Trying Something New: Time 4 Learning Online Homeschool Program

I have heard of the program "Time 4 Learning" on many a homeschool blog over the past few years, but never really considered it for our family. The main reason for this was because it is a subscription-based monthly membership, and I am somewhat of a tightwad and try to get resources for free as much as possible.

But my perspective is changing.

This past school year, Hunter has been using Study Island, which was paid for through a charter program we tried. Study Island is essentially online test-prep, where kids answer test-style questions and then get to play a brief game each time they get the answer right. Hunter really enjoyed it, and I began to see a lot of value in this type of program.


For one, all of the "key" skills for language arts and math were covered and he could get practice in them to ensure mastery. We tend to be all over the place sometimes in our studies, so it was helpful to know that he was getting the basics, and we could truly say he had "passed" such and such grade.

Another benefit was that he really enjoyed it. Like most kids, he loves using the computer, and the cute little games were a nice motivator. Thirdly, I didn't have to plan it, and progress was automatically tracked for me. One less thing to do in my busy schedule.

However, we are not doing the charter program next year, and when I looked into purchasing an individual subscription, I found that it was $60 per year, per grade level. Not a bad price for a year. But, our unique issue was that it only included one grade level. And as some of you know, Hunter is all over the board in "grade level" ability and I wanted him to be able to work at his own individual pace in each subject, and to progress faster than one grade per year.

So, the Time 4 Learning name that I had heard so many times came to mind. And, quite conveniently, they had just contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to do a review. How convenient! 

Looking into the program, I am so far thoroughly impressed. Time 4 Learning can actually be used as a complete homeschool curriculum for language arts and math (grades Pre-K through eighth). And, an important issue for me, all of the grade levels and activities are available to your child, so Hunter can work at whatever grade level suits him and progress through the grades at his own speed.

Time 4 Learning also has what looks like a great science program (grades 1-6) and social studies program (grades 2-7). One year of high school algebra is also included.

I am looking forward to the possibilities this program might open up for us. I intend to use it as a supplement to other studies and resources, but it is looking like it will be a very valuable supplement. And might just be able to give me the peace of mind knowing that all of the "key" issues in each grade are mastered so we can have fun exploring everything else.

So, now for the disclosure:

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning!

Hope to see you all back in a few weeks when I will write a full review of how the program is working for us!

P.S. Have you used any online programs that have been valuable to your child's learning, membership-based or otherwise? I would love to hear about them.  

"Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them."

Isaiah 48:6

Hunter is 7 years, 1 month old (Grade 1)

This Not That - Toys: Munchkin Travel Flash Cards Review

Damien has a new toy in his diaper bag, a little early learning gem which I instantly fell in love with - the Munchkin Traveling Flash Cards.

I originally picked it up for its appeal in teaching Damien the uppercase alphabet and their sounds.

Here is what I love about this little book:

• Bright red uppercase letters with thick, simple font. 

• Twenty six animal pictures for each letter, but on cards separate from the letter, so you can show the letter and picture separately (ideal), or both at the same time if you want to.

• Great quality, clear, real-life animal pictures.

• Clear, bold words below the pictures in English and Spanish

• Variety of animals introduce some fun and interesting new vocabulary, like U for [sea] Urchin.

But wait, there's more! I actually didn't realize until AFTER I brought this home that it is not only an alphabet flip book, but also includes

• Numbers 1-10, represented by groups of fish pictures, the numeral, and the word 

• Shapes, including heart, square, star, rectangle, circle, and triangle (wish there were more, but these are good starters)

• Colors (on the shapes), including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple (again, there could be more, but still nice)

• All of these are in English and Spanish as well

The design is amazing, in my opinion. 

• The cards are laminated and durable.

• The thick plastic and rubber handle makes a great teether.

• It's small - about 3in x 3in and less than an inch thick, it fits easily in the diaper bag for travel or at home.

Some minor cons:

• Cards are sometimes slightly difficult to turn on the plastic rings.

• Would have preferred some more shapes (think diamond, hexagon, etc.) and colors (brown, silver, etc.). However since I purchased it for the alphabet portion this is not a big deal.

• The mirror on the cover gets scratched up and dirty easily.

So in one little flip book, you can teach your baby

• 26 alphabet names / shapes, 26 letter sounds, 26 animals (+26 in Spanish), 10 numerals, 10 quantities, 10 number names (+10 in Spanish), 6 shapes (+6 in Spanish), 6 colors (+6 in Spanish), for a total of no less than 168 bits of information clearly and simply presented. 

