Keeping the Family Entertained in Quarantine
We have all been doing PE with Joe Wicks, the Body Coach, to keep fit and healthy during this time of isolation. The brilliant videos are aimed at children but if you’re an adult who’s joined in then you’ll know that they can test anyone’s fitness but are still accessible to all. The 30 minute videos are available at 9am every morning and no equipment is needed. Perfect!
Everyone’s been talking about Joe Wicks but there are some brilliant, free resources out there that aren’t so well publicised. Here is a list of some other activities that we’ve found that could help entertain your little ones…
BBC Bitesize Daily:
The BBC have pulled together famous faces Karim Zeroual, Oti Mabuse and Katie Thistleton alongside top quality teachers and organisations such as Royal Shakespeare Company, Premier League and Puffin Books lend their support and design a 14-week curriculum for children of all ages across all four nations.
Daily programmes help guide parents and children through their learning day and content such as videos, quizzes, podcasts and articles will bring core subjects to life online at BBC Bitesize.
Twinkl Educational Packs:
If you’re hoping to still work your way through some of the school curriculum whilst your kids are at home then Twinkl provide educational resources created by teachers. The website is usually subscription-only but during this time they have opened up their resources and many are now completely free, or while the schools are closed they have kindly given a free month on their ‘ultimate subscription’ using the code ‘UKTWINKLHELPS’. There are comprehensive home learning and school closure packs available to download, along with guidance of how to best use what’s available.
Kitchen Science:
The Science Museum offer a range of learning resources on their website. Kitchen Science is a collection of activities that people can do at home, with everyday ingredients available from the supermarket or chemist. The aim is to show that science does not have to be done in a laboratory, by people in white coats. Instead, science is involved in all aspects of people’s lives.
NASA Earth Day Downloadable Art:
Earth Day 2020 is going digital and in honour of its 50th anniversary, NASA have created downloadable posters and resources for us all to use. Plus you can find loads of extra educational resources, including news from their Earth Observatory and hands-on experiments for kids, on their website.
A World of Museums:
Google’s Arts and Culture Museum Views allows you to tour museums and art galleries, famous sites and landmarks all around the world all from your computer or tablet.
We were super excited about this one and have spent a lot of time touring museums we have always wanted to visit ourselves - no-one said these were just for kids!
Under the Sea:
Well not quite, but certainly under the water. Monterey Bay Aquarium in California USA have set up live camera feeds so you can visit the coral reefs, sea otters, sharks, penguins, jelly fish, aviary and more. Plus you can find guided activities on their website to support children learning from home.
Explore:
Not just under the sea, Explore gives you access to live cameras around the world, from underwater manatees in Homosassa Springs Florida to bold eagles nests, alligator swamps and even new-born puppies in the Guide Dogs of America Nursery.
Watching live wildlife is something we love to do as a family, it keeps everyone entertained and the children do not register it as educational and immediately get distracted like they do with a documentary.
Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust’s Tree Tools for Schools website is packed with activities and downloadable worksheets for all ages, and you don’t have to be a school to access it. The worksheets cover English, Science, Mathematics, Art & Design and Geography for Key Stage 1 (ages 5-6) and Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11).
Wildlife Watch:
Wildlife Watch, from The Wildlife Trusts, has a range of downloadable worksheets from how to make a garden bird hide and how to make a wild blackberry crumble to their top tips on reducing plastic use. It’s full of great hands-on ways to keep the family entertained and you can also create a profile so they can collect awards for completing activities.
Yoga for Kids:
There are lots of great free yoga-for-kids videos on YouTube; one of our favourites is ‘Alo Gives Free Kids Yoga’. Their videos range from 3 minutes to 17 minutes and also cover breathing techniques and mindfulness for little ones.
Colour it In:
You can find tons on downloadable colouring sheets online which, at least in our case, are great when we want a bit of quiet time. We particularly like the Crayola Places sheets which teach about flags and maps and give fun facts about the places you are colouring. On the site you can also find some ‘how-to’s for fun and easy crafts.
Play a Game:
As well as offering a range of educational resources, Top Marks has an excellent bank of free educational games. They vary in difficulty depending on age group (3-5 years, 5-7 years, 7-11 years and 11-14 years) and cover a range of mathematical topics. The ‘Hit the Button’ times tables game is one of our favourites!
Crafty Fun:
MakeBox have a MakeBlog with lots of ideas of home crafts for children. Maybe try your hand at making some Bouncing Bunny Skittles or bake up a batch of Lemony Daisy Biscuits.
What’s Oot Ma Windae?
This one is only for Scotland but we loved it too much to miss it off. A great way to learn about what is around you, the Scottish Civic Trust have challenged us to post a photo on social media of the built environment that we can view from our windows using the hashtag #WhatsOotMaWindae and tagging @scotcivictrust they will then let you know what they can see or, if you know it, you can give them a little bit of history instead.
Do you have any other great resources you have been using to help keep the family entertained during this quarantine? We would love to hear them so please let us know by email hello@organii.uk or by using the contact form.