There is a huge range of resources on the internet available to support children’s learning – here are just a few suggestions. The range covers: General Resources, Music, Maths, PE, Stories, Phonics, Early Years, Talking about the Coronavirus and Mental Health.
Internet Safety
Please remember that children’s internet use should be supervised by an adult. Parental advice is available from the NSPCC: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety and other organisations including:
Internet Matters: https://www.internetmatters.org/
London Grid for Learning: https://www.lgfl.net/online-safety/
Parent info: https://parentinfo.org/
Thinkuknow: https://ww w.thinkuknow.co.uk/
UK Safer Internet Centre: https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers
General resources including many suggestions from Oxfordshire County Council’s Education Team
The Rumble Museum, based at Cheney School: https://rumblemuseumobjectaday.wordpress.com/ – every day during the school closure, a different Rumble Museum object will be posted as part of an “Object-a-Day” online project.
Maddie Moate: https://www.youtube.com/user/maddiemoate – a variety of science and nature videos
National Space Centre: https://m.facebook.com/nationalspacecentre/
Blockly: https://blockly.games – learn computer programming skills – fun and free.
Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/games/ – creative computer programming
Oxford Owl: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/
Twinkl: https://www.twinkl.co.uk/ – lots of printouts, and usually at a fee, but they are offering a month of free access to parents in the event of school closures.
Woodlands Primary School: https://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/
BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Crickweb: https://www.crickweb.co.uk
Hamilton trust blog – home learning packs – https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/
Mathematics Mastery Resources: https://www.mathematicsmastery.org/free-resources
Hamilton Trust: https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/blog/learning-home-packs/
Ted Ed: https://ed.ted.com – all sorts of engaging educational videos
National Geographic Kids: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/ – activities and quizzes for younger kids.
Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com– learn languages for free. Web or app.
Mystery Science: https://mysteryscience.com -free science lessons
The Kids Should See This: https://thekidshouldseethis.com – wide range of cool educational videos
Crash Course Kids: https://m.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids – You Tube videos on many subjects for a younger audience
Crest Awards: https://www.crestawards.org – Science awards you can complete from home.
Paw Print Badges: https://www.pawprintbadges.co.uk – free challenge packs and other downloads. Many activities can be completed indoors. Badges cost but are optional.
Tinkercad: https://www.tinkercad.com– all kinds of making.
Cbeebies Radio: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio– listening activities for the younger ones.
Nature Detectives: https://naturedetectives.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives/– a lot of these can be done in a garden, or if you can get to a remote forest location!
Geography Games: https://world-geography-games.com/world.html
Blue Peter Badges: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/about-blue-peter-badges – if you have a stamp and a nearby post box.
The Artful Parent: https://www.facebook.com/artfulparent/ – good, free art activities
Red Ted Art: https://www.redtedart.com– easy arts and crafts for little ones
The Imagination Tree: https://theimaginationtree.com– creative art and craft activities for the very youngest.
Toy Theater: https://toytheater.com/– educational online games
DK Find Out: https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/?fbclid=IwAR2wJdpSJSeITf4do6aPhff8A3tAktnmpaxqZbkgudD49l71ep8-sjXmrac
Virtual tours: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours – virtual tours of some of the world’s best museums
Music
Out of the Ark: https://www.outoftheark.co.uk/ootam-at-home/?utm_source=homepage&utm_campaign=ootamathome2&utm_medium=banner – songs and musical activities to join in with
Maths
Mathletics: https://login.mathletics.com/ – children in Years 3 to 6 have individual log ins
Times Tables Rock Stars: https://ttrockstars.com/ – children in Years 1 to 6 have individual log ins
Numbots: https://play.numbots.com/#/account/school-login/42696 – children in Year 1 have been sent individual log ins
Mathematics Mastery Resources: https://www.mathematicsmastery.org/free-resources
Prodigy Maths: https://www.prodigygame.com – U.S. grades, but good for UK Primary age.
