Time4Learning.com Review

Today I will review www.Time4Learning.com.  I really am very pleased with the program.

Background:
Our daughter is soon to be 9 years old and in the third grade.  At the age of 22 months, she was diagnosed with autism, PDD-NOS.  She began early intervention therapy, then at the age of 3, she was enrolled in our local elementary school.  She did well, and we mainstreamed her for kindergarten.

Fast forward to the first grade, after a few displeasing incidents, we realized that the safety of our child was not a priority in the public school system.  We pulled her out, and enrolled in FLVS-FT (virtual public school).  The program was difficult to keep up with and very time consuming.  It was not easy for a child to follow on their own, and most of the lessons had to be presented by an adult (me).  It left minimal time for much else, and I found it to be frustrating more often than not.  We stuck it out until recently, half-way through the third grade, when I realized our child was going to be required to sit through the FCAT (state testing), and if she didn't pass, we had a grueling summer reading program to go through, with the possibility of being held back.  It's not that we don't think she can pass the test.  It is the actual sitting through such a long test that would be very difficult for her.  She has a very short attention span in that way.

Once we realized that we were going to have to leave FLVS, I spent approximately two weeks researching online for other possibilities to use for our curriculum.  I read tons of reviews for many different curriculum/programs.  We did not want to incorporate any religion into our lessons, and many of the curriculum options out there are Christian-based.  I wanted to use an online program, not wanting to have to purchase a bunch of textbooks.  Our child is very proficient when it comes to computers.  She thrives in an online environment.

Time4Learning
As I read and read, Time4Learning stayed in the front of my mind.  It seemed like a perfect fit.  We decided that this might be the program for us, so we signed up.  The curriculum is presented in a very kid-friendly manner.  There are fun animations which explain the lessons clearly, while holding the students attention.  There are interactive questions throughout the animations which are there to make sure the student is understanding the information presented.  If it is not understood, further explanation is presented.  The math and language arts portions are presented mostly through animations and games, with some lessons presented through online text.  There are printable worksheets and resources throughout.  The science and social studies portions are mostly presented with text, with interactive questions and printable activities throughout.  The curriculum is aligned with the Common Core standards that many states are currently transitioning into.  Although I don't intend to ever re-enroll in the public school system, it is pleasing to know that our child is learning the current standards.

Before I tried Time4Learning, I read reviews that said there was not a sufficient amount of science and social studies curriculum.  I believe that this is false.  There is plenty.  In the school we were previously enrolled in, math and language arts had lessons scheduled 5 days per week, while science and social studies were each 2 days per week.  Although the lessons for science and social studies are mostly presented through online text that the student must read, the content is interesting enough to hold her attention.  There are many interactive questions throughout these texts which reiterate the information presented.

The customer service at Time4Learning is fast and friendly.  When we initially signed up, we were up and running very quickly, way before the allotted 24 hour period that they give themselves.  When I had a question about using the activity scheduler, my call was immediately answered, and the rep was quite knowledgable, nice and helpful.  Speaking of the activity scheduler, I think it works as more of a guide of where your child should be in their lessons.  I was unable to make an exact schedule.  It will essentially take the lessons, and divide them up into how many/which lessons need to be completed each week in order to be finished by the date that you choose.  As the lessons are completed, they are automatically checked off on the weekly schedule.

This leads me to the structure of the lesson flow.  T4L set it up so nicely.  They made it very simple for a child to be able to select the next lesson in line.  There is the main page that opens when you log in.  It lists all of the subjects.  When a subject is selected, the lessons that have been completed show a spinning star.  There is an arrow that points to the next topic.  The incomplete sections have stars that are not spinning.  It is simple for your child to know exactly what to do.  It's awesome.

Another nice feature that I would like to mention is that when you sign up, you place your child in their current grade.  As they are working, if things seem too easy or difficult for them, you are able to move them into the next higher or lower grade level for each subject.  I think this is a fantastic feature, as it allows you to better deal with a struggling or bored student in a way that is relatively quick and painless.  I have not currently used this feature, but I am glad to know that it is an available option.

