UH-OH, home-schooling is back – and it’s taking over many parents’ lives in Lockdown 3.
So here is a little helping hand – The Sun’s Home School timetable – packed with learning and activities for four to 11-year-olds.
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We know primary schools are providing work and lessons. But we also know their quality can vary and it is often tough to occupy kids for a whole day, especially when you are trying to work from home yourself.
So, when your child’s school work is done, use our handy timetable to fill those tricky gaps. It has loads of activities that are both fun and educational. Just dip in as you need.
Also – make sure you break up the kids’ day with fresh air, breaks, a decent lunch and time away from that screen.
Today’s timetable is Day One of The Sun Home School – a week of great learning activities to help you and the young ’uns through lockdown. Don’t miss Day Two tomorrow!
MONDAY
7:30: DAILY WAKE-UP
KICKSTART the school day with a daily ten-minute wake-up routine for the entire family on Results Wellness Lifestyle. The free and live workout is suitable for all abilities.
Head to Results Wellness Lifestyle on Instagram for a “set-you-up-for-the-day” stretch.
Just head to the Instagram page and click the icon when they go live.
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9:00: JOE WICKS P.E.
FITNESS guru Joe Wicks is again leading the nation in P.E. classes to help kids in lockdown – with free, live, 20-minute sessions three times a week.
Children and parents can access them at The Body Coach TV on YouTube.
10:00: WHITE ROSE MATHS
HELPS children learn to master and enjoy maths, with engaging online tutorials and quizzes to test and challenge young minds.
It doesn’t cost Mum and Dad a penny, so adds up to a bargain.
10:30: BREAK
HAVE a drink and a snack and get some fresh air to ensure you are ready for your next session.
10:45: WORD OF THE DAY BY COLLINS DICTIONARY
EXPAND your vocabulary by learning a brand new word every day with Collins’ carefully curated – and often unusual – word choices.
Click through for free to find what the word means, and examples of how it might be used.
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11:15: SCIENCE WITH MADDIE AND GREG
PACKED with fascinating videos about everything from outer space to fiery volcanoes, Let’s Go Live sees upbeat presenters Maddie Moate and Greg Foot teach about all things science, live and for free.
12:00: LUNCH
MAKE sure it’s not too heavy. Try to include some veg superfoods such as green beans and broccoli. Nuts and fruit are good too.
13:00: MYLEENE’S MUSIC KLASS
THERE is no need for instruments or to feel intimidated. Any age, any ability is welcome.
Music With Myleene Klass helps to expand your children’s knowledge on music and how to play – and it’s free.
14:00: THE WORLD OF DAVID WALLIAMS
READ books and listen to audio stories with the Britain’s Got Talent judge and children’s author for free.
David’s wicked sense of humour is sure to get the children chuckling while they learn. And teachers, too, no doubt.
15:00: BREAK
HAVE a drink and snack and get some fresh air ready to help get ready for your next session.
15:30: MY BODY YOGA
THE Sun and Fabulous Daily readers get a free 14-day trial with code SEEDFDM1.
Sign up to Seedlings Wellbeing app for your child to learn physical wellbeing, with content carefully designed by qualified professionals in line with children’s development stages.
My Body Yoga features 30 child-friendly poses and their benefits, and 12 kids’ yoga lessons set in four enchanting worlds.
16:00: HISTORY
THE British Museum in London has created an interactive learning tool which allows children up to Key Stage 3 to visually explore history across the world through its artefacts, which go from modern day all the way back to 2000 BC.
You can pick from themes such as art and design, religion, trade and conflict.
TUESDAY
7:30: JUMP START JONNY
GET energised for the day with fitness superstar Jonny Stewart, who began his journey to help control his Tourette’s syndrome.
Head to his website to enjoy, for free, a wide range of exercises, from high knees to dancing and even cheerleading.
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9:00: CBBC LIVE EDUCATIONAL LESSONS
LEARN English with CBBC’s Bitesize daily for free. The TV shows cover ages five to 11.
10:00: CBBC LIVE CELEBRITY SUPPLY TEACHER
A SURPRISE celebrity supply teacher will be on CBBC to teach your child in their specialist subject.
From footballer Marcus Rashford to Spice Girl Geri Horner, the famous faces will cover a range of educational topics.
10:30: BREAK
HAVE a drink and a snack and get some fresh air to ensure you are ready for your next session.
10:45: RAGDOLLY MUSIC LIVE
YOUNGER kids can join this free live music class on Facebook Live.
It offers singalong songs, music and rhyme sessions which all align to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, making them educational as well as fun.
