Time 4 Learning

The kids and I got a free one month trial membership for Time 4 Learning.  It is a K-8 program that can be used as an actual homeschool curriculum, a supplement for "regular" school or even in the place of a summer school program to make sure the kidlets don't forget everything they learned during the school year.

This program has a wonderful Getting Started Guide that you should use before getting started....that I have to admit I did NOT use before I let the kids plunge in.  It goes through things like how to track your kids' progress (you actually check a little backpack - just like in "regular" school); lessons and planning; and tips for how to use the program.  Like I said, it is a wonderful resource....but I chose to let the kids just jump in and figure things out through trial and error.  It had nothing to do with laziness....I was trying to build character and problem solving skills.....ahem....

If you are a parent that doesn't just let the kids swim with the sharks, like me, they also have a Parent Forum that has lots of hints and tips for successfully using the program however you want to use it....like as a supplement or a curriculum.

I used this program for A-man (1st grade), in the Lower Level (K-3rd) and for L-Girl (4th grade) and A-Girl (6th grade), in the Upper Level (4th-8th). 

See the cute little back pack in the top left corner?  That is where you can check their progress and how they are doing on their activities.
A-man's program has stuff like the usual, math,science, and language arts...but there are also "Extension" programs like studies on weather, pollution, planets, traveling, values, holidays, and early America. He also had Social Studies, which covers things like Wants and Needs, Comparing and Contrasting Locations, and Types of Jobs.  Here is a screen shot from the Language Arts page....

L-Girl and A-Girl have the same basic subjects available, but their "Extension" programs aren't quite as interesting sounding as A-man's.....theirs are things like:  Genres of Literature; Listening and Speaking Skills: and Grammar.  Now, their Social Studies options sound waaaay more interesting.  Stuff like:  Civilizations of India; Civilizations of Islam; Characteristics of your State; Rome; and Political Science.

Parent fact:  Parents can set a minimum lesson time for the kids and a maximum time limit for the playground.  The playground time default is 15 minutes and there is a clock counting down this time in the upper right corner.  There are six areas in the playground:  Action Games(with such things as the good old Asteroids and Pacman games!); Activities; Kid Places (like PBS Kids, Arthur, Cyberchase, etc.); Educational Games (in case you have one of those kids that just can't get enough of education!); Puzzlers and Two Player games.


Overall, we really liked Time 4 Learning.  I liked their little mascot/guide...a "mouse" named "Ed" ( I can only assume that Ed is short for Education).  You really could use Time 4 Learning as an actual full curriculum for school, if you don't mind the kids doing all of their work on the computer.  As a parent, you would still have control over their lesson plans and reports on how they were doing in each subject. 

I, personally, don't like my kids to  have too much  computer time.  Their personalities seem to change the more time they have on the computer....by that, I mean, that they get crabbier and meaner, the more "screen" time they have.  So, for me, I cannot foresee ever using computer based schooling for all subjects.

What I/We liked:  For us, Time 4 Learning worked well as a fun supplement.  Although we didn't use it every day, like it is recommended, I think the kids learned and had fun.  If I had tried this before we had our curriculum already set for the year, I may have used it in place of some of the workbook type activities that I have the kids doing. 

I also liked that the playground time was limited, because with 6 kids, I have a tendency to get distracted and lose track of how long people have been on-line....and I somehow always forget to set a timer....so this program did it for me....and from what I could see....there is NO way to stop the clock!  As a parent, you can change the amount of time permanently for a one-time only reward....or punishment.....whatever you may need!

Some things that my kids didn't like about this program:  A-girl and L-girl both thought that there was too much explanation of things before they could get to the "stuff" to do and that a lot of the playground games were geared towards younger kids.....which is probably why A-man liked this program better than the bigger kids. 

What I wish I had done differently:  I wish I would have spent some time at the start using the Getting Started Guide and setting up lesson plans and goals for the kids, rather than just letting them dive in.   I noticed that A-man was trying to just rush through his lessons to get to playground time, so, this might be something I should have made sure that I was sitting with him the entire lesson to make sure he was taking the time to read and follow directions and not just rushing to pick answers to get done.

Costs:  The cost for Time 4 Learning starts at $19.95 per month for one child, and then for each additional child after that is $14.95 a month.

You can visit Time 4 Learning and learn more about all of their programs and to see if it would be a good fit for your family.  There is a lot of information available on their site as well as the parent forum. 