There is a section in the parent account that allows you to pull up your child's records.  You can see which lessons they have completed (or partially completed) for the day, week, or month.  I had read two online reviews that stated that the parents was angry because their child's records had been deleted from the T4L system.  I inquired about this to the customer service rep when I called about the activity scheduler, and she informed me that in order for the records to be deleted, the account has gone delinquent.  For T4L, this means that the credit card was run for the monthly payment, declined and an email was sent four (4), yes, four times without any response from the parent before any information is deleted.  They try every 10 days, so that is 40 days, 4 email warnings to clear up the account.  This is not a school.  It is a curriculum provider.  It is suggested that you maintain your own backup records, downloadable or printed, weekly to prevent this from ever happening.  Or you could just pay your bill.  If you read any reviews like this, please understand that it was more of a user error.

In conclusion, we are extremely happy with Time4Learning.  The website has been running well, speed-wise.  I haven't experienced any hang ups or downtime.  The lessons are presented in a fun and interesting manner.  The lessons promote an independent working environment for your child.  I often find that our daughter has completed more than she was required to.  Warning:  There is occasional kid-friendly (burp) humor here and there, to which I find our daughter hysterically laughing.  We enjoy that type of humor in our house, so it's not a big deal.  It definitely keeps her engaged.  The website is extremely easy to use, once you know your way around.  The low monthly price is very reasonable for us.  I have found that using this service has alleviated a lot of stress from my life.

Please note the following disclosure:
As a member of Time4Learning, I have been given the opportunity to review their program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. For more information, check out their standards-based curriculum or learn how to write your own curriculum review.

Time4Learning Review

• I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. They offer an elementary curriculum, middle school curriculum, high school curriculum, and plenty of curriculum information. Find out how to write your own review!

Cabachon wrapping class

Yesterday, I taught a cabachon wire wrapping class down at the bead shop in Palm Harbor.  I do enjoy teaching quite a lot.  This is what I made for the class.  I have it listed for sale in my Etsy shop here.  It is made with sterling silver wire, and comes on a sterling chain.

Cabachon wrapping is pretty neat stuff.  It is geared towards non-drilled stones, but sometimes I use stones have holes in them.  It's like building a cage around the stone with wire, so that it can be securely worn as jewelry.  It is easiest to start with a rounder stone, as I found out yesterday.  One of my students picked out a beautiful Feldspar rectangle, which turned out to be quite difficult for her to wrap.  Those darn corners are tricky.

Square wire is used to build the frame, which is then held together with half-round wire.  The square wires are lined up next to each other, and the flat side of the half-round wire binds them together.  The front and back square wires are pulled and bent to form around the stone and hold it in place.  When the wires meet up at the top of the piece, they are gathered together, then formed into various decorations.  The hardest part is figuring out what to do with all of those wire ends.  I used 4 wires to form the bail, 1 wire to wrap around the gather, and 3 wires to give it an asymmetrical design.  I also twisted a few of the wires, which make the pendant glimmer a little more in the light.

The weekend is here.  I hope that it's a good one.  I need to be productive.

Todays Creation

I love this ring.  It's made of AA grade Aquamarine faceted rondelles wire-wrapped onto two handmade rings, which were created with fine silver and a torch.  The rings were hammered to give the piece texture and facets which reflect light.  Very nice.

I had a special order for this one, but it is found in my shop.  :O)

How to sprout beans

Sprouts are a very nutritionally dense food, and they can be grown on the cheap.  They are full of vitamins, essential nutrients, protein, anti-oxidants, and are a great source of fiber.  I have sprouted beans twice now, and I am going for a third try.  There are a few ways to do it, so I have realized.  

First, I sprouted mung beans, a very popular sprout found in grocery stores.  I found some nice ladies on youtube who have a great video demonstrating how to do this.  It's pretty simple, and you have to tend to them daily.  First, the dry beans are soaked overnight.  In the morning, you rinse them, and place them in cheese cloth, tie it closed like a sack, and place them in a  container which does not let light in.  They said that you have to fool the beans into sprouting by putting them in a moist environment, in the dark, as if they were in the ground.  Come to find out, that is not necessary.  They just need to be out of direct sunlight.  Each day, you take them out, put them in a strainer, and rinse them.  Place them back in the cheesecloth, back in the dark pot.  I didn't have any cheesecloth, so I actually used a kitchen towel, and the sprouts began to sprout through the towel.  After the first day of this, I lined the towel with paper towel, and did not have a problem again.  I did it for three days, and then we ate them as a sprout salad.  I found a great recipe for a nice japanese style dressing.  I will list that at the bottom of my post.  I didn't take any pictures of my first sprouting.  

