LaRocque Family

Reading Eggs

I am going to be reviewing a program called Reading Eggs with my youngest daughter. This email just came through for anyone wishing to try this program for free. I copy and pasted the whole email and hope others can benefit from this program as well! It has been fun so far and I will be writing a full review soon. Enjoy!

Teach Your Child to Read in Just 5 Weeks for FREE! Use Promo Code: USH99TSH    99.6% of parents who use Reading Eggs online reading program have seen a significant increase in their child's reading abilities 98% of teachers recommend the Reading Eggs program to other teachers Over 2,000 elementary schools across the U.S. are using Reading Eggs in their classrooms Won two national awards for being the #1 online learn to read program Reading Eggs have already successfully taught over 500,000 kids how to read Kids and Parents Love Reading Eggs because: Reading Eggs program grabs your child's attention It allows kids to play without realizing that they are learning It incorporates fun with learning and allows kids to fall in love with reading It teaches reading skills and reinforces reading skills that are being taught Kids learn at their own pace It keeps kids interested in learning with the fun and animated games, activities and reward points that serve as an incentive for your child to continue to learn It's a great learning tool to introduce your child to computers The reading program is highly customized to your child's learning level It encourages and motivates kids to learn to read with positive interactions with fun animated characters that can be customized by your child It allows kids to make sense of how letters sound and words work Reading Eggs is easily accessible anywhere so your child can pick up where they left off when they go to grandma's house It's a secure environment, free of annoying advertising so your child can learn without any interferences It tracks your child's progress so you will know exactly what your child is learning and what your child needs to focus on The Reading Eggs Learning Process This powerful educational program is based on the most up-to-date research on how children learn to read. When children start Reading Eggs, they can complete a placement quiz to ensure they are starting at the correct reading level. The lessons use animation, music, activities and a reward system to keep children motivated and engaged. Reading Eggs is designed to allow children to learn at their own pace. Children want to come back because they are having fun as they learn. Your children will-- Learn skills Children complete animated online lessons where they will learn the 5 essential elements of reading, Phonemic awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension. The variety of fun activities within each lesson provides the repetition needed for these skills to become part of long term memory. Read books Every lesson ends with a new book. This allows children to gain confidence by reading books that only contain words they have already learned in the program. Earn rewards Children earn golden eggs as rewards for completing lessons. They can use these eggs to buy reward games, avatar features to customize their own avatar and items to personalize their virtual playhouse. Take Quizzes After every 10 lessons, children complete a Mastery Quiz. This provides you with a report of what your children are learning. Children can repeat the online lessons as many times as they like. Young children enjoy repetition and it has great benefits too, as it helps them learn.   Visit ReadingEggs.com today and try the Reading Egg Program for FREE! Use Promo Code: USH99TSH

 

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We Choose Virtues

In the past year, I have noticed a decline in our attitudes of kindness and respect toward other family members- particularly during school . Surely, it has not been helped by the amount of stress we have been under recently. To say we have had a stressful year is a major understatement, but I have tried to teach our children we shouldn't be controlled by circumstances.

 

Through all our current experiences, we know  prayer has uplifted us. Nevertheless, nothing brings out  true heart attitudes the way stress and unexpected changes can. What I saw in myself and some of my children was not pretty, and it really hit home what I brat I could be. Of course, we truly  love each other and if things go as planned and our routine stays routine, all is well. Yet, we have a unique combination of very strong and different personalities under one roof and many of us share a common desire to have the final say. Since we have not changed our schedule in quite a long time, I didn't even realize my children wouldn’t be able to deviate from it or respect other adults who were stepping in for us while we were away- until we were suddenly faced with that need.

 

The timing of this review was excellent, and I jumped at the chance when offered.

 

We Choose Virtues is designed for use in secular or faith-based settings-  as materials are available with supporting scripture passages or not - making it suited for  children in any public school , private schools, homeschool, Sunday School, etc.

 

I received a set of small cards called Virtue Clues ($5.99)  for use  by my family. The virtues included are:  I am Honest, I am Self-Controlled, I am Attentive, I am Helpful, I am Content, I am Attentive, I am Forgiving, I am Kind, I am Obedient, I am Perseverant and I am Diligent.  I also received  downloads for the Kid's of Virtueville Coloring Book ($3 download), a handbook  ($4.95 for download and $15 for print ), and a Student's Character  Evaluation Tool (available for free for anyone).  If you are considering this Virtue based curriculum, you might find it handy to look at the comparison chart offered on the website to choose what works best for you. You can also take advantage of one of these codes:

• VIRTUE15 for 15 % off the shopping cart
• FAMILY for $3.00 off the Kids Virtue Poster (not applicable right now because of the current poster sale)
• SHIPFREE for free worldwide shipping

We Choose Virtues also has a Facebook page.