Maths with Carol Vorderman: www.themathsfactor.com
Stories
Our Librarian, Mrs Pope, has a blog: https://childtasticbooks.wordpress.com/ and a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/stmikeslibrary/
Audible is providing free listening to a range of books: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
The Literacy Trust: https://literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/ – a range of links and activities
Oxford Owl: https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/ – free reading scheme books to read on-line – you may have to set up an account
PE
REAL PE: home.jasmineactive.com – – the PE scheme we use in school is providing free access to parents,. The email log-in is – parent@stmichaels-1.com and the password – stmichaels
Go Noodle: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2YBT7HYqCbbvzu3kKZ3wnw – short videos to get children moving – very popular in school
PE with Joe: https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1/videos – daily active sessions hosted by Joe Wicks
Cosmic Kids: https://www.cosmickids.com/ – yoga based exercise, available free on You Tube
Oti Mabuse: https://www.facebook.com/OtiMabuse/ – daily dance videos
Phonics Resources
Synthetic phonics pronunciation of letters and digraphs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCI2mu7URBc&feature=emb_title
Synthetic phonics blending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqvqMtSNswo
PhonicsPlay.co.uk: – Free resources for all Phases. School subscription £120/year. Also available as an app £0.79 (Phase 2 only. Phase 3 to follow soon). FREE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PERIOD https://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/
Teach your Monster to Read: https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/
Coosi box: Creative Drawing & Share Imagination https://www.educationalappstore.com/app/coosi-box-creative-drawing
Bizzibrains I Learn: interactive storybook allowing you to add your own photos to the main characters https://literacyapps.literacytrust.org.uk/bizzibrains-i-learn/
ABC gurus – https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/abc-gurus/id932417099
Hairy phonics – My Story a simple book creator app, great for making multi-modal texts. Children can insert photographs, clipart, saved images. They can also record their voice and there are a range of mark making tools for them to write and record their ideas. https://www.nessy.com/uk/apps/hairy-phonics-1-2/
Recommendations from Oxfordshire’s Early Years Team
Look under the Home Learning Environment section of the Early Years Toolkit: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/business/information-providers/childrens-services-providers/support-early-years-providers/early-years-toolkit
Hungry Little Minds: https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/ Supported by the DfE – activities for parents/carers to engage in with their children Birth to five years old. Includes electronic links to a variety of other EY online resources.
BookTrust: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/storybooks-and-games/ – interactive stories and games.
Chatter Pack: https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/resources-list-for-home-learning – lots of links to resources and guidance
National Geographic Kids: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/ – activities and quizzes for young children.
The Kids Should See This: https://thekidshouldseethis.com – wide range of cool educational videos
Crash Course Kids: https://m.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids – You Tube videos on many subjects for a younger audience
Paw Print Badges: https://www.pawprintbadges.co.uk – free challenge packs and other downloads. Many activities can be completed indoors. Badges cost but are optional.
Cbeebies Radio: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio – listening activities for the younger child.
Cbeebies: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies – lots of fun games to play, songs to sing, stories to listen to – linked to children’s favourite TV characters/programmes
Numberblocks: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08bzfnh/numberblocks – fun ways with numbers, including: counting, adding on, subtraction.
Nature Detectives: https://naturedetectives.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives/activities/ – a lot of these can be done in a garden, or if you can get to a remote forest location!
The Artful Parent: https://www.facebook.com/artfulparent/ – good, free art activities – you need a Facebook account to access the page
Red Ted Art: https://www.redtedart.com
Lingumi (For children aged 2-5): Sets of learning games, speech recognition games and video-based games to help with a child’s grammar and getting them speaking their first words early on. https://lingumi.com/
Kaligo (For children aged 3-5): The first digital handwriting exercise book using a stylus and tablet, built using AI and co-created with teachers, occupational therapists and neuroscientists. https://www.kaligo-apps.com/
Phonics Hero (For school-aged children): Over 850 fun, varied and motivating games take a child step-by-step through the 44 sounds, the reading and spelling of words, and how to conquer sentences. https://www.phonicshero.com/
Teach Your Monster to Read (For school-aged children): Covers the first two years of learning to read, from matching letters and sounds to enjoying little books, designed in collaboration with leading academics. https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/
Navigo Game (For school-aged children): Focuses on developing skills that underpin reading, including phonics, letters and sounds, designed by UCL Institute of Education and Fish in a Bottle. https://iread-project.eu/game/
Fonetti (For school-aged children): The world’s first ‘Listening Bookshop’ interacting with children by giving visual cues in real-time as they read aloud and highlighting where the most support is needed. https://www.fonetti.com/
The Imagination Tree: https://theimaginationtree.com – creative art and craft activities for the very youngest.
Five Minute Mum: https://fiveminutemum.com/ – lots of fun ideas. Provides an outline of how parents/carers could structure their day. In addition, she is planning to provide a video a day on what games to play.
Instagram: @oliverjeffers – Reads a story every night 6pm
Talking to children about Coronavirus
National Public Radio in the US has some children friendly information: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus
Information video on Coronavirus for older children/adults, by WHO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOV1aBVYKGA&feature=youtu.be
Young Minds have useful ideas for older students: https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/what-to-do-if-you-re-anxious-about-coronavirus/
Covibook: https://www.mindheart.co/descargables – a short book about Coronavirus for children under 7
Newsround video: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51342366?fbclid=IwAR3CyZq5rzXVoyGCgWjjpx6YqoetuZ1tP16y7wMjUR6uwgWyhRmf0aFTrAs
Resources for children and young people with additional needs:
https://carolgraysocialstories.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pandemics-and-the-Coronavirus.pdf
https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health/coronavirus – contains a link to the most up to date version of their “Easy Read” for young people and adults with learning difficulties
Mental Health
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing – government advice for adults
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing – government advice for supporting children