TOS AIMS It's About Time Review

Butterfly really struggles with reading analog clocks and Pumpkin Pie also needs to learn to read them. I received AIMS It's About Time to review from AIMS Education Foundation and use with my girls to teach about clock reading.

It's About Time is available as an e-book download or a 176 page guide with CD. Both options cost $21.95. The CD contains all the worksheets to copy for the students. This particular book comes with a duplication right of "200 copies of any portion of the purchased activities, provided these copies will be used for educational purposes and only at one school site." There is also an option to purchase additional duplication rights. The information is found at the back of the book.

It's About Time is a book of activities to do with children to teach about time from conceptualizing what comes first, second and third all the way through reading digital and analog clocks. It is designed for K-2 students although I think if an older child didn't know how to read a clock it could be modified to use with them as well. The layout of each activity reminded me of the lab write-ups I did in chemistry in college. All of the activities include a topic, key question to answer, learning goals, "guiding document" in the form of list of the NCTM 2000 standards the lesson will cover, what area of math is covered, what processes will be integrated (observing, comparing, classifying, etc), materials, "management" or preparations, procedures, discussion questions, advice on evaluation, and extension suggestions.Following the lesson are the images to be copied for the activity. The illustrations are well drawn, clear, inviting, and large enough for children.

This product is mostly designed for a classroom setting and many activities specify 12 or more children. While I found it very well laid out and thoughtful, I really struggled to use this guide with my children.  Maybe it was the lack of enough students for the activities I found the most inspiring,  maybe it was all the extra materials like beanbags, pocket charts, multiple colors of tape, and binder rings I don't have, and maybe it was the amount of prep work each activity seemed to require before beginning, but I really wasn't too excited about this in the end. I think if I were a leader of a co-op this would have been fabulous but I don't think I can recommend it for a homeschooling family with only a few students and little extra prep time.

See what my other crew mates thought about It's About Time as well as other AIMS products we reviewed.


Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine.