So it’s day eight of our social isolation/distancing/lockdown and day two of homeschooling my nine-year-old son. I have a newfound appreciation for school teachers and all teaching staff, and realise that my knowledge of key stage two maths and literacy is severely lacking! Set me a 3000-word paper any day, but fractions are really not my cup of tea. That being said, it’s now my job (and the husbands) to make sure that shorty keeps up with his schoolwork during these trying times.

The beauty of attempting to homeschool, with little to no experience, in 2020, is that there is a whole host of online resources to turn to. So I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favourites that are making this lockdown a lot more bearable for us as a family.

1. The Body Coach’s YouTube Channel.

Every morning, at 9am, Joe Wicks is teaching the nation’