It has been awhile since I have posted on this blog. Life has been keeping us busy. But, the Holidays have come and gone, and our free trial of the K5 Learning program has come to an end, so it is time to post a review.
K5 Learning is an online Reading and Math program for kids in grades K through 5, or for those with learning delays. After giving it a try for 6 weeks, I have seen some pros and cons.
PRO's:
1. I love the online assessments. Before beginning our lessons, each of my kids took an assessment in Math and in Reading, to give an idea of where to begin. It helped to not have to "guess" about where to place them.
2. It was easy to communicate with the K5 staff via e-mail and have my kids levels increased or decreased where necessary.
3. The lessons are short, and easy to understand.
4. The program gives complete instructions for learning new materials, so its not just for review purposes.
5. The lessons are animated, and there are some games that help challenge the kids. However, the entire program is not a game. It is animated instruction exhibited in an appealing way for kids.
6. The animations are well-mannered, modest, and are shown in various nationalities.
7. It is easy enough to accomplish new skills, but challenging enough to keep the kids engaged and learning.
8. It keeps track of each child's skill levels and shows how much progress they have made.
CON's:
1. I wish there were parent controls available to increase or decrease the levels on my own, so I wouldn't have to "bother" the staff, and could have more immediate success in the changes.
2. If a student is trying to think about the answer to a particular question, the computer doesn't give them much time to think before explaining the instructions or asking the question again. This was sometimes annoying or stressful for EL, who needs more time to think without being interrupted.
3. The program only goes up to 5th grade level, whereas other online programs (such as Time4Learning) goes through 8th grade or higher.
4. It only covers Math and Reading skills, unlike other programs that have ALL major subjects.
You can see there are a lot more Pro's than Con's. Overall, I am content to continue giving it a try. Both of my kids have made progress with this program in just the short time they have been using it. They are learning and are not bored with it. EL is not a fan of the computer, but I think it is good for her to use it, as it has been challenging her in new areas. I asked JJ if he wanted to continue with this program, or go back to the workbooks we were using. He likes this online program. So, we paid for an annual subscription for both kids, to at least get us through the rest of this school year, and into the Summer. We will, then, re-evaluate as to whether or not we will continue.
The cost is comparable with other online programs, listed at $25.00 per month or $199.00 for a full year. For additional children, the cost is discounted to $15.00 per month, or $129.00 for a year.
You can get a 14-day free trial of your own by clicking below (contains affiliate link):
