Trigger Memory Systems

Are you looking for an aid in teaching multiplication facts to your kids? Maybe some help organizing the never ending list of chores for your kids? We were given a few products to try out from Trigger Memory Systems. I had seen these products offered from the The Old Schoolhouse Store but had not purchased them for ourselves yet.

The first and biggest item was Times Tales. This is a non-consumable flip chart that uses pictures and stories to teach multiplication facts. I am impressed with with the quality of the material used to make the pages. They are sturdy and can be used over and over. The stories are cute and fun and in some cases children can learn their facts in 45 minutes. The program is mneumonic based and teaches the multiplication facts that are the hardest to learn. (3x6,3x7,3x8,3x9,4x6,4x7,4x8,4x9,6x6,6x7,6x8,6x9,7x7,7x8,7x9,8x8,8x9,9x9)

They are easy to use and you could easily have older children work with younger children on these. One issue we did have was with my two oldest twins that were born in Liberia. Symbols are difficult for them and the Times Tales only became more confusing for them instead of helping. For them the straight memorization method has been working, but for my other children Times Tales is an excellent option.

The next two products that we played with are the Zone Cleaning and the Bedroom Cleaning Flip Charts. The Zone Cleaning Chart was my favorite mostly because it was completely laminated. There are places for me to fill in extra jobs that I would like done as well as suggestions for jobs to be done. I appreciated all of jobs listed making it easy for me to hand a child this chart and he/she would know exactly what to do.

The bedroom chart is not laminated but I would suggest covering it in contact paper or having it laminated. The system suggests using laundry baskets in the middle of the room to sort things from the room that belong somewhere else. This is a great way to get the smaller ones involved in the cleaning as well.

The last item that we played with was the laundry chart. It is not laminated either and I would suggest covering this one also. I have slowly been increasing the responsibility that my children have where laundry is concerned. As you can imagine, in a house of seven people we have a good amount of laundry to do. This chart tells the children to sort first. It then gives options for load sizes, water temperature as well as leading the child through the folding and putting away process. In a busy household, this is a great tool after you have shown a child what to do so that they can do the process by themselves using the chart as a guide.

There are different pricing for the charts depending on whether you want only one chart, just two or all three. You can visit the Trigger Memory Systems website for more details on the charts as well as Times Tales and other products.