Product Recommendation

J really enjoys school. Each subject to greater or lesser degree is his "favorite." He enjoys learning.

Except for Math.

At the end of 2nd grade, I got out the multiplication flash cards and proceeded to fall into the pit of hades. There was weeping. There was gnashing of teeth. It was awful--and very surprising. J has taken to anything I've put before him in the past. What was going on?

We overcame the multiplication facts memorization horror by using Times Tales during the summer between 2nd and 3rd. I figured we were over the resistance regarding learning math. I figured wrong.

Fourth grade commenced and J would sit for an hour with SIX problems in front of him. At the end of the hour (with much prompting from me to "get to it," and "keep working"), he would have gotten two problems done. One of them was wrong.

What to do? Well, I finally realized that he is a "visual learner." He's artistic and loves words. I began a search to find something that would engage him enough for him to pull down the wall of resistance he had created for himself. J COULD do the work. It wasn't that he didn't understand the concepts. He would just dawdle, due to lack of desire, and then get things wrong because he wasn't paying attention.

After much research I finally found something that (I hoped) would fit the bill: Clear explanation of the material, repetition of concepts, engaging, interactive, and rewarding enough to pull him over his wall of Resistance.

What I found is an Internet based program called Time4Learning. This website covers ALL the subjects for preschool through eighth grade, including art. We've not explored the other subjects, but have found the math portion to be so valuable that we'll be continuing it for rest of elementary school, at least.

J is now EAGER to do his math. He works through the concepts, takes the quizzes and tests, and is mastering each one. If he doesn't master it, we go back through it together until he does. Each area is covered using interactive games with tutorials that clearly describe the process. After he completes an entire subject area and misses no more than two problems on the final test, he's allowed to go to a "Playground" with all SORTS of games. He lives for the playground, so that's extra motivation to complete the assignments.

The cost is $19.95 per month for the first child. If you sign up for a year, the price goes down. In order to see if this is useful, the company allows a two-week money back guarantee to give a chance to really explore all that it has to offer.

Please go and check this out if math has been a pulling-teeth issue in your homeschooling. If you find that it works for you, please tell them you heard it from me. They give a compensation if others sign up and use your name as a referral.

I have found this site to be exactly what we needed to deal with an area where J has dug his heels in. I am HAPPY to recommend it!

(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 is an online educational program that can be used in many ways including as a homeschooling curriculum or afterschool tutorial. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.)