Time 4 Learning, A Review for TOS Crew

Have you ever had the desire so strong to try something, but something always came up and prevented it? Whether it's a new restaurant or a shoe store, a park or a workout class, we've all been there. And homeschool curriculum is no exception. I've seen reviews, looked at sample lessons and received emails from Time 4 Learning since Connor was a kindergartner. I have always thought it looked like fun, but I always found a reason not to give it a try. Until this year. When T4L came up on the Vendor Interest Form, I was on it like white on rice, let me tell ya!



To give you a heads up on T4L, it is a secular online curriculum with the motto, "Homeschool curriculum, after school, summer use". They have programs developed for PreK to 8th grade, covering the subjects language arts, math, science and social studies. The cost is $19.99 per month for one child, $14.99 for each additional child. They have parent forums, lesson plans, a getting started guide, and much more. In fact, there is so much to look at and explore, three weeks is not nearly enough time for me to have gotten a handle on it all!


This is an example of the tools available to you as a parent. They compile progress reports for each child, so you have all records ready and available to print. What a time saver!


As for the kids, they have enjoyed T4L. It has been a nice break from a few days of subjects, but I can't see it being a full curriculum. While it covers the four core subjects, I didn't feel there was a strong enough emphasis on spelling in Canon's grade (2nd) or grammar in Chloe's grade (3rd).

Canon has spent the most time on the site, and he really liked the spider story in Language Arts second grade. Unfortunately, I think he went back to it three times and didn't do new lessons! That's one thing I would change - once you've done a lesson, it should be checked off and the next lesson should be highlighted. You have the ability as the parent to set up lesson plans, but the student is still able to skip around and choose the lessons they want to do that day. I think that would create gaps or holes of some kind if it's building on foundations. I just think his time would have been better spent if he had known to go to the next lesson.

Canon loved the math program, as well. There is a story behind each lesson, and he got to watch the story unfold as he progressed through the problems. There are fun characters in all the lessons, like a student with a robot best friend, and the dog, Ruff Draft! Canon enjoyed these lessons, and he thought the money lessons were the best!


Here is an example from the second grade math site. That grade learns about money, graphing, multiple digit addition and subtraction, and fractions.


I had Chloe do some science lessons. Now this was my favorite program! She did one lesson in particular that I really enjoyed watching with her. One thing about online curriculum that I've always been concerned about is that they'd be in front of the computer and not doing any hands on lessons. With T4L, they are built right in! About half way through the lesson, it told Chloe to go get a pencil, paper, and a coin. She then had to draw both sides from memory. She learned about hypotheses, collecting data, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and much more - all in about a 20 minute lesson. I was very impressed. I could see us using the science program a lot. (One reminder: this is a secular curriculum. While we didn't come across any issues or conflicts concerning our personal beliefs, they will not be teaching from a creationist or biblical point of view).

However for us, the price is just not in our budget. With four kiddos, we have to keep costs low in all areas to homeschool. We combine many subjects so the kids are learning together, and I want to be involved more directly at this age. Personally, I'm not willing to let them be on their own for 3-4 hours a day with a computer as their teacher, at least not yet. So if we were to use it, it would be as a supplemental source - not a full curriculum. And as a supplement, I find it too expensive. I think this would be a great alternative for families that have only one child. I also understand that some families don't have the budget constraints that we have, so it could be seen as a value to them. I think the lessons are great, and the parent tools are very helpful. If you fit either of those categories, or are just interested in seeing if it would be a fit for your child, I encourage you to check out T4L. I am so glad I did!

** To check out more Time 4 Learning reviews, from my fellow TOS bloggers, click here.

**Disclaimer: I received a 30-day free trial from Time 4 Learning via TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions stated are my own and my children’s.

Labor Day Weekend

What a great weekend we've had! It actually started Thursday for us, with the opening of Dove Season. We had friends here at the crack of dawn and back at dusk for four days straight; along with the sound of shotguns was the laughter and talk of good friends. The kids have always been our "bird dogs", chasing after our kills for us. But this year, the oldest ones of the bunch - Logan, Connor, Trey and Gavin - are now counted among the hunters. Yes, we still had them get our birds (which they love doing, by the way!), but they also got to tell the younger ones to go get theirs for them. It's a coming-of-age thing for rednecks like us! ;)

Switching gears, Connor and Chloe and I headed to their homeschool orchestra orientation Friday morning after hunting (I have to instill a little culture in them!). Chloe has decided on the violin, and Connor had to purchase a xylophone. He already has drums, but they require a year of bells first. He wasn't too thrilled to learn that, and I didn't really understand why, until we found the xylophone. All the time he'd been fretting and fussing about playing bells, he thought he'd be playing LITERAL hand bells! Once he understood that the glockenspiel and the cymbals would be a part of his training, he was much more excited. They are both happy and ready to start in two weeks.