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11:15: VIRTUAL CHESTER ZOO
JOIN the friendly, knowledgeable keepers at Chester Zoo to watch live videos as they look after the animals. A fun way to learn a whole load of facts.
12:00: LUNCH
MAKE sure it’s not too heavy. Try to include some veg superfoods such as green beans and broccoli. Nuts and fruit are good too.
13:00: DRAW WITH ROB
AUTHOR and illustrator Rob Biddulph has uploaded previous live art lessons to his YouTube page for free.
Rob has also confirmed that the art lessons will be returning with new episodes every Saturday at 10am, as well as from the archive every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am.
14:00: GEOGRAPHY
NATIONAL Geographic Kids has a variety of facts, games, quizzes and activities suitable to keep children occupied while learning geography.
There is a section of the website dedicated to explaining coronavirus to children, answering any questions they may have for free.
15:00: BREAK
HAVE a drink and snack and get some fresh air ready to help get ready for your next session.
15:30: CODING AND DESIGN
TINKERCAD is a free, easy-to-use app for learning 3D design, electronics and coding. It is used by children, teachers, hobbyists and designers to imagine, design and make anything.
It takes a little getting used to but, once you get the hang of it, you will love it.
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16:00: STORYTIME WITH FERGIE AND FRIENDS
JOIN the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, on YouTube for fun and educational storytime. The children will love the tales – and parents will like that it is free.
WEDNESDAY
7:30: MOVE TO LEARN
GREAT cardiovascular and dance videos – fast-paced, rhythmic and encouraging.
Move To Learn is less cheesy than other workout video sites for children and has catchy music. Perfect to get energy levels up, ready for the day.
9:00: JOE WICKS P.E.
FITNESS guru Joe Wicks is again leading the nation in P.E. classes to help kids in lockdown – with free, live, 20-minute sessions three times a week.
Children and parents can access them at The Body Coach TV on YouTube.
10:00: DR CHIPS
]JOIN Dr Chips live at 10am each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for your daily surprise dose of different topics from computing, to science and how cybersecurity works.
10:30: BREAK
HAVE a drink and a snack and get some fresh air to ensure you are ready for your next session.
10:45: DISCOVER WITH TED-ED
GET curious with TED-Ed and discover the different ways of living by watching their online tutorials.
From how human beings get to sleep, to staying calm under pressure and what happens when we drink water, the website has videos for lessons across all topics.
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11:15: THE MATHS FACTOR WITH CAROL VORDERMAN
FEATURES fun lessons with the telly maths brainbox, as well as games. For children aged four to 12. Join free for 21 days then £4.99 per month.
12:00: LUNCH
MAKE sure it’s not too heavy. Try to include some veg superfoods such as green beans and broccoli. Nuts and fruit are good too.
13:00: CHESTER ZOO LEARNING
AFTER your child learned all those fascinating facts about the animal kingdom yesterday, log on to the school and resources section of the zoo’s website to test their knowledge. Almost as fun as a real-life trip to the zoo.
14:00: DANCE ’N’ BEATS LAB
THIS is a research-based movement programme to help children get fit and build coordination and flexibility, free on YouTube.
These basic movements are integrated into the choreography of Dance ’n’ Beats dance videos.
Each dance video has 12 playful preschool-appropriate songs and can be used in homes.
15:00: BREAK
HAVE a drink and snack and get some fresh air ready to help get ready for your next session.
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15:30: EASE ANXIETY AND HELP CALM
THE Sun and Fabulous Daily readers get a free 14-day trial with code SEEDFDM1.
Sign up to Seedlings Wellbeing app for your child to learn physical wellbeing, with content designed by professionals in line with child development stages.
My Breath offers 12 breathing techniques to promote calm and ease stress and anxiety. This is regularly added to by experts.
16:00: CODE WITH CONFIDENCE
CHILDREN can programme their own interactive stories, games and animations while learning a bunch of key skills along the way with online site Scratch.
It helps kids think creatively, reason systematically and work collaboratively, and is free.
THURSDAY
7:30: COSMIC KIDS YOGA
A RANGE of videos, from mindfulness to yoga, to help children set themselves up for a day of learning.
With interactive adventures which build strength, balance and confidence, this leaves them feeling fresh and alive in both body and mind – ready to do their best.
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9:00: CBBC LIVE EDUCATIONAL LESSONS
LEARN English with CBBC’s Bitesize daily for free. The TV shows cover ages five to 11.
10:00: THE KID SHOULD SEE THIS
A WEBSITE with more than 4,500 videos for curious kids from science to history, curated for teachers and parents who want to share smarter, more meaningful media with children. And it’s free.