Incorporating the cards during our  daily school reading time took very extra effort. After reading each card, we spoke briefly about each trait. My children immediately identified with certain ones  without prompting. Naturally, they were full of suggestions for their siblings as well, but it didn't take too much time to redirect. Interestingly, I didn't realize how much I need to work on!

 

Once sure we all understood each trait, we each filled out a personal evaluation sheet. Then, I followed up and ranked each child as well. Surprisingly, my children took this very seriously and - for the most part- graded themselves  the way I expected. Occasionally, we disagreed, but instead of over grading, it seemed the kids would often grade lower than deserved. My 8 year old struggled a little, but even he did a pretty good job of evaluating. He was very discouraged starting out and he needed some assistance in filling it out. He definitely struggles with impulsiveness and we have many conversations about this. Yet, he is very helpful and kind- even if he doesn't stick to anything for more than a few minutes. 

 

Was this program magic and are we now living in perfect harmony with each other ? Certainly not (as anyone who sat near us tonight at church would know). However, with just a short time of talking through the character qualities during this review period - as well as an extra  focus on my part to "catch" my children exhibiting positive qualities, seems to have made an impact already.

 

In fact, it seems so simple and has made such a difference already, I am surprised it took me needing a tool like this to think about it. I realize I had fallen into a rut of just getting exasperated and reacting to the problems that cropped up. Now, I find myself anticipating a frustration or anger speed bump and we talk through how to have self control or diligence before it happens.  Also, it became clear when I used a term such as "self-control" previously, I never explained to my children what I meant by that. Now it seems obvious, but with a short explanation and a quick story to illustrate, all my school age children are now on the same page with me and know what is meant when I ask them to have self-control or be diligent. The cute characters on the cards are helpful, too. Even though I haven't used the stories, the kids know that Jake Cake has something to do with contentment.

 

The NIV is not a version of the Bible we have ever used before and honestly, we prefer to memorize out of the New American Standard (NASB).  So, that is sort of a  negative for me. Yet, we also aren't stuck on only one version of the Bible either. It just would be nice to have the option. Some items seem expensive to me. However, the quality and presentation is quite nice on the small cards we have already received and I believe the price for those are reasonable. Plus, clearly a lot of time has gone into developing the entire line. I will see if I feel differently once I receive the items I purchased. I am pretty much on the cheap side, but don't mind paying more for convenience and quality when warranted.

 

I just  purchased the homeschool kit- even though some is a repeat of what I was given to review. I hope to build on the current momentum and eagerness all the children show toward working on their virtues. My 7 year old doesn't seem quite able to grasp all the concepts, but it seemed like a relief to my 14 year old to have a checklist of sorts for the various virtues. With everything we have had going on this year, I feel almost like this month is the true start to our school. Since we homeschool year round and get our longest break around now, it also seemed appropriate.

 

As a disclaimer, I was sent several items for free in exchange for my review, I also bought the homeschool faith based program and signed up for the affiliate program as a result of how much I liked the concept. Now that we all speak the same virtue language, I believe we are going to be helping each other reflect the virtues we all truly wish to have and hope to be a family that has a better testimony for God.

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Maestro Classics

Tchaikovsky's music has always been a favorite of mine, so I jumped at the chance to review The Story of Swan Lake as presented by Maestro Classics. When I received my CD, I panicked a little thinking it was just a CD of music  narrated, but was very glad to know the entire explanation of the music as well additional educational material all on one CD.  I received the 54 minute CD that sells for $16.98, but it is also available as a download for $9.98.

 

I fully intention to work with the online guide and design a complete unit study revolving around Swan Lake- back when I signed up for this review. That was before we even left for Russia to bring our baby boys home. However, I received the CD very late for reasons unknown. When it finally reached me, it actually wasn't even postmarked , so I believe this was a post office error and not a mistake made by the sender. However, I have actually only had the CD in my hands since Saturday , January 7th. Three of thedays this week were spent at the bedside of my oldest daughter while she was hospitalized.

