Online Support for Home Learning and suggestions of activities from the Local Authority during the Coronavirus Pandemic

This ‘support for home learning’ document has been put together to support families having to work with children at home due to school closure. The following principles apply;

Subject – Online Safety

Website Link
Internet Matters advice for parents (0-5). Various topics to discuss with children and keep children safe online. https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/05/
Internet Matters advice for parents (6-10) – Various topics to discuss with children and keep children safe online. https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/610/
THINKUKNOW

resource library- use the search facility to find suitable videos, presentations and resources to support

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/professionals/resources/
online safety (various areas).

English

Activities you could do with your child:

  • Share a story/write a book review/write a character description e.g. for a Top Trumps Card
  • Read some opening chapters from the Love Reading 4 Kids website
  • Write a story, poem, play
  • Make puppets and put on a play
  • Play a board game, dig out old favourites and hold championship tournaments! You could even design a new one for a target audience!
  • Paint a picture and label it/write about it / create a poem
  • Blackout poems – https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blogposts/johndepasquale/blackoutpoetry/
  • Look, say, cover, write, check spellings
  • Create a poster about washing hands/hygiene about Coronavirus
  • Make an Easter Egg Hunt with clues in your garden
  • Make Mother’s Day cards, poems
  • Research ‘project’/poster on a topic that’s been covered in school recently, e.g. the Egyptians, a famous author, an inspirational person etc. This could be in the form of a poster, leaflet, booklet or a PowerPoint presentation etc.
  • Have a good declutter/sort-out of your toys! Which toys or books do you no longer use?  Write a review of your favourite with a target audience!
  • Bake! Bake your favourite recipe and write up the recipe so as to create a class book of favourite recipes when you return to school.
  • Junk modelling – why not upcycle some waste materials in order to make something new?

Useful websites are:

Mathematics

Activities you could do with your child:

Playing games, especially card games, dice games, dominoes or games involving counting in any form, such as Yahtzee, Monopoly, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders.

In addition, games that support memory, such as memory matching games

(https://www.education.com/worksheets/memorygames/) or ‘I went to the shops and I bought…’ (https://www.teachingideas.co.uk/memorytimefillers/iwenttotheshops…_ can help to develop children’s retention skills.

For children in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2, practice making and recalling pairs of numbers that make a given total, such as all the pairs of numbers that make 10, 8, 5 etc.

For children in Years 2 to 6, practice times tables.

Year 2:                  2, 5 and 10 times tables

Year 3:                  3, 4 and 8 times tables

Years 4 to 6:        All tables up to 12 × 12

Useful websites

www.mathplayground.com (Years 2 to 6)

Especially the Number Puzzles and Brain Workouts sections. Alternatively, select from the grades at the top of the page (Grade 1 = Year 2, Grade 2 = Year 3, etc).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/numberblocks (EYFS and Year 1) Videos to develop understanding of numbers and how they fit together.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zjxhfg8 (Years 1 and 2) Short videos and activities covering the maths curriculum for KS1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z826n39 (Years 3 to 6)

Short videos and activities covering the maths curriculum for KS2.

PRIMARY SCIENCE

If school is closed but your child does not need to self-isolate you may consider ….

  • Take a walk in nature. Make a collection of things you find. Once home, display them and see if you can identify them. Nature Detectives has some great ‘spotter sheets’ which might help.
  • Plant some vegetables to grow at home. How can you keep them healthy? Once grown, can you use them in your cooking? Easy ones to grow for younger children are lettuce varieties, cress, radish or basil and mint herbs.
  • Have a family sunflower competition. Who can keep their plan healthy and grow the tallest sunflower? Keep a diary of how much it grows each day.

Other activities you could do with your child

  • Make a marble run. How long can you keep the marble moving for?
  • Take a ‘Science Selfie’. Take a photograph of themselves with something science related in the image. Print off the photograph and complete the caption ‘This is science because…’ Make a collection of ‘Science Selfies’ to show how science is all around us.
  • With an adult for guidance, experiment with cooking and food preparation. Make cakes and discuss what they notice at each stage of the recipe. Try this experiment to see how oven temperature affects cake mix: Make some cake mixture and place in 15 separate muffin cases. Put all the muffins in the oven then after every minute remove one from the oven until all 15 have been removed. Which is the best cake? Why? What do you notice? Mix up the cake order and see if you can put them back in the correct order.
  • Try making some healthier snacks. Try super-seed energy balls, homemade granola, hummus with veg sticks. Explore online for some great ideas.
  • Make a den, inside or out. Explain what materials you used and why your den is good?  Research a famous scientist. What did they discover? How is their idea used today?
  • What is the best way to stop ice cubes (or an ice lolly) from melting? Suggest 3 different things, test them and see which ice cube lasted longest. For younger children change where they put the ice cubes. For older children change the material they wrap the ice in (testing thermal insulators).

Useful websites

EYFS/KS1/KS2: https://www.rigb.org/families/experimental  ExpeRimental is a series of short films making it fun, easy and cheap to do science experiments at home with your children. The films depict the age of the children for which the experiments are suitable.

KS2: https://www.jamesdysonfoundation.com/resources/challengecards.html  Dyson engineers have designed these challenges specifically for children. Ideal for home or in the classroom, they encourage inquisitive young minds to get excited about engineering.

EYFS/KS1: https://naturedetectives.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives/activities/  Free, downloadable materials to support being nature detectives in the outdoors

Families working together: https://seerihinnovations.org/science4families/

For more science experiments try https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/

Physical Education

Activities you could do with your child.