I am pretty sure that this is the best $5 I have spent in a long time. Sure, I could have made something homemade, but it wouldn't have been nearly as durable, portable, or cute, and would have likely taken a couple of hours to do so.

Are there any early learning gems you've come across worth sharing with other Doman Moms?

"My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly." 

Job 33:3

Thank you for your comments!

Damien is 9 months, 3 weeks old

Rush Hour Game and Building Thinking Skills

Playing "Traffic Jam" android application

Before we moved to California, Hunter, at four, loved "playing" my mom's Rush Hour game from ThinkFun.

In the actual game, you have to set up the variously-colored cars, trucks, and eighteen-wheelers on a sliding grid, according to the puzzle you're trying to solve. The vehicles get set up in a mix-match of horizontal and vertical arrangements, and the goal is to slide the other vehicles out of the way in order to get the red car out the exit.

Sounds simple, but it's not always so easy, and can take some careful planning, seeing the bigger picture, and lots of trial and error to get through the often multiple steps necessary to free your little red car.

We were both so excited when we found a generic version of the game ("Traffic Jam") as a free android app under "Brain & Puzzle" in the games section of the marketplace. It's also available for iPhone for $2.99.

According to the editorial description on Amazon, Rush Hour has received a national award from Mensa and has been used in elementary school math classes. And I can see why.

Hunter has so far made his way through dozens of puzzles and has fallen in love with the game. It's not exactly my cup of tea (I'm easily frustrated with puzzles and brain teasers) but Hunter really seems to enjoy it.

And the nice thing about having it on my phone? (for free, no less) Definitely being able to play it anytime, anywhere, and playing something productive and fun. Beats Super Mario or Pac Man any day, in my book.

This post is linked up here.

Cell phones sure have changed a lot in Hunter's
little lifetime, don't you think?

"Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people." 

Nehemiah 5:19

Hunter is 5 years, 6 months old 

Jones Geniuses Matrix Math® Review (ages 2-6)

A simple Matrix Math® practice sheet

"Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction." 

Albert Einstein

A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Jones from Jones Geniuses Accelerated Education sent me his Early Learning Kit for review.

The Early Learning Kit has both a reading and math curriculum (Threshold to Reading® and Matrix Math®), but for the purpose of this post I will only be discussing the Matrix Math portion. (Please stay tuned for upcoming Threshold to Reading® review).

What It Is

The Matrix Math® is the first (Level One) program in the Jones Geniuses' math curriculum. Jones Geniuses math programs cover basic to advanced arithmetic and number concepts all the way up to algebra and geometry, and does so on a level far exceeding most traditional math programs. Jones Geniuses Math Programs are intended to advance students approximately four times faster than traditional math education, while at the same time utilizing advanced standards and techniques (such as rapid calculation with large numbers and difficult operations, systems for instantly memorizing long lists of numbers, and so on). (See our introduction to the company here)

Matrix Math®, the first level program, focuses primarily on introduction to number concepts, addition, and subtraction, by the use of a special "dot matrix". The program is geared toward 2-6 year old children, although it could possibly be adapted for older or younger students depending on ability. Matrix Math covers:

• Numbers (actual quantities)
• Numerals and numeral writing (symbols for numbers) 0-9 and above 
• Counting forwards and backwards (one-to-one correspondence) to 20, then to 100
• Greater than and less than concepts
• Addition and subtraction skills with numbers 0-20

How it works 

Hunter practicing the placement of the dot matrix 

ma·trix [mey-triks] -noun 

1. something that constitutes the place or point from which something else originates, takes form, or develops

The foundation of the Matrix Math program is the dot matrix. The dot matrix is a simple yet ingenious system of intentionally placed dots within numerals, that teaches children the actual quantities behind the abstract symbols. The numeral 7 has seven dots in it, the numeral 9 has nine, you get the picture.

These simple dot-numeral hybrids are used to teach children quantities and numerals at the same time and as the same thing, counting, greater than and less than comparison, how to write numerals, and, most importantly, addition and subtraction.

You may have seen (or heard of) the idea of placing dots inside of numerals to teach small children the realities behind the symbols, such as this example here. But herein lies the uniqueness of the Jones Geniuses dot matrix system:

• The dots within the dot matrix are intentionally and logically placed, for the purpose of memorization. For example, every circle contains four dots, and every long line contains either three or five dots.

