Quality Interactive Online Curriculum

“Our mornings, built around textbooks and workbooks and other desk work, had been going badly. With four kids, I was exhausted by the planning, the correcting, trying to follow up on lessons that my kids hadn’t learned, and frankly, by chasing the kids to get back to work. With Time4Learning, our homeschooling is a lot smoother and we are all happier.”
         – Time4Learning parent

Advantages of an Online Homeschooling Curriculum

One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is that the learning environment does not have to emulate the traditional classroom setting. Yet many parents start their homeschooling experiences with a traditional textbook and worksheet format because of its familiarity. The good news is that there are offerings that allow students to learn while breaking away from the methods that feel stale to today’s students.

Time4Learning’s online interactive curriculum is a popular alternative to workbooks and textbook-based study for many reasons:

1. Multimedia Format.

• The multimedia curriculum appeals to middle school, elementary, and preschool students.
• Students like the independence of computer-based learning.

2. Effective Quality Program.

• The curriculum is time-tested and provides a solid base for language arts and math (preschool – 8th grade.)
• An online science and social studies program is included free (2nd – 6th grade.)
• Time4Learning makes the effort to inform and support its users and potential customers with free online, interactive demos; descriptions of the curriculum on their website; and an open forum where parents can ask questions of current members.

3. Simplicity.

• No lesson planning, grading, or software to install.
• Signing up takes only minutes.
• Children follow self-running lessons, interactive activities, and assessments inside their browser with or without parent supervision.
• Parents can review their students online progress reports and, when they haven’t mastered a lesson, get them to repeat it and approach it differently.

4. Low Pricing and Fair Terms

• Time4Learning is reasonably priced and offers discounts for multiple children.
• The program offers a two-week money-back guarantee.
• Payments are set up as monthly charges with no long or short-term contracts.
• Families can evaluate Time4Learning and sign-up on whatever schedule works for them. There is never any pressure from “sign-up now promotions”.

5. Open Communication.

• Families can email Time4Learning with questions anytime; emails are answered seven days a week.
• Parents can reach Time4Learning via phone to discuss matters and with a little patience, can even speak with the president of the company!
• The parents forum allows candid discussions of curriculum along with comparisons of alternative homeschooling methods.

Picking a curriculum for homeschooling seems to be an ongoing process. Many parents find that what works for one child, doesn’t work for the next. What works in what subject might not work in another. Most homeschool parents rely on a eclectic mix to best meet the needs and wants of the homeschooling family. So how can a curriculum source like Time4Learning be used?

This example of a homeschooling method comes from a Time4Learning parent named Kelly when she was asked if Time4Learning was “the answer” for her children:

“I would be cautious about a curriculum that promised to be all that your child will ever need. My children are each very different so I treat each one appropriately. As an example, here is the starting point that I take for my second grader.

Starting with the language arts program, our family uses Time4Learning for our language arts foundation curriculum. Time4Learning’s language arts curriculum is thorough in its coverage of phonics, grammar, vocabulary, verbal comprehension, reading comprehension, critical thinking, and literary analysis. If I feel my child needs additional practice on a certain language concept, I can usually find it in the Time4Learning language arts library of extensions.

We supplement Time4Learning with my own version of reading, journaling, and handwriting program (keyboarding for the elder kids).

Reading is very important to us so our schedule includes a weekly library visit to pick up new books. There is an hour of daily reading. We alternate between reading aloud or to herself. I still sometimes read to her.

All my children write in their journals each day.  Monday is creative writing, Tuesday is book report, Wednesday is whatever they want, Thursday they review a lesson and on Friday, they choose their favorite journal entry from the week, correct any spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors and write the edited version in their best penmanship. This provides practical application of some of the language skills they’ve learned.

I have a handwriting program to develop fine motor skills and learn penmanship. At third grade, the kids follow a typing program.

I have children with a range of math abilities and Time4Learning has been a good choice for all of them. I add math drills for the kids who need it.

I supplement Time4Learning’s Science and Social Studies with “read alouds” from the library. I locate books on a subject that is currently being studied and read these aloud to my children in the evening. This often generates some interesting discussion, which helps build conversational and verbal expression skills.”

While Time4Learning has a lot to offer, what and how it is used is still decided by the homeschooling parents, which allows them to maintain their independence while creating the optimal learning environment that will work best for their students.

After all, that is why they started homeschooling in the first place.

For more information please visit their website at www.time4learning.com or
phone (954) 771-0914 / Email: [email protected].