 

Because of the current serious health condition of our oldest daughter, 2 of our younger children are very concerned about death and dying, I felt the subject matter was too serious to go over yesterday - the one full school day this week- since the swan and prince jump to their deaths and then are reunited on a boat going to heaven. Also, my oldest daughter is now home and very sensitive to any mention of death also. While, this particular hospitilization was not as tramatic as the one in December. None of us expected her to be back in the hospital again. So, in many ways this time was much more emotional for us all.

 

I will update this review at a later date or post a new one once we have had a chance to do a full unit study. We are definitely interested in learning more about Russian since our new sons have that heritage in common with the composer of this beautiful work.

 

Included on the Maestro Classic website are links to online resources and suggestions  for  teaching under the category of Educational Materials and subcategory Homeschool  Music Curriculum Guides encompass History, Science, Geography, Language Arts, Art, Music, and Math turn any of the 9 CDs(currently, 8 have the curriculum and 1 is coming soon) into a complete stand alone study for school. After each suggestion -in parenthesis-is the grade recommendation or range for the material. I would love to order Casey at the Bat right now since that is currently a favorite story for my 8 yo son.

 

This series is recommended for a wide range of grades, but K5- 5th grade is probably the target age- yet, my  13 month and 11 month old sons listened along and were very intrigued by the music- perhaps they listened to a lot of Tchaikovsky in the Russian orphanage. They both love music, but our 13 month old particularly does.

 

My 14yo and 9 yo son also listened to the CD with me and surprisingly didn't leave the room (even though it wasn't a school time), In fact, I was listening for review purposes intending to use this CD each day in school this week. My 9 yo loves all music and takes piano lessons, however, I never thought my 14 yo was interested in music at all.  Both had questions about the music and were clearly interested in listening. Before recieving this item, ,I thought it would be a "hard sell" since it isn't a video and we haven't listened to music for school in the past. If it had been part of school itself, staying would have been mandatory. But since the CD didn't reach me until Saturday, I listened to it all the way through on Sunday and then was in the hospital with my daughter from Monday - Wednesday.  The rock version of Swan Lake called  Speed Metal Swan arranged and played by Joe Stump was a hit with both my boys, but I honestly have never understood the appeal of heavy metal music. I did find the way Joe Stump plays the guitar to be amazing, though and can see how this could be a benefit to get kids interested in the music. For me it was a negative thing to have that version on the CD. The original music is so beautiful. I really appreciated the narration and back story of the ballet by the composer as well as the fun song to teach a summary of Swan Lake

 

In short, I wholeheartedly recommend this entire series (even though I have only listened to this one CD). I am very eager to pull together the suggested items and build an unit study around it. Additionally, the narration is quite well done . If we didn't have such a scare with my daughter recently, I would have certainly at least listened to this with all my children. The tragic, though also heartwarming , end, it is just not a subject matter I can expose to my 7 and 8 yo at this particular time. I did not know we would be dealing with any of this back when I requested to review this item.

 

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, thisStory of Swan Lake CD  was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

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Pitsco Review

Wow! Life has been crazy!  Once I post this review I will be officially  caught up with my reviews for  The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew.

This review  is for  the Medieval Machines Pack from Pitsco  and was an item  I really hoped to be chosen for because I thought my 14 year old would love it! (He did!) Wonderfully, the kit came just in time for his birthday in the beginning of November. Since his grandparents were  visiting  around the same time, I suggested his grandfather (who is also an engineer) help build it with him.

 

Overall, the building of the small model trebuchet  went without a hitch. There were a couple parts of the instructions that took longer to understand and my 14 year old was thankful to have help since he didn't feel comfortable assembling it alone. I was nervous the thin boards would splinter when separated from the sheets. Each piece needed to be punched out of a single sheet of balsa wood. No cutting was required, but some pieces did stick a little and I thought for sure they would break- but didn't. Our experience in the past with balsa airplanes  (not from this company!) was the cause for my anxiety. The wood seemed thicker than other punch outs we have had experience with.

 

The assembly ended up taking about 1 1/2 hours for the trebuchet, which was longer than I thought , but I have never assembled anything like this , so I didn't have any idea what a realistic expectation would be. Both my son and father-in-law enjoyed the time they spent making it and my husband's Dad spent a long time explaining the trebuchet as they went.  The overall size was much smaller than I expected. Let's say, I was OK with him shooting it in the house.