My family received a one month trial membership for free, in exchange for an honest review of the product.

My Dad.....

This was my dad from August 27, 2010....his birthday.  He, my mom, my sister and her family were on their way to Georgia to visit.  That trip would be the last time I would see my dad. 

This year, I called my dad on his birthday.  Since my mom was out of town, he and I actually talked for about 20 minutes.  Normally, if mom is around, he and I would exchange pleasantries and then he would say, "Well, here's your mother."  But, this time, he and I talked.  I went out on our screened porch so I could have a peaceful talk with him.  We talked about some dreams I had been having, him feeling like he was fighting some sort of bug, the sermon he was going to preach the next day, mom being away on a girls trip with my cousins and lots of other seemingly insignificant stuff.

Throughout Dad's birthday weekend, my siblings and nieces popped in to see my dad.  My brother stopped over on Saturday and found out that Dad was preaching the next day.  My brother decided to skip his own church service that Sunday and go listen to my dad.  At the last minute, he decided to grab his video camera to tape it.

My dad died sometime Sunday afternoon, August 28, 2011....alone....peacefully....at home.

We are all still in shock.  I knew that this day would someday come, but, I thought when that day came, I would have some warning, so I could flip the switch in my brain to know that he wouldn't be around for much longer.  My switch hadn't flipped yet.  I was expecting to see him when we went up in October for an early family Christmas and again this coming winter when we went to see them in Arizona.

We are heart broken.

We know he is in heaven.

As horrible as this is, there have been blessings from God sprinkled throughout this whole thing:

* We had ALL talked to him on his birthday, the day before (The last thing I said to my dad was, "I love you, Dad."  His last words to me were, "Same here.")
* My brother deciding to go and listen to my dad's sermon.....and video taping it
* That my Dad went quickly and peacefully (blessing for him...not so much for us)
* That my sisters and I were able to sing at the funeral (something he had wanted for years and we had adamantly told him we were NOT going to do....but we did and we sang the songs he had wanted us to sing.)
* That my brother was able to share the gospel/salvation message at Dad's funeral

There are many more, but, I just feel like God knows how heart broken we are and is doing what he can to ease that burden for us.

We drove the 18 or so hours to and from Minnesota twice this past week.  That is a hard drive anytime, but knowing what was in store for us....made it harder. 

At some point during the week, A-man told me that I just needed to stop talking about Grandpa Doug, because it just made me cry whenever I talked about him.

I tried to explain that Grandpa Doug was my Dad.....then I said he was my Daddy....thinking that might make more sense to a 6 year old. 

That reminded me of my last Facebook interaction with Dad.  I had gotten up on his birthday and sent a quick message saying, "Happy Birthday, Daddy!".....then I realized that I was actually on D-man's account....so I quickly explained to Dad that I didn't realize D-man was still be logged on....and that the birthday wishes were from me and not D-man.  My Dad, replied that he figured that had been the case. 

D-man asked why I had called my Dad..."Daddy", which I don't ever do.  I told him, that down here in the South, many grown women seem to still refer to their fathers as "Daddy"....so  I was kind of trying it on for size....it didn't fit.  So, I went over to my own page and said, "Happy Birthday, Dad....talk to you soon."

But now that "Daddy" is gone, I wonder if that wasn't a little blessing from God too.....referring to him one last time as my Daddy.

The Daddy who even though he had a long day at work and just wanted to lay on the couch and read his newspaper - would still play games with me.

The Daddy who would give me whisker rubs after his hunting trips to northern Minnesota.

The Daddy who would who would come rub his smooth, Old Spice, smelling face on me after shaving.

The Daddy who told me that I would grow up to be pretty, after one of my crying spells during puberty.

The Daddy who was married to my Mom for 51 years....

...and would go find her as soon as he got home from work so he could give her a hug (and then swat her behind) - before he would go lay on the couch to be bothered by me.

The Daddy who taught me how much God loves me.

The Daddy who taught me to love the Lord.


I saw Dad in August of 2010....but, somehow, I did not get any pictures of him....except this one...

This is the only picture I have of us from the last time I saw my Dad. We went to the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta...

Dad and Mom came to visit us here in Georgia shortly after we moved....they helped me hang pictures and curtains and make the house a home....these are some of the last pictures I have with Dad and my kids....

I will let you in on a little secret....D-man's real name is Doug....named after my Dad.

