If you have been homeschooling for any length of time, you
have probably heard of Times Tales from The Trigger Memory Co. It’s the product
that teaches multiplication facts in a very unique way. Over the past few weeks,
Josiah and I have been THRILLED to be able to add Times Tales to our review
rotation.
I’ve talked before about Josiah’s difficulty with math.
Mainly, he has had the hardest time retaining facts. He is dyslexic and I
believe suffers from a form of math dyslexia called dyscalculia. We’ve tried
flash cards, games, constant review…if it’s been suggested we’ve tried it.
Times Tales is completely distinctive in its approach. It
teaches multiplication through stories. The numbers are characters. For
example, 6 is represented by the 6th grade class. Each student has
the face in the shape of a 6. 4 is represented by a Chair (get the visual?).
The 6th grade class played musical Chairs for 24 hours! 6 x 4 = 24.
Got it?
I realize it is unconventional, but let’s be honest.
Conventional methods have been ineffective for most kids. Think about it this way. How did you learn the
names of the planets and what order they are from the sun? What about the notes
on the Treble Cleff? You might have learned that the notes on the Treble Cleff
from the bottom to the top spell Every
Good Boy Does Fine. If you were of my generation and
still believe that Pluto has been robbed (of its glorious planetary status) you
might remember My Very Energetic Mother Served Us Nine Pizzas.
The above examples are mnemonic devices. Times Tales provide
not only visual imagery to help with memorization, but an oral story. You can
see how it would be more effective than the dry boring flash cards. This is a
far superior way to memorize this math facts for kiddos like my Josiah.
The product we received was a digital download. I received
two parts (plays in a DVD format) and two PDFs. Each “part” is 30 minutes long.
The student is introduced to each “character” and then told the stories. They
are quizzed at different portions of the video. If they struggle to remember
the story they are encouraged to watch that story again. We had to do that
quite often. Josiah tends to wander in his head. You have anybody like that at your house?
For reinforcement the Printables PDF contain worksheets,
flashcards, and games to play.
It is recommended to use Part 1 for at least a week until
you move to Part 2.
This product teaches the higher multiplication facts…which
is what we have had more difficulty with. Facts that can be learned by skip
counting aren’t included in the instruction or “stories.”
Before I go, I want to make sure to mention that Times Tales has other helps on their website. While the multiplication (Times Tales) product is the only one that has made it on to DVD there are books that provides plenty of math helps for this precious kiddos. I am wondering why I haven't tapped into this treasure sooner!
This is an UNBELIEVABLE program. It is working! Josiah hasn’t
quite mastered all of his facts, but I think a light bulb has gone off. He is
14 and finally feels like he is making progress. We finally have a strategy
that is working and it is making all the difference in the world.
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