Time4Learning

I'm not a big fan of kids being on the computer very much. #1, I'd rather see them reading books and #2, I don't like to share my computer. My children, however, looooooove to play on the computer. Their time is very limited and I'm picky about what they play. This is why I was hesitant when invited to review a website for kids. The kids, however, were thrilled.

Here is Honor, enjoying her morning computer time. I promise, I do occasionally brush her hair. Time4Learning was Honor's first computer experience at our house and she loved it. I was surprised how quickly she picked it up and amazed at how independently she was able to work. Can you spot the headless flamingo on my desk? It's a long story.

I sat with Honor to see how she did and was surprised at the repetition. In the reading section for her age group, there is a pre-reading lesson, giving background to the story. Following this, the story is read. Then Honor did a lesson on fiction/nonfiction involving the topic of the story, and then they read the story again. At first, I thought she had accidentally clicked on a completed button. I started to take her back and she said "No, please! I like it when they do it over again!" Apparently this is a common thing and she loves it. Later that day, I ran across a book about tigers that looked so similar to the book she had read on the website and I picked it up. She was tickled to see it again! It was difficult for me to sit through the slow sessions, but Honor ate it up. Honestly, the creators of the website really do have an excellent grasp of where kids are, academically and maturity-wise. Though I found them slow and repetitive, she found them lively and entertaining. The illustrations were very fun and I was impressed with the overall quality.


My boys were not on the same level as Honor. Their sessions were much meatier. After sitting down for his first session, I saw Ethan up and running not ten minutes into starting. I asked him to please stay with it and give it a full try. He said he WAS staying with it. He needed supplies! He was digging through drawers and cabinets and within another 10 minutes, he was holding up a homemade electromagnet. How on earth....??? Thank you, Time4Learning. I generally just let them spend 20 minutes on the computer, but extended that with this program. Ethan studied electricity, magnets, biographies of scientists, and on and on. I was impressed.

Joel learned with the program, but this was not his favorite part. Joel's favorite part was the "playground". After completing your lesson time, there are games you can play just for fun. These were good quality puzzle games and parents can set a timer for the student. I set Joel's to leave the playground after 15 minutes. I really liked that feature....until he found a way to sneak back in without completing another lesson. It's great in theory. There isn't really much sneaking possible though. Time4Learning provides student reports that log their date and time of visits as well as scoring and progress so parents can be up to date on what their students are learning and how well they are doing without sitting through each session with them.


I love that it adjusts for ability level. No student has to struggle in an area that is too difficult; they work at their own pace and skill level. A 5th grade language art student can also be a 3rd grade math student using this program. Another feature I appreciate is the Parents' Forum. This is a great area to discuss thoughts, including a room for questions and answers about joining.

Time4Learning provides excellent online support and are quick to respond to questions. As an example of their care and concern for students and families, they are compiling a list of lessons that mention evolution to provide for families that wish to avoid these sections. Time4Learning happily adds or removes any subject you wish to be on your student's page. My boys didn't remember running across any of this, so I would say the evolution issue isn't covered strongly, but other families in the TOS group did run across it, so I know evolution is mentioned. It's possible mine saw it and shrugged it off. We don't hide evolution from them. We teach creation, but I think it's important that they know there are other schools of belief out there. When they see PBS sharing about something they insist happened"3 billion years ago....." my boys laugh and say "THEORY people, it's a THEORY!" While I would prefer a program that taught creation science, I don't know that it would upset me terribly if we had run across it at their grade level.

Though I used it as a supplement, it does meet state standards and would make a workable core curriculum. I think it would be helpful to a lot of families as a summer school option. Because I keep their computer time so limited, it would not work for us as a core curriculum. Cost for the program is $19.95 a month. Very reasonable if you are using it as your curriculum or as a summer program. They offer a free 2 week trial period without the hassle of a contract, so give it a try and see what you think. Also, be sure to sign up for a giveaway of one month free over at the lovely Shanna's blog.

For other reviews of this website, be sure to check out the Homeschool Crew.

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