• The dot matrix is used to teach addition and subtraction with dot matrix based manipulatives and worksheets. Children count the dots, starting at the larger number (instead of starting all the way at one) and then count up (or down, in subtraction) as they touch each dot within the smaller number. For example, "8" is touched and named in 8+4, then the child touches each dot in the "4" as he counts up from 8, reaching the final answer, 12.

• The dots are counted in a specific order, so children learn not to double-count (or skip) dots on accident.

• The dots are made to be memorized. Initially, children practice addition and subtraction with these "special" numerals, but the purpose of the program is to memorize the placement of the dots so that they can be used as aids in regularly-written numerals, even when they're not there. This is taught by writing dots inside of blank numerals (see picture above) in daily exercises, exactly and precisely, so children quickly move from "matrix" equations to regular equations, using their pencil to count imaginary dots in each numeral.

• The dot matrix, once memorized, can be used throughout the child's life, since our's is a 0-9 based numeral system. It can be used for larger numbers, such as 173+285, and also can be used in multiplication and division, for example counting by threes while touching the dots in the "9" of 9x3. These skills are taught in future levels.

Our Experience with the Program

Hunter, as you probably already know, was a little bit "past" this level in most senses, as he could already count, understand quantities, greater than and less than, write numerals, and so on. But nonetheless, I think he highly benefited from the use of the program and by learning this amazingly clever dot matrix tool!

As you might know, we have had an interesting and sometimes perplexing road after using Glenn Doman's How to Teach Your Baby Math program over three years ago. I would do the program again in a heartbeat, and Hunter has often times amazed me with his mathematical abilities, including being able to instantly solve large equations without counting, fill in the blanks in algebra equations, effortlessly grasp concepts, and so on. But his ability to solve answers visually (with aids) never translated into being able to solve answers auditorily, or even on paper.

This program has been an amazing "next step" for us, and after quite a while of not doing very much math since we didn't know what to do or how to go about things, Hunter is once again excelling (and I can't wait to see what the next levels have in store for us!) After just a little over a week of daily working on the program, he had memorized the dot matrix exactly and was able to graduate to their numeral-only equations, and is flying through them!

Why it is Accelerated (and better) 

There are a lot of things that I enjoyed about this program, but the main benefit is that it is clear, understandable, and accelerated. Accelerated does not just mean that you go through the same material faster - it means you go through the same material better!

It does this by:

1. Streamlining and simplifying, doing away with "crutches" such as counting on fingers or with beads. It gives kids a useful, efficient, long-term, and easier tool that they don't have to be painfully weaned off of!

2. Skipping the "start counting from one" step for addition, teaching kids from the beginning to begin the equation by counting from the bigger number, which is much more efficient and common sense.

3. Teaching addition and subtraction as inverses, doing away with the all-too-common problem of children who are strong in addition and weak in subtraction (because kids always count forwards but rarely count backwards). They teach you to count backwards with your child every time you count forwards, and every math session is composed of equal attention to both addition and subtraction. This makes for children who are not only strong from the start in both essential skills but understand the concepts better since concepts are most easily understood as contrasting opposites.

4. Teaching a speedy method of computation, since, as every phonics teacher knows, speed produces comprehension. If it takes a child five minutes to "sound out" the sentence "the car is driving fast", the child won't understand what he just "read". The language of mathematics is the same way, and by using the quick and efficient tool of the dot matrix, children are able to better understand and retain the information, not just "going through the motions" without truly internalizing what is happening. Speed also complements memorization and helps children to be able to instantly solve equations, faster, sooner.

5. Instilling confidence by helping children succeed, and therefore, keep going and keep learning, doing away with the unfortunately all-too-common math phobia. When you're not good at something, you avoid it. When you are good at something, you're drawn to it. A motivated child will excel for the love of the subject.

Pros:

• Logical, thorough, accelerated - The program is, I believe, a beautifully-designed, well thought-out, thorough program, saving you and your child time, money, and frustration, while producing excellent mathematicians. What better pro could there be than that?

• Early start - The program is simple enough to begin as soon as your child can talk, usually around age two, since math is a language just as is English, and the program is designed to emphasize such.

• Easy to understand - The curriculum is well-organized and easy to understand.  The DVD and instruction manual explain each step carefully and clearly, making it simple and straightforward for the parent.

• Individualization - All the programs are not age-based but skill-based, doing away with the "one size fits all" mindset found in most math curriculum.

• Excellence in education and attention to detail - High expectations, true mastery, and precision are core character traits incorporated into the program, which are taught gently and joyfully to small children early on.