Friday night was Logan's birthday party. Jason and Steph were taking the boys, and I took the girls. I had promised Molly a mani-pedi day for her birthday last month, so I took her, Chloe and Hannah Saturday morning. And of course, I couldn't let them have all the fun - I got my toes pampered, too!! :D

Saturday, we all came back together for the big feed of all our kills - we had over 75 doves, cooked three ways. I don't think any of us were disappointed! A night of good food, good friends, and crazy kiddos is always going to put a smile on my face!

Sunday, we decided to go visit our Evergreen family. It had been nine months since we had attended service there, and I really expected to feel a little out of place. However, it wasn't like that at all. It was nice to see so many friends and catch up, and Dr. Dutile gave a wonderful sermon that blessed my heart. It's definitely not the same church we left, but I think that's ok. The people are starting over, and it was good to feel so welcomed back, if only for a visit. We went out to lunch with our friends, Bart and April, to celebrate Briana's 9th birthday. They are all growing up way too fast!

That afternoon, my niece Molly Elizabeth, was baptized. Casey, my brother-in-law, did the honors. It was a beautiful thing to watch, and I couldn't be prouder of my Moo. Casey and Tiff came out to the house after, and we enjoyed more dove and more visiting. Bart and April came out for a bit, and we swapped kids for another sleepover - this time, we got the boys! Braden always does well playing with our little guys, and there's hardly any fighting among them when he's here. That's always a plus! ;) We stayed up late watching movies and decided not to hunt this morning. I was glad to have a day to sleep in!

Today was a gloriously lazy Labor Day - as I think they should be. While we usually spend it on the boat with my family, we just had too much planned this year over the weekend. While I missed being on the lake, I thoroughly enjoyed just lazing about the house and doing as I pleased. We hadn't really planned on taking the day off school, but we ended up doing so anyway.

We all slept in, had a late breakfast, and I got to enjoy reading practically all day long. I read Tim LaHaye's new book, "Thunder of Heaven", from COVER to COVER. Do you know how long it's been since I've had a day to do that??? Too long, let me tell ya! And it was excellent. Not only that, but we also took advantage of the beautifully cool temperature and took a run on the trail together. We got back and Kelly grilled brats, and I made mac & cheese and green beans for lunch. Then I went back to my book. I took some movies back to the Redbox and grabbed McDonald's for dinner. Then I went back to my book. I baked cookies, then I read some more. I just finished it about an hour ago, and I am ready to start another one! Alas, but tomorrow is back to the real world, where I have obligations and - ick - housework that needs doing. Plus, a really exciting day - Co-op starts back up tomorrow! YAY!!!!

So it's time to get off here and get the kids' baths done. We'll have to find first day of school outfits, backpacks and all the supplies. That way, we can have bible, math and Spanish before flying out the door at 11:30. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, and I can't wait to hear how everyone's Labor Day weekend was. That includes you, too! How did you celebrate?

Blessings, Ammy

Civilize This!

Civilize This! from Griddly Games is an extension pack to their already popular Wise Alec trivia game. This pack of trivia cards can be added to Wise Alec, or played on its own. You are challenged with Ancient, Medieval and Modern History questions; and if you are up for the challenge, you may even score points by getting a Wise Alec card. With this card, you may perform a silly challenge, or lose points just by bad luck. Either way, it's a lot of fun for everyone.



We have added this into our school day a couple of times a week, simply because it's so user friendly and gives the kids a great chance to review information from previous school years. We've all learned several new interesting tidbits as well! As parents, we've enjoyed the educational aspect of the game, but the kids have loved the Wise Alec cards the most. It's so much fun watching the kids trying to walk like Egyptians, or stand on one leg while balancing a book on their head - we've even gotten daddy to do a few silly things...but I'm not allowed to post THOSE pictures! ;)

Civilize This! is recommended for ages 8 and up, mainly because younger kids won't know much about these time periods. But because of the fun that the Wise Alec cards bring in, my 7 year old still loves playing - even if he misses most of his questions! :)

Since we didn't have the original Wise Alec game, we just played it like a card game. Roll the dice, pick a card, answer the question and get your points. We'd usually play to 25 points. I checked out Wise Alec on the website, and it comes with a game board. That may have been a little more fun and interactive for the kids, but we liked it fine the way we have played it as well. Also, with the original game, you can only have 2-4 players. When you just play with the cards, you could have more than 4 playing without any problem.




Griddly Games website gives you a review of their products, but you can't order directly from the site. However, all of their games are listed on Amazon.com. Civilize This! is $14.99, as well as their other expansion packs. If you are looking for a fun way to get your kids into history, or you just want to increase their knowledge base, I recommend this game. It's a fun way to learn new facts, plus have a little goofiness added in for good measure - always a bonus in our house!

**Disclaimer: I received a free trial from Griddly Games via TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions stated are my own and my children’s.