We worked them so hard that we had to have a soak in the hot tub...

I miss you, Dad!

Are You a Wise Alec?

We just got this cool game to review for TOS.  It is from a series of trivia games called Wise Alec.  The game we got is called Civilize This!

The Wise Alec games are a family trivia game.  Now, we love trivia games around here....from Rainman on down.  Usually, Rainman's are either too hard for us, or too specialized....like, Who led the major leagues in home runs in 1967?  Answer:  It was a tie between Harmon Killebrew (who I have actually heard of) and Carl Yastrzemski (who I have never heard of). These are the types of things that Rainman stores in the recesses of his mind.  I have a tendency to do well at pop culture trivia games - I know stuff like - Who dubbed Debbie Reynold's singing voice when she was pretending to dub Lina Lamont's voice in Singing in the Rain? Answer:  Jean Hagan....the actress who played Lina Lamont.  The kids do well at their own trivia games....What star of Wizards of Waverly Place actually got her start on Barney?  Answer:  Selena Gomez.

But, here is how this one works....There are 3 question categories:
Ancient.....Medieval.....Modern...plus there is something called a Wise Alec card.

(In my mind, the Wise Alec card is sort of like the Chance card in Monopoly - because somehow it always felt like you were getting a surprise or bonus and was super exciting when you got to pick from the pile!).  The Wise Alec cards can hold bonus points....some are for stuff like: Name 5 countries in South America for 5 bonus points, or it can be a tongue twister like: Stupid Superstition for 4 bonus points.  You can also lose points with these cards:  You were traveling in India, and ate with your left hand - you lose 5 points.  Apparently, it is like the nuns used to say and being left handed is evil!  : )

I loved this game, partly because I just love trivia, but also because it really was something we could play as a family....and it is one of those sneaky educational games.  The games says that it is for ages 8 +, but my younger kids like to play too and guess along with the big kids.  It is designed for anywhere from 2-6 players, but we have all played it together (excluding V-girl)....so we have exceeded the maximum amount of players at 7!

Here is how it works:

There is a die with colored spots on it....which tells you which card you have to answer a question for....if you get blue you get to choose your own category....if you get orange the player to your right picks for you.  Each card has  2 questions on the back and you get to pick before the question is asked which one you want to try to answer....there is a 3 point question and a 7 point question.

Here is an example:

In case you can't read upside-down, I will flip this one over for you...

(I see I have some gook on my table that needs to be washed off)

If you roll a purple, you get a Wise Alec card:

( I love his little Egyptian head-dress thingie.)

These cards are where my younger kids excel!  They love these ones and put on a really good show!  A-man particularly loved this one and the one where you have to do your best Tarzan yell!
I will be honest and let you know that we rarely keep track of points in this game, partly because the littler kids are playing with us and partly because I am a little afraid of how competitive my older ones would get (although maybe that would be a good thing...) and just play it for fun....because this is exactly the kind of thing my family thinks is fun.  A little nerdy, I know.

Although, this game gives you optional ways to "level the playing field"....like staggering the points goal - Mom and Dad need 75 points to win, Big Brother needs 50 and Little Sister only needs 25.  I think this is an awesome way for everyone to get a chance to play and to feel like they have a real chance of winning.

As a homeschool family, since I am the teacher, I usually know what my kids have learned....but I have got to tell you that I have been surprised at some of the stuff that my kids know.  L-girl just finished a bunch of the Magic Tree House books which apparently she has gleaned a lot of useful information from - because whenever she got a question right and I expressed surprise that she knew the answer, she just said, "It was in Magic Tree House!"  Who knew???  I love educational stuff that is fun and makes you learn things without "trying".

We ended up going on an unexpected road trip recently and the kids brought this along to just read questions to each other without rolling the die.  I know that my littler ones are learning stuff this way too.  Some of the questions have sparked some interesting conversations too, like why people from India do NOT eat beef and how the feudal system worked.  (Although I gotta admit that sometimes I have to look up the answers).

This game is made by a company called Griddly Games which has a whole line of trivia games for the family....they even have a sports themed and a nature themed expansion set to go along with the Wise Alec board game.  Oh, it even received the Dr. Toy award for 100 best children's products.    Click here for more information on all of the games and how to get them.  They might just be at a store near you....and if not, you can get them on-line from Amazon, for $14.99.

Since I am a part of the TOS review crew, I was given this game in return for my honest opinion.