Review: Times Tales DVD to learn times tables fast!
Times Tales
I am reviewing an incredible educational DVD today! It’s called Times Tales from Trigger Memory Systems. My kids- ages 5, 7, 9, and 10- watched it twice and now know Part 1 of the upper times tables! The way it works is this. There are stories for each equation (3×7, 8×4, 9×6, etc.) Each number 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 is represented by a character as you see in the video photos below:
A story is told about the two numbers (that the kids easily remember) that contains the two numbers being multiplied and the answer. See below that Mrs. Week is number 7 and the chair is the number 4. Since she catches 2 boots and 8 trout, the answer is 28. The kids love this!
The Video:
On the video, they see the stories in animation with colors and music. There is a lot of review in the forms of online quizzes and online flashcards. Then they get some more practice with the printables that are found on the included CD-Rom. See the dice that my kids made.
Here is a fun crossword puzzle which reviews the details of the stories.
They have a Practice Test which uses the pictures for the numbers and a Final Test with just the numbers.
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The test below was completed by my 7-year-old without my help!
The Times Tales printables
come in two sets. Those above are what you learn in Part 1. Then the higher numbers are taught in Part 2. Each Part is about 30 minutes long on the DVD.
I’m totally sold on this technique! It’s one of the hardest things in early math to master, and my kids are well on their way!
Ways Homeschool Moms or Classroom Teachers Can Use Times Tales
I thought of a few ways that homeschool moms or classroom teachers could use Times Tales.
- Put the kids in pairs to play the dice game, rolling two dice and giving the answer for each other.
- Have the kids watch the DVD without the teacher’s help since it guides them through the stories and quizzes.
- Use the worksheet tests to determine whether they have mastered the times tales or not.
- Let the kids test themselves using the flashcards. They can write the answer on the back and check themselves.
Head over to Educents to purchase Times Tales or some of these
Other Great Math products:
- Life of Fred Elementary Math Book series
- Volume City to design and build a paper city
- Geometry Play Set by Mona MELisa Designs- peel and stick fabric stickers
(Disclosure: I received the Times Tales DVD and CD-Rom plus monetary compensation in exchange for this honest review.)
This looks like a great product! How awesome that your kids did so well with it!
Interesting approach! I still think learning songs is helpful. It’s worth checking out http://www.timestablesmusic.com for the latest multiplication songs too.
I’ll look into it!
–Gena