnout, etc. It is affordable and worth the cost when it is needed.

Time4Learning gave me a free month of access to their program in return for an honest review.