 

My son completed the catapult included in this kit on his own. He lost one small piece, but was able to make his own based on the shape of the missing piece. He was very proud of his accomplishment and it was an excellent project for him to work through.

Before you purchase this kit - available for $21.95 -or others on the Pitsco Education site, you can see a full list of needed supplies. That was very helpful to have collected before the arrival of the kit.

 

In addition to just being a fun building activity, my son spent several days weighing out different sized balls he made from the clay (separate item from this kit, but included in my kit for this review).  He measured how far the clay balls flew and noted which went the furthest.  My son also shot about anything else that would fit in the sling of the trebuchet or the bucket of the catapult. Wrapped soft mints seemed to be the favorite thing, though Marshmallows, crumpled paper and coins were also tried.

 

Many other kits are available and all are reasonably priced. Some of the kits come with full lesson plan sets including over 20 hours of teaching material.  There is also a larger model demonstration trebuchet. The experience has given my son more confidence in trying to build other things and certainly sparked an interest lacking before.  He has both still and keeps them well out of reach of his brothers. He pulls them down to work on them and shoot things off. I wished we had been able to do a mini-unit study surrounding medieval times, but 3 trips to Russia took place between my son's birthday and this review. Plus, my oldest daughter spent 2 weeks in a hospital almost 5 hours away for seizures and breathing difficulties. So, needless to say, we had too much going on to build a whole unit study around these items. We did pull out a few books and my sons remembered reading about medieval times in the past. So, we spoke about that.

 

 I would buy more kits in the future if we had the funds to do so. However, I would probably get a kit with the other materials included since I don't know much about the workings of things and have zero experience with physics. Clearly, Math, Science and History would easily be included in a unit study using this kit.

 

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew, this kit was provided for free in exchange for my honest review.

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FracTazmic TM

FracTasmic ^TM is part of an amazing line up of educational card games offered by BrainyAttic ^TM on this website: www.iseecards.com.

In this fraction forming game, there are 3 suits of fractions in 3 different colors. The blue is 12ths illustrated by varying amounts of  eggs in a carton of 12, red is 16th illustrated by an inch, and green are 10ths illustrated by a liter water bottle. Each colorful card is marked with a fraction (ie 1/4) and also a picture to illustrate the fraction (ie 3 eggs in a carton). The way we play as a group is by picking up and discarding as well as playing the cards we were dealt to make sets of whole fraction.  The winner who has the most complete sets when the cards are all used is the winner.  When I taught each child individually, I had a child turn over a card at a time and make sets that way.

I am a firm believer that learning can be both fun and educational. In fact, I prefer to teach new concepts or reinforce old ones with  games when possible. Some of my children have a great sense of fractions, but others don't. All of us enjoyed this game to some extent. At first my children played the game only when they were asked to. Then, they played for fun a few times. I wouldn't say it is their favorite as a game, but they prefer it to workbooks or watching a math video. Mostly, I played this game one on one in a solitaire type style with each child until I knew they understood and were more or less on equal footing.

While, this game claims to be fast paced, it wasn't  fast while playing with a 7 yo, 8, yo, 9 yo and 14 yo. This is the type of game that would appeal to me if I were at an educational store, but would be highly unlikely to buy from a website if I just stumbled across.  Now that I do have this set (provided free for my review), I would be very likely to buy other sets sold by this company  as a provider of  fun educational games for home or school. This product is not designed specifically for homeschoolers. It might have been a faster paced game with children all the same age and with similar skill sets.

With 60 cards in a set,  free teaching math download, online games and more on www.iseecards.com the $6.95 price for each deck seems very reasonable. The online game and download free even if you don't purchase. My impression was this company has a true heart for teaching children to succeed and providing quality products at a reasonable cost.

A pack of FracTasmic ^TM cards were given to me in exchange for an honest review.

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The World's Greatest Stories TM

 

I have taken an unintended break from homeschool reviews while my oldest daughter has been struggling with major health issues and has been hospitalized out of state for the last couple weeks. Additionally, 3 weeks ago, 2 new little boys joined our family from Russia. So, we have been out of the country many times recently. Thankfully, our daughter is now out of the hospital and home again and the babies are on a predictable schedule. So, I am ready to get back to posting reviews. We have continued with homeschooling and using the items we have been given to review. It has simply been impossible to sit down and try to get my thoughts down to write a semi-intelligent review.