• The belief in joyful and early teaching - Just like Doman, Dr. Jones believes learning should be joyful, fun, and gentle for the child.

• Wonderful customer service - So far, all my dealings with the company have been wonderful, including quick responses to emails, friendly, in-person phone consultations (for free) and extremely quick shipping.

• Non-profit company - Always a plus, Jones Geniuses Accelerated Education is a not-for-profit company.

• Reasonable price - Less expensive than most other math curriculums, yet delivers so much more!

Cons:

• Sturdiness of materials - The materials are printed on regular computer paper (posters, reproducible worksheets) or plain card stock (flash cards). This was a con for me because they are somewhat fragile and not "kid proof". This was easily solvable with some simple lamination, though, so nothing big here.

• Print quality - Overall, I think the print quality was fine, but there were a few instances (perhaps 2-3) where the material's printing was "off center", making it difficult to complete the worksheet. I'm sure this was just an individual printing mistake and not present in every program, though.

• Website description - This is not a con with the program itself, but rather for prospective buyers. I would have liked to see a more complete and comprehensive package description easily accessible on the website of what all is included, further details about the program and its implementation, and better pictures of the individual items before making the choice to purchase. With what an amazing program it is, I just don't think the site does it justice.

What is Included in the Program

Included materials (click to enlarge)

1. A fifty-minute instructional DVD (for the parent) that carefully covers each step of the program, early learning philosophies and teaching, how to use the materials, child demonstrations, and more.

2. A 36-page instruction manual (for parent) with an introduction to accelerated education, early learning and brain development, how to implement each step of the program, suggested activities, how to motivate your child, parent's perspective, and more.

3. Eleven 11x17" posters, including blank number lines (up to 100), dot matrix number lines and dot-placement posters, number-letter memory association graph, Matrix Math steps, worksheet challenge progression, and addition and subtraction demonstrations.

4. A 34-page How the Numbers Made Friends with the Letters storybook, which introduces children to the number-picture associations that are used in later levels for advanced memory techniques.

5. 0-9 Matrix manipulatives and operator symbols (+, -, =), which are 8x5.5" flash cards that are used for teaching counting, greater and less than, and initial addition and subtraction.

6. Seventy-one 8x11" reproducible, leveled worksheets, which gradually and gently progress children from doing 4 extra-large print, dot-matrix-based addition and subtraction equations per session to 100 small print, regular-numeral addition and subtraction equations per session (65 pages), as well as dot-matrix fill-in-the-blank and numeral writing worksheets (6 pages).

7. Beautiful, gold-lettered award ribbon for being a "Matrix Master" after graduation from the program

Matrix Math can be purchased individually (special order) for $100 plus tax from Jones Geniuses Accelerated Education, or together with Threshold to Reading for $160.00 (a 20% discount) when you buy the Early Learning Kit.

Jones Geniuses Accelerated Education sent us an Early Learning Kit to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not otherwise compensated for this review.

Hunter, at time of using the kit, was 5 years, 5 months old

Upcoming Review: Accelerated Education Curriculum

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Albert Einstein 

One problem I have had in homeschooling is that so far in my five or so year journey, I always seem to have to reinvent the wheel.

On one hand it has been because I have always had very little money to work with and therefore instead of buying a curriculum, I would just make my own.

On the other hand, and the far more prominent reason I always found myself "reinventing the wheel" and making my own curriculum, was because I could never find anything that was suited to my and Hunter's wants / needs. Usually just because I thought all the stuff that was intended for the "early years" was too boring / slow so I would have to [want to] take more advanced things and simplify them for Hunter's comprehension level.

But the longer I have homeschooled, the more I have felt the pull of the simplicity of a pre-bought curriculum. Not for every subject level necessarily, but at least for some things, to have it all already planned out for you would be really nice.

Math was one of those things. I knew how horribly the traditional American education model generally fails in math education. And I also knew that even most of the best private curriculums were still based off of that failing system, at least in essence if not always in exact content.

They were too slow. Does it really take six or seven years (pre-k through grade 5 or more) to just teach basic arithmetic? (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) And what was more, you would think that after spending so much time on a subject, it would be thoroughly mastered, right? But we all know that that is not the story here.

Is math really that hard? Is it really that complicated?

I knew it wasn't, but designing my own accelerated curriculum baffled me. I have tried, and Hunter has learnt a great deal of mathematics using Doman as a jump start, but I created every schedule and sequence basically on my own and in so many areas have been lost with what do next. The thought of attempting this until high school overwhelmed me, to say the least.

