Time4Learning, Guilt-Free Homeschooling, Flight Simulator
By Heather Idoni
Added Thursday, January 06, 2011
==========================================================Vol. 12 No. 2, January 6, 2011, ISSN: 1536-2035
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© 2011, Heather Idoni - www.FamilyClassroom.net
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Welcome to The Homeschooler's Notebook!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- A Thank You
Helpful Tip
-- Free Flight Simulator Software
Winning Website
-- Guilt-Free Homeschooling
Reader Question
-- Time4Learning Opinions?
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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I just want to say a grateful "thank you" to all those who have been praying for me in the midst of the lawsuit brought by Mimi Rothschild and Learning by Grace (and her various entities: Grace Academy, Jubilee Academy, Morning Star Academy, K12-FreeHomeschooling, Southern Baptist Academy, etc.). I never knew what was involved in "going to court"! It is like having a term paper due almost every week -- and a rocket science learning curve for me! But God is supplying every need and meeting me at every corner. I am still in the preliminary objections phase -- objecting to the lawsuit in its entirety -- but the tentative jury trial date would be June 2012 if the case proceeds. The plaintiffs are attempting to join other defendants to the case as well, so please pray for others who might be affected. I've had a tremendous outpouring of support from folks who don't even know me -- and I am so glad I am not walking this out alone!
For those who haven't read about the lawsuit yet, here is the link to some information:
http://homeschool-fraud-alert.educationforthesoul.com
Thank you all again for continuing to intercede on my behalf in prayer -- and for your kind and encouraging emails. I will try to keep you posted with updates from time to time!
-- Heather
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Your feedback is always welcome! -- mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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"I am LOVING this curriculum. The kids enjoy it, too. Thank you for making it easy to remember to review and so LOGICAL that they can figure a word out even if it's not one they have specifically learned or practiced."
Find out more about All About Spelling!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Helpful Tip
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Free 3D Flight Simulator from the National Air and Space Museum
http://nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal109/htf/activities/controlledflight/web/
"In this 3D simulation you can take the controls of 3 different aircraft and a spacecraft and try to master the art of flight." -- Lara
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Winning Website
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Guilt Free Homeschooling - http://www.GuiltFreeHomeschooling.org
Guilt-Free Homeschooling is focused on equipping parents for homeschool success. There are well over 200 free-to-read articles addressing all phases of homeschooling, including the tricky transition from institutional schooling to homeschooling. This month marks the beginning of the blog's 8th year, and it is read (and recommended) by homeschoolers around the world.
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Last Issue's Reader Question
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"I have been contemplating trying Time4Learning with my 4th grade son. Has anyone tried this curriculum and liked it? Since we started the beginning of this school year with different curriculum can we start Time4Learning in the middle or will he have to try to do all of the lessons prior to this point? Is there some kind of placement test? Thanks for your help." -- Amy
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Our Readers' Responses
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[Editor's Note: I've included additional input from parents who shared their reviews of Time4Learning on www.TheHomeSchoolMom.com recently.]
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"We use Time4Learning for our twin sons who are 11. We have used it for a couple of years now. To my knowledge, there is not a placement test. The parent sets the grade level and it can be updated at any time if you feel your child is performing above or below that level. The program is clearly laid out. If your child has mastered a certain area, you can skip that section and have your child complete the work that he/she hasn't mastered.
When you feel that your child is ready to advance to the next level, you enter the grade level on the parents' page and it will automatically update when your child logs in. You can repeat lessons as necessary. I love this program because I can monitor the progress my children are making by accessing the reports section. You can also print the reports out if you need/want to maintain records on what your child has worked on." -- Teresa
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"We used the program Time 4 Writing, same company, for our 7th grade son. He took an 8 week course on Paragraph Writing. It was a good experience for him - and for me. It helped him to have deadlines. It helped him to have someone to turn in his work with - and then wait for a graded response, and to change/fix/enhance his writing. It helped me to learn how to pace out the work. It showed me that he could turn in work - that on some levels I was not expecting as much as I could with his responsibility, and it showed me that I was expecting maybe too much on the level of writing. He received quite a bit of encouragement from the online teacher. He started the course unable to write a good paragraph, and he finished with the ability set in his mind and experience. I would recommend Time 4 Writing." -- Angie W.
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"My daughter enjoyed Time4Learning, and learned a lot with it. She loved playing the educational games, and begged me to play often. I liked the parent reports, too – they were very convenient. The games are fun and rewarding for the child. I have a M.Ed. degree and the program definitely receives my approval for educational value. The visual learning experiences provide helpful reinforcement for certain reading and math concepts, especially in the early elementary grades. I wouldn’t use it as a whole curriculum, as it's really too basic, but it's excellent for supplementation." -- Deana
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My son who is in 7th grade really enjoys the Math on Time4learning. The ease of usage is a plus as is the visual format it is presented in. That feature really helps to hold his attention and keeps things fresh. The concepts are explained in several ways to ensure that all types of learners can grasp the concepts. The review work and the many different examples are explored very well prior to the quizes and test. I really enjoy the lesson plans being very detailed and the assessment reports available to track and monitor his progress or struggles. The flexibility is a big help, If I feel he needs to review a specific area, we can, he is not pressured to perform. The ease of use allows me time to work with my younger child. This is our first year using the program and I'm sure I will continue to do so." -- Andi
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"My son loves this program -- he gets to do school on his own. The graphics are simple but engaging. The math concepts are great and broken out into small chunks so you can get them -- and they score each section so you can check on assignments and repeat topics as much as necessary. I also found out that it's a little less expensive if you pay annually rather than monthly. We use this program in conjunction with My Father's World." -- L.A.
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"We used this succesfully for two years but we had to pull out because it became expensive to have three children using it. I'm hoping we can sign up again for at least one child. We live in New Zealand and loved it." -- Maree
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"I was very leery of this program when I first came across it because I thought my 7th grader wouldn’t like the animation. I signed up for the trial period just to review and surprisingly my daughter LOVES it! I don't think it is good to use as a complete curriculum however, I do believe it is a great supplemental program for Language Arts and Math. I use it on our light days or to reinforce a new skill learned. There is a Learn2Write program also and I plan to sign up for that as well. One drawback -- the science and social studies program. I keep wanting more. My daughter does too. I have been recommending this site for everyone... it's great for homeschoolers and afterschoolers." -- Sasha B.
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Answer our NEW Question
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[Answers to our new question will appear in our 1/13 issue.]
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"What typing program would any of you recommend for kids kindergarten to lower elementary age? Or is this too early to start? We've tried several free online typing programs, and they just don't seem to be very good. Any suggestions?" -- Christina
Do you have some input for Christina? Send your reply to hn-answers@familyclassroom.net.
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Ask YOUR Question
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Do you have a question for our readers?
Send it to mailto:HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll answer it in an upcoming issue!
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