 

The World's Greatest Stories ^_TM are spoken dramatizations of scripture read or quoted directly from the King James Version or New International Version of the Bible.  George W Sarris expertly narrates in such a wonderful voice and with such enthusiasm that successfully holds the attention of young and old alike. While targeted at children with a focus on "Getting Eternity into the Hearts of the Next Generation", it is still enjoyable for adults . In fact, it is one of the very few reviews I have done that made me want to order all the items offered by the company.

 

That is not to say other items I have reviewed haven’t been wonderful! I have felt blessed by each item we have had the opportunity to review, but I connected with this item more than many since I deeply desire my children to memorize scripture and to have the Word of God in their hearts. Plus, the price is low enough to be what I consider affordable. Since the recitations are directly from scripture, we can listen without interruptions and explanations that are necessary when typical Bible stories add their own interpretation in order to make it more entertaining for children.  I believe in the power of scripture and that even the youngest child of God can benefit from the scripture alone.

 

I is wonderful for the children to use their imaginations to visualize the passages being read.  Granted, the voices George Sarris uses are his own interpretation and might color the impression of the listener. However, this helps to differentiate characters while listening and is a large part of why these stories are so enjoyable.

 

Honestly, my children would prefer to watch a video of some sort to listening to a CD, but we often listen CDs  while we drive. Currently, the children most often request these Bible stories over the other CD options. At $7.95 each, they are affordable as well. Shipping is only $1.25 and free if 6 or more items are ordered at a time. Interested in seeing live performances? Click here for a tour schedule.

 

We received Volume 1- The Prophets. The 5 stories are: The Blazing Furnace (Daniel 3), The Handwriting on the Wall (Daniel 5), Daniel in the Lion's Den (Daniel 6), Elijah & the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 17-18), The Prophecy of Jonah (all of Jonah). We kept the CD in our van. I chose King James because we don't have NIV version Bibles readily available in our home. While we simply listened so far, these CDs would also make great read alongs!

 

 

I received this CD free in through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review.

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The Reading Game

In a world where reading early and getting ahead is foremost in many parent educator's minds, The Reading Game comes along as a breath of fresh air!

 

The maker of Wordly Wise, Kenneth Hodkinson,  presents (in his own words) his "second great idea in forty years". And a great idea indeed! No parent or teacher I know of wants to watch a child dissolve into tears and frustration because she can't remember what letters make which sounds or struggles with reading. But we all know reading is important and some children don't take to the process as easily as others! Even if you have an eager reader, The Reading Game is a great way to play your way through learning sight words.

 

This teaching tool truly does 2 jobs: it teaches an emergent reader how to read and it takes the pain out of the process.

 

My daughter loves matching games. So, The Reading Game is a perfect fit for her. She took right to it and soon easily mastered sight words she had struggled with in the past. She is not a poor reader, but she doesn't embrace the process with enthusiasm either. She should be able to read better than she does and I feel this game gives her the boost and confidence she needs.

 

If you view the video on www.thereadinggame.com  You can see a sample of how the game is played. There are 6 playfully illustrated books that go along with the 5 card sts for a total of 30 words per book. All 10  cards in the first set are turned face down and then the 5 words are paired up in a typical matching game fashion. At first, the tutor says the name of each card as it is turned and the student repeats. When the student can read each word correctly without assistance, it is time to introduce the next pack of 10 new words. Once 2 packs are read, the first 2 pages in the first book can be read to see if the words are truly mastered. The process repeats with the 3rd pack and another 2 pages are read after the 4th until eventually all the cards are learned and the book is finished. In this fashion, the author taught his 4 year old grandaughter to read in a week.

 

Gently and gradually, each 32 page book is read and each new word is mastered. So, at the end, the student knows a total of 180 sight words.

 

This game was developed for early readers, but  can be played with brand new readers, struggling readers, English as a second language students and even special needs students. The cards are a heavy weight that hold up to frequent use. All the words in the stories are made up of the learned word. It gives a great sense of accomplishment to new readers and encourages struggling readers in a fresh and fun way.

 

I do not know if individual cards can be replaced if they are lost or ruined somehow. I hope so. I did send an email asking about this, but have not heard back from customer service. I am a little disappointed by that. I did not tell them I was reviewing their product because I wanted to get a feel for customer service. Ordinarily I would follow up with a phone call, but am still in Russia and it isn't possible for me to do that.