That is until I found Jones Geniuses.

Jones Geniuses Accelerated Education is an accelerated curriculum developed by Dr. Miles Jones based on years of research and implementation first in the classroom and more recently in the home. The math program aims to help children learn mathematics four times faster than the traditional model and with greater accuracy and speed than most college-educated adults.

His main focus is math, but he also offers courses in speed reading, Spanish language learning, and memory training.

Dr. Jones has kindly offered to send me his first year early learning program, to try it out with both Hunter and my daycare kids. I'm very excited about what looks like an amazing program and an amazing company and look forward to sharing my experiences with you all very soon!

Update: read the full review of Math One here

"...Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them." 

Deuteronomy 5:1

Blackbody Radiation and other Science Super-Heros

Over a year ago, on a whim, we got a really cool book from the library about physics. I say on a whim because I got it just because I thought it looked so cool, even though we weren't really looking for physics books and it's not really something we were focusing on at the moment. But it turned out that Hunter loved it.

The book was a book in the Simeon Basher series and I am just amazed at this guy at what a great idea this science series was! It started off with his first book, The Periodic Table: Elements with Style, which set out to give each element of the periodic table "character" and "personality" in a fun, memorable way.

He then went and took the same idea at applying personalities to concepts of physics, astronomy, biology and more. And Hunter, of course, thinks the books are all about super-heros.

Take, for example, the super hero "Blackbody Radiation" from the physics book. He is part of the "Hot Stuff" gang and described in this way:

• A ninjalike shadow who swallows and slays the Light Crew
• Dark and mysterious, a heat monitor for the universe
• Produces radiation that depends only on his heat

I am a master of the dark arts. When an object is pure black like me, it absorbs all of the light that hits it and radiates it back as heat. My special heat "signature" makes me easy to spot and has helped scientists learn about energy's strange ways. I am the reason why black things heat up and shiny white objects stay cool.

It hot countries, it's a good idea to wear light colors - black clothes may look hip, but they certainly won't keep you cool! I'm not just about gobbling up energy, though - blackbodies also give off heat much more easily than nonabsorbing white or silvery bodies. This is why hot things, such as car radiators, get painted black.

Date of discovery: 1862

Discoverer: Gustav Kirchhoff

Most unusual blackbodies (BB): hot stars

"Best" BB: carbon (absorbs 97% of light)

The categories in the Physics book are Old School (mass, weight, density, speed, acceleration, force, inertia, friction, and gravity), Hot Stuff (energy, potential energy, kinetic energy, entropy, vacuum, and blackbody radiation), the Wave Gang (water wave, sound, earthquake, frequency, amplitude, laser, analogue, and digital), the Light Crew (radio wave, mirowave, infrared, light, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma ray), the Atom Family (atom, electron, proton, neutron, quark, neutrino, Higgs Boson, strong force, and anitmatter) and Nuclear Heavies (radioactivity, alpha particle, beta particle, photon, Schrodinger's Cat, and weak force). 

It is funny how a little imagination and a touch of creativity can make certain concepts so fun, memorable, and easy to understand. Hunter, especially when we first got the book from the library, would squeal with excitement and shout, "Physics!" when he saw the cover of the book. I even remember one time where he had mistaken a cartoon on a book for his beloved physics book, got excited and yelled "physics" and people looked at him in confusion wondering what on earth it was that this little kid was talking about.

We just recently bought some of the books with a gift card we got for Christmas. The ones we got this time around were the ones about Physics, Rocks and Minerals, and Biology. I hope to get all the books in the series and am especially excited about their one about Math (but it doesn't come out until July!) and Earth Science (which comes out in the end up March). I think they're neat, not only because Hunter loves them, but also because, while learning about all the characters in the Physics book and Chemistry book will not exactly leave him with a complete and thorough understanding of those subjects, it will leave him with memorable knowledge of a great deal of vocabulary and concepts and a love of the subject that will make these topics easy and interesting when he is studying them more thoroughly in fifth grade, or college, or whatever (or kindergarten for that matter).

After all, how hard can beta particles and neutrinos be when you have been familiar with them since you were still using training wheels? Or when they are in your mind a quirky little character with all sorts of neat abilities? It is what I like to call "productive playtime" and I am so excited about all the amazing books and tools they have nowadays that make such play so easy and accessible.

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 

2 Peter 3:10

Hunter is 4 years, 10 months old