Times Alive! by City Creek Press is a fun and creative way for children to learn their multiplication facts. Teaching the 0-9 tables, it incorporates songs, fun activities, repetition practice and short animated videos to help children of all learning styles become more proficient at multiplication.
For each lesson, a new multiplication fact (or sometimes several) is introduced through a short animated video and a song, tying the new fact into a play on words or easy to remember rhyme. Then, the student is asked to practice the fact taught through a few simple activities. Each lesson lasts about 8-10 minutes. Once a few facts are taught and practiced, there are "Progress Checks" which cover not only the newest fact taught, but ones that were taught in the previous lessons, to ensure that the previous lessons are still reinforced. Parents can view and/or print progress reports showing each student's progress very easily.
The two children in my house who enjoyed this program the most were Ezra (age 8, 3rd grade), and Joel (age 6). Ezra had learned about half of his multiplication facts through our regular math program already, and using Times Alive helped him not only cement those facts more firmly into memory, but also introduce and familiarize him with facts he hadn't learned yet. At the beginning of the program, each student takes a pre-test, just to demonstrate what the student already knows. Ezra's initial score on this test was low, as I expected - he scored a 57%. After going through the program, at the end, there is a post-test - on this one, he scored a 96%! What an improvement! That spoke volumes to me about how well this program can work!
Joel, being just 6, didn't know any multiplication facts, but now can easily remember the answer to, and tell me the story behind, facts such as 6x6, or 8x4. Even though he doesn't understand exactly what multiplication is yet, I think having those already tucked into memory will help when the time comes!
The only drawback I could find about this fun program is the login process is a bit tricky. I assigned each child a login name (which, to keep it simpler, was just their first name). However, instead of a drop-down menu or other way to choose their login, it had to be typed - and if the child typed it incorrectly (say, with all caps, or all lowercase), the program would still open but with none of that child's progress showing, as if they were a new student. That caused a bit of panic a few times until we figured out that they had to login the exact way I had signed them up! A small detail that doesn't change my opinion of the effectiveness of the program, but one I wanted to mention nonetheless.
Overall, I think Times Alive is a good program, especially for students who are more non-traditional learners who don't do well with typical memorization methods (such a flash cards or timed repetition). The price is comparable to other similar math products, and an especially good value for families who have several children who will benefit from it! If you'd like to see some samples for yourself, be sure to check out the Time Alive YouTube Channel to get a glimpse of some of the videos and songs in the program, and to learn more about City Creek Press and their other products - they offer many other quality math helps for all ages!
Of course, be sure to check out what other reviewers thought by checking out the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!
Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.
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