My second sprouting consisted of small red beans.  I made way too many of them.  It is a much bigger bean than the mung bean.  I soaked them overnight, and place them in my infamous kitchen towel.  By day three, I needed a larger towel, and a bigger pot.  I took some pictures of these guys.  They are kind of unruly.  

  And day three...

I rinsed and re-wrapped them up each day for 2 - 3 more days.  I lost track.  Finally, they were ready.  Removing the hulls was a bit of a challenge, as I came to find out that I was not doing this the easy way.  Here are the final sprouts.  They have big ol' beans on them.  

Once I got sight of my crazy sprouted red beans, I decided to check out sproutpeople.com for some advice on perhaps getting a real sprouter.  This method I had used was quite a bit of work.  They really have a plethora of information over there.  Although I can't afford to purchase a real sprouter at this time, they surely gave me some great lessons.  

Last night I took a couple of quart sized Chinese soup containers and crafted my own homemade sprouter.  I am sure that by slicing slits and drilling holes in plastic, I am probably causing some chemically garbage to leach into my fresh made sprouts.  We'll see how the next ones taste.  Lentils, here I come.   

The Sprout Salad Dressing Recipe:  Mix it all together.  Yum.

1 lb bean sprouts

2 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp sesame oil (or whatever you have available)

4 tsp sugar

1/2 cup sider vinegar

1/2 tsp soy sauce

I also made a dressing of Hoisin sauce mixed with a few drops of Sriracha Hot Chili sauce.  

We took our leftovers from both salads, mixed them together for yet another delightful taste.  

Peyote Beads!

I just learned how to do the peyote stitch, mostly because I saw this beautiful bracelet the other day, and the beads were made of little tiny seed beads, all stitched together.  I decided to attempt making one and here is the result.  I will be making more of these to put together in an uber fun jewelry project.  Yippee!!
--------------------------
UPDATE:  January 22, 2010
Caroline stole my two peyote beads!!  Each one took me about 20 minutes to make.  I am sad.  I am sure they will turn up eventually, but for now, they are scared and gone.  Darn the luck.  I just can't leave anything on the coffee table.

Side note:  Caroline often takes my wire cutters to trims off ears and arms of her little figurines.  She will complain if one ear falls off, they must both be gone.  Everything must be even.  She will be 5 years old in two weeks, and she already has a great feel for beading tools, I give her that.  Little stinker.  :O)

Here's a little something that I made yesterday

Small Faceted Amethyst beads on 26 gauge wire.
I have a tutorial on how to make this ring here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/buyhappiness#p/a/u/1/r6WSrqeyjQ4
Or you could commission me to make you one.  :O)  I have many stones to choose from.

I hate to start this off with a bummer, but....

I had to put my poor pooch to rest this week.  He attacked (tried to kill) my older dog, and we decided that we could not take the risk that either he would attack my senior again, or that he could attack our 5 year old child.

What have we realized:
This has been a long time coming.  Buster was an 8 year old male who was never the leader of the pack.  He was not an obedient dog, but I was never much of a dog trainer, and I think that I gave up trying to control him a long time ago.  It was never really a problem.  As Bebe, who is a 12 year old female, began to reach seniority, he began to challenge her for her position as the alpha dog.  I did not see the signs, unfortunately.  Their fighting has just been getting more and more dangerous over the past year.  I did not realize that he was trying to take over, and this past Wednesday, he brutally attacked her.  Little did I know that my screaming, and trying to break the fight up with a broom could have led to my serious personal injury.  Luckily, for some odd reason, he released her, I grabbed his collar, and dragged him to the back patio.  I really thought that this was the day that he was going to bring her to her death.  It was so horrifying.

Bebe needed 5 stitches in her front leg, which had bled profusely, one in her neck, one under her chin.  There were many wounds that could not be stitched, and a lot of bruising.  My old girl is very lucky to have survived the attack.  Buster only had one nick.  Just goes to show that old girl can no longer defend herself.  Poor thing.

So, after the fight, when I got back from the animal hospital, I googled 'break up dog fight', and found this great site.  I highly recommend that if you have a dog, you read this information.  It's good to know, and the article also shows what happens when humans/owners try to break up a fight incorrectly.  Many folks have had severe injuries that required many surgeries and rehabilitation.  I consider myself to be lucky to have not been one of those folks.
Here's a link to the article:
http://leerburg.com/dogfight.htm

Stay safe.

Buster - Rest in peace.  We miss you terribly.