If school is closed but your child does not need to self-isolate you may consider ….

Some sort of physical activity. The Chief Medical Officers guidelines for young people is to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Examples of moderate intensity activities include, walking, playing outside in a park, riding a scooter, cycling, ball games etc. Reduce the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity. Aim to spread activity throughout the day. All activities should make you breathe faster and feel warmer, above all make it fun and something the children enjoy.

Other activities you could do with your child

Physical activity ideas from https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities  Useful websites https://plprimarystars.com/forfamilies (activities for KS1 and KS2 children) https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers (activities for Ks1 and Ks2 children)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/classclipsvideo/physicaleducationks1ks2letsgetactive/z72yjhv

(Ks1 and Ks2) https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ks2physicaleducation/zj2n92p (Ks2)

History

Activities you could do with your child

Draw out your family tree – ask questions of different family members to see how far you can trace your family back

Make a poster about your grandparents. Call them on the telephone and ask them questions about their life and use this information to record in the best way you can think of.

The Historic England website contains an education section that includes: teaching activities, collections of educational images, downloadable resources, PowerPoints, worksheets and notes.

https://historicengland.org.uk/servicesskills/education/

Learn about local and national heritage http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/

The BBC Hands on History website contains a variety of animations, creative activities and projects to bring history alive for your children

Geography

Website Link
BBC Bitesize – KS1 (Year1 and 2). Various subjects in geography are covered e.g. using video clips. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zcdqxnb
BBC Bitesize – KS2 (Year 3, 4 ,5 and 6). Animations and key information that children can work through. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zbkw2hv
Rivers (KS2) –

Royal Geographic Society. A series of six lessons to help children learn about rivers and flooding.

https://www.rgs.org/schools/teachingresources/rivers-(1)/
Understanding

Scale – KS2 (Year 3, 4, 5 and 6). A beginners guide to understanding scale and how it is used on different types of maps.

https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/understandingmapscales/

DT

Website Link
BBC Bitesize – KS1

(Year1 and 2) Various subjects in DT are covered e.g. using video clips.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zb9d7ty
BBC Bitesize – KS2

(Year 3,4,5 and 6) Various subjects in DT are covered e.g. using video clips.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z6phvcw

Subject – Computing

Website Link
BBC Bitesize – KS1 (Year1 and 2). Animations and key information that children can work through. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zyhbwmn
BBC Bitesize – KS2 (Year 3, 4, 5 and 6). Animations and key information that children can work through. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zvnrq6f
Code for Life (Rapid

Router)

Levels 1-18 for KS1

Levels 19-79 for KS2 Concepts are taught as the children move through the levels.

https://www.codeforlife.education/rapidrouter/

Early Years Foundation Stage

 Ideas for Parents to Support their Child’s Learning at Home 

Provide children with paper and pens/pencils/crayons to draw pictures, engage in writing – including practising letter formation, writing simple words, captions, lists, simple sentences.

Provide opportunities for children to play boards games with adults or siblings, encouraging taking turns, communication, language and vocabulary skills and maths skills. For example dominoes, snakes and ladders, bingo, tiddly winks.

Opportunities for children to play in outdoor spaces – gardens, backyards (not visiting parks or public places.) Games which involve throwing and catching, (soft items from indoors such as sponges, scarves, balloons, etc. bubbles using washing up liquid and wire to make a simple bubble blower, skipping, jumping, hopscotch, etc.

 Websites

The following websites are for parents to access with ideas of activities they can do with their child or activities they can set up to support their child’s continuing learning at home.

www.playhooray.co.uk/blog/news/playforallages – this site has 10 practical ideas for parents for reception and Year groups 1-6

www.twinkl.co.uk/blog/howtoutilisetwinklduringthecoronavirusshutdownaguideforschools – twinkl has opened up their resources online to all schools and parents during this period of possible school shutdown. Access to resources will be password free.

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/helpyourchildwithmaths – lots of ideas for practical maths activities to do at home

www.bbc.co.uk/tinyhappypeople/4to5yearoldchilddevelopmentactivities – provides short videos on games and activities parents can engage in with their child, many of which the children can then play on their own or with a sibling.

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies – Numberblocks – activities for children to engage in to continue with important number skills such as counting, number recognition, simple calculation.

www.hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk – activities for children aged 0-5 www.literacytrust.org.uk chat, play read videos and activities for parents and children from 0-5

www.backyardnature.org.uk – lots of ideas for children to get involved in looking for nature in the garden /yard. Make a bug hotel using empty cardboard boxes left in a corner, and then look to see watch is hiding after a couple of days. Look on the internet to find out the names of the mini beasts hiding in your garden.

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk / www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk for nature’s detective ideas and activities

All subjects

Activities for all ages can be found on the BBC Bitesize site

We have also been advised that the following are all providing free resources during any possible school closure (not hyperlinked) Again, these have not been quality assured and are included for reference for school to explore.

  • Purple Mash / 2Simple
  • Classroom Secrets
  • Master the Curriculum
  • Ed
  • Teachers Pet
  • Starfall
  • ABCya
  • Unite for Literacy
  • Ten Frame Game
  • Lieractive
  • Eun Brain
  • Splash Math
  • Storyline Online
  • Cool Math for Kids
  • Twinkl
  • PBS Kids
  • Highlights Kids
  • Arcademics
  • Into the Book
  • National Geographic for Kids
  • Fun for the Brain
  • Science Kids
  • Zwitch Zoo
  • Seussville
  • Turtle Diary
  • E Learning for Kids
  • https://web.seesaw.me/
  • White Rose Hub