10:30: BREAK
HAVE a drink and a snack and get some fresh air to ensure you are ready for your next session.
10:45: BRAINTEASERS
PUZZLES improve your child’s learning, problem-solving and memory skills by bringing into play specific neural networks and areas of the brain.
Head to PlanBee for challenges on all sorts of subjects, from history and geography, to travel.
11:15: CREATE YOUR OWN E-BOOK STORY
ASK children to pick a main character, a setting and an object then plot their own tale, with a free app called Book Creator.
They use this handy storywriting formula: SOMEBODY (a space ranger) WANTED (to save the world from an evil alien lord) BUT (their spaceship broke down) SO (they hitched a ride with a friendly alien) THEN (they made it just in time to destroy the alien lord).
12:00: LUNCH
MAKE sure it’s not too heavy. Try to include some veg superfoods such as green beans and broccoli. Nuts and fruit are good too.
13:00: COMIC PUZZLES
DEKKO Comics make education fun, covering a variety of topics. They break down motivational barriers to learning and are accessible to kids who struggle with conventional teaching.
The mix of visuals, storytelling and humour is especially helpful for children with dyslexia, autism and more. Choose from 144 comic teaching stories, all online for free during the pandemic.
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14:00: SCIENCE WITH PROF BRIAN COX
LOG on to BBC Bitesize and let TV boffin Professor Brian Cox inspire your child’s science learning, with a number of fun videos to choose from.
15:00: BREAK
HAVE a drink and snack and get some fresh air ready to help get ready for your next session.
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15:30: TWINKL LEARNING
LEARN all about different beliefs and ways of worship with the online platform Twinkl.
Free of charge and includes engaging video tutorials and fun packs. Sure to inspire young minds.
16:00: OXFORD OWL PHONICS
CHOOSE from a wide selection of free e-books from Oxford Owl, and also get further free activities and advice for children from Oxford University Press.
Let your child explore the site, covering topics from English to Maths.
FRIDAY
7:30: DAILY WAKE-UP
KICKSTART the school day with a daily ten-minute wake-up routine for the entire family on Results Wellness Lifestyle
Head to Results Wellness Lifestyle on Instagram for a free and live “set-you-up-for-the-day” stretch, suitable for all abilities. Just visit the Instagram page and click the icon when they go live.
9:00: JOE WICKS P.E.
FITNESS guru Joe Wicks is again leading the nation in P.E. classes to help kids in lockdown – with free, live, 20-minute sessions three times a week.
Children and parents can access them at The Body Coach TV on YouTube.
10:00: LANGUAGES
LEARN a language free through the Duolingo website. Your child can earn points for correct answers and race against the clock with bite-sized lessons in more than 20 languages.
10:30: BREAK
HAVE a drink and a snack and get some fresh air to ensure you are ready for your next session.
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10:45: WORD OF THE DAY BY COLLINS DICTIONARY
EXPAND your vocabulary by learning a new word every day with Collins’ carefully curated – and often unusual – word choices.
Click through for free to find what the word means and examples of how it might be used.
11:15: OAK NATIONAL ACADEMY
THIS website, a government-backed scheme in response to the pandemic, offers an online classroom and teaching resources hub created by teachers.
This includes free access to video lessons, quizzes and worksheets.
It covers a range of subjects – new lessons and resources are available each week – and children follow a clear, structured plan.
12:00: LUNCH
MAKE sure it’s not too heavy. Try to include some veg superfoods such as green beans and broccoli. Nuts and fruit are good too.
13:00: COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
BLOCKLY Games are a fun approach to teaching children the basics of computer programming.
The series of fun challenges is designed for children who have no prior experience of programming languages – and they will soon pick it all up.
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14:00: THE WORLD OF DAVID WALLIAMS
READ books and listen to audio stories with the Britain’s Got Talent judge and children’s author for free.
David’s wicked sense of humour is sure to get the children chuckling while they learn.
And the teachers, too, no doubt.
15:00: BREAK
HAVE a drink and snack and get some fresh air ready to help get ready for your next session.
15:30: MINDFULNESS
THE Sun and Fabulous Daily readers get a free 14-day trial with code SEEDFDM1.
Sign up to Seedlings Wellbeing app for your child to learn physical wellbeing, with content designed by professionals in line with child development stages.
My Mind has more than 100 activities, including creative, active and meditation. It fosters a mindful approach in a child-friendly, imaginative way.
16:00: SCIENCE WITH MADDIE AND GREG
PACKED with fascinating videos about everything from outer space to fiery volcanoes, Let’s Go Live sees upbeat presenters Maddie Moate and Greg Foot teach about all things science, live and for free.
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