Monday, November 14, 2011

Learn to Type in 1 Hour! - A New TOS Review!!

Do you have a child who is between 6 and 12 years old?  Do you have a child who wants to learn how to type on the computer like you do?  Do you have a child who while working on improving their handwriting would be better served typing?  If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, then you may want to check out Keyboard Town Pals.
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The Product:
Keyboard Town Pals is a typing program that teaches children to type in one hour.  That might sound unreasonable, but that is what the goal and mission of the program.  Seeing as how typing has become a necessary skill for all ages, Keyboard Town Pals takes a stress-free approach, with a short time period in which to show noticeable results.  Their mission is to teach young children using a real "Qwerty" keyboard with no stress on the part of the learner and to be able to complete the learning in a short time period.

One of the most revolutionary parts of the program is that they teach typing vertically instead of horizontally.  This approach lets your child begin typing real words within minutes and helps build their self-esteem.  This is a NEW method connects two unrelated items (a puppet and a key on the keyboard) to one another helping your child recall where the letter is without much thought.  They also teach proper hand placement and finger placement so that the "hunt and peck" way of typing (which actually causes muscle strain) is virtually eliminated.

I said that the program can be completed in one hour, which is true.  But you can also teach it one finger at a time which would be about 8 minutes each session.  Or you could choose to teach one hand at a time, approximately 30 minutes for each session.  However you decide to fit Keyboard Town Pal Learn to Type program into your day, your child will learn how to type quickly, efficiently, and without stress.  You can learn more about the programs creation on this page.

The font and background colors of the program can be changed to make it easier on the child who is using the program.  It is also helpful for all types of learners, whether they have dyslexia, short attention spans, or other learning styles.  Keyboard Town Pals program has disabled the backspace and delete programs so time isn't wasted having the child try to correct themselves as they go along. And one more thing ... there is no timed tests!!  No timer, no stress!

There are many different ways to purchase the program, either alone (on sale for $35.00) or bundled (also on sale, for $45.)  They also have a coloring book (digital copy available too), stickers, finger puppets, and even a concentration game all created to help enhance the learning process.

Our Experience:
Arianna was very excited to get started typing.  We set the program up one afternoon and she wanted to sit and do the whole thing.  I had her sit at the table on the laptop and to minimize distractions we worked on the lesson while Seanan was napping and Audrie was doing her own quiet time activity in the bedroom.  Here are some pictures from her time of learning.

All I really did was set the program up with a name and password that we would both be able to remember.  Then I let her go.  I had planned on stopping her after a half an hour, but by the time I realized how long she was on the program she announced she had completed it.  I could not believe it had taken that short of time.

Here are some of her thoughts.

  • "I think the characters were between a little younger then me and right at my age.  I think those younger then me (I'm 8) would think it was very cute and fun.  Those a bit older then me wouldn't like the characters as much, but they would probably still do the program and complete it."
  • "I loved that I completed it all in one day.  I think the length of the program is PERFECT!"
  • "I think other children should try the program for themselves and see just how easy it is."
My younger daughter, who is just 6, has had to do it at a slower pace (one finger at a time), but thoroughly LOVES the characters and the presentation.
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My Thoughts:
I wasn't quite sure if the one hour time period would be sufficient, so I was a bit apprehensive of their claims.  However, when Arianna was complete, she took the little "test" at the end., which essentially was her writing the alphabet forward and then backward without mistakes.  She did both without hesitation and was done with them in less then 5 minutes.  Can she type perfectly?  I'm not sure.  We don't require "typing" for many of our school subjects.  Does she seem to be able to find the keys faster? Yes.  She also asks to use the computer so she can type, so I take that as a successful learning experience.


If you want to read how others on the Crew thought of the  Keyboard Town Pals program, make sure you check out the TOS Homeschool Crew page.  Please feel free to contact them and ask them any questions you may have.  You can also read their blog.  They are also on Facebook and would love to have more followers.  You can also  call them at 1-866-200-8881 if you'd rather talk to them in person.


*** I am a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2011-2012 Crew and receive free products and services in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of money for any of my reviews. My reviews will always reflect my honest opinions, findings, beliefs and experiences with the products and services that I receive.***

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