 

I wish the cards were numbered more subtly. 10 cards at a time is not enough of a challenge for my little matcher. It would have been nice to add each set as they were mastered and let her play with all the cards from the books. Since teach card has a large number on the back, it really isn't possible to do that.  I know it is necessary to differentiate the sets, but it seems a small number on the front of the card would suffice.

 

Our family is pleased with this product. On the company website under "How it Works", you can watch  video of the designer's grandaughter reading her first book. You can also read what others have to say about the game .So, we are not the only ones who found this game to be a wondeful and useful tool for anyone learning to read. Additionally, at only $24.95 for each game (less if ordered in quantities of 8 or more) it is an affordable addition to any homeschool "must have" tool kit.

 

Bravo!

 

I was provided a free copy of The Reading Game through The Old Schoolhouse Review crew in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Time Timer

If you have every struggled with visualizing time or have a child who does, the Time Timer might be the exact tool you are looking for. Initially designed for the inventor's 4 year old daughter over  20 years ago, the Time Timer has been developed and marketed as an excellent teaching tool for K-12 students, the special needs community, and even adults in the work place. Actually, anytime a visual reminder of the passage of time is more appropriate than a clock itself.

 

I was  given the 3 inch square timer from Time Timer a try. After getting the plastic lid off and finding an AA battery (not included), I simply turned the clear knob on the front to move the red film on the face for the amount of time I needed.  As time passed, the red window grew smaller and smaller. Unlike many timers mark the end with an obnoxious ringing noise that won't stop, the Time Timer has a barely noticeable  optional ding indicating  time is up.

 

We have used the timer often during the last several weeks. It is easy to use for all of my children- as long as they could get the plastic cover off. At first it seemed the timer was out of sync with our actual clocks, but when I set a regular timer to go off a couple minutes before and watched the Time Timer for the last couple minutes, it did match up. ( It is very possible my children were adjusting the timer to speed up or slow down while they were using it independently. )

 

The protective cover is frosted, so, while it is still possible to see  red film and gauge the passage of time with the cover on, but a very young child wouldn't be able to interfere with the timer if he wanted to. Additionally, this cover serves as a stand when flipped open. This feature aids in making traveling with the Time Timer convenient as well.

 

We did have a couple issues with the timer. First, my 14 yo tried to set the timer for exactly an hour, but the clear knob on the top, would not allow it to move past the slightly raised area the film comes out of. This caused an issue with my younger children, but was - of course- easy to explain. So, in our experience, the most the timer can be set for is 55 minutes instead of a full hour. We typically work in increments of 45 minutes at the most, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

The second issue was protective cover was too difficult to remove for some of my children. So, they accidentally wrote on the face of the timer with a pen while trying to pry the door open. This could be a positive thing when very young children are concerned, but could also be frustrating for a child expected to use the clock on his own if he has dexterity issues.

 

At first, I didn't care for how quiet the timer rang at the end. Since it is meant to be set for tasks like seat work it made sense, though. The timer is quiet enough to not distract other learners if they were each working with their own timer.

 

I love how the little timer stood on its own and did not distract in anyway, since the  timer doesn't tick or make any other sounds until the time is up. The red area just gradually decreases making a very easy and quick way to assess the amount of time left . We use timers a lot, but I find some of my children distracted by the counting down of the numbers. My youngest 2 children don't read a face clock well yet, so this also helps take away the need to know the numbers to know what time is left.  My 7 year old often asks "how many is 20 minutes" or something of that nature. The Time Timer answers that frustrating question!

 

I felt the price point of $30 was a little high for our family, but I understand the work and time that has gone into its production. I don't think it is overpriced, just more than I would typically spend on a timer. I definitely would choose the 12 inch model for a classroom or the watch for an individual. But at $40 a piece for the watches, I wouldn't spend that for my younger children. Plus, I am not sure how practical the watches are outside of a classroom situation. We didn't test one, and so I can't actually speak to that.

 

I certainly would spring for the $1.99 APP version that can be used on an Ipod touch, Ipad or Iphone. I did not test that version and so I can't compare the usability of the two, but feel it would function even better than the clock version since multiple timers can be set.

 

The Time Timer is great and I loved it.  I am glad I had the chance to try it out, even though I would not have purchased it on my own. I will definitely recommend it to others.

 

This Time Timer was given to me through The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew for free in exchange for my honest review.

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