Times Tales [Spiral-bound]

Jennie Von Eggers (Author), MJ Flanagan (Author), Dena Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 19, 2008

Times Tales is a creative, innovative mnemonic-based program that makes it fun and easy to memorize the upper multiplication facts. Times Tales uses cute, simple stories to provide students with a "memory peg", allowing them to quickly recall otherwise abstract facts.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound
• Publisher: Trigger Memory Systems (November 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976202441
• ISBN-13: 978-0976202448
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Mom, math is fun again!", March 12, 2011

By 

G. Marr "mama" (McMinnville, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Times Tales (Spiral-bound)

Length:: 3:35 Mins

Learning multiplication tables can be fun using Times Tales. It only goes through 3,4,6,7,8,9 multiplication facts, but still is well worth it since these are the hardest to remember. This hands down beats skip counting songs and tricks. Easy for the teacher and the student! I homeschool my 3 kids (ages 9,6,5) and by the end they all joined in with their big brother. My son dreaded those multiplication drills even to the point of tears, but by the end of this he had a big grin on his face. Also a big plus for me was that it was $10 cheaper buying it through amazon (plus free 2 day shipping with my free Amazon mom membership).

Times Tales

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's dumb, but it WORKS!, June 25, 2011

By 

Jennifer E. Johnson "Jennifer" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Times Tales (Spiral-bound)

The illustrations are terrible. The narration is condescending.

But it WORKS.

My 8-year-old felt like it was babyish. She complained. But I told her "Sit down, and listen. It's either this, or I make you agonizingly remember the facts with flashcards alone. Take your pick."

The stories are not entertaining, but they do establish a strong visual image useful for instant recall. My daughter lost the bad attitude after experiencing the satisfaction of proficiency after watching the video once.

I don't care if it is dumb, I only care that it works quickly and effectively, and it does. She was afraid people might think she was dumb for using this. She doesn't want anyone to know she pictures snowmen and butterflies when remembering her facts. No one will know! All THEY will see is smart kid who knows her multiplication facts. Who looks more dumb? A girl who knows her facts or one who doesn't? No one knows what she is picturing in her head and MANY smart and successful people use memory tricks to succeed. She understood.

I also watched the video with her so that I would learn the stories too, and could use the clues from the story to cue her in on the facts when quizzing her on facts in the future. I think this is essential. And because I watched this with her, I could see that it does work. Even though I already know my multiplication facts and can perform math through calculus, I do occasionally have to do a quick mental calculation to check my accuracy on a fact due to a mental blip, and I could see the visual imagery easily inserted itself into my own memory to increase instant recall.

So, I can see how if someone (as the 1-star review stated) stuck a 6-year-old in front of the video and walked away, it might not work. It is not magic, you have to give it a chance, and it requires some reinforcement, ideally from a parent or teacher who is familiar with the stories and can tip off on a cue as necessary during initial review. ("Remember? 3 is a butterfly?") It is a very minimal investment of time and it is worth doing. It is WAY more time intensive to quiz with raw memorization, I think.

I do wish the illustrations were better quality, but whatever. It's not really important (and I say that as an artist myself). What is important is that it works, and it does.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great program!, March 1, 2010

By 

dani c (North Royalton, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Times Tales (Spiral-bound)

My 8 year old daughter that has dyslexia learned her times tables in two nights with this book and flash cards. She was so proud of herself. She didn't complain about reviewing the stories since she saw it was working for her. I emailed her teacher and my sister who is also a teacher to let them know about this program in case they had any students who were struggling with the times tables. It has been a few months since she learned these and she still remembers the stories and usesr them daily for her math facts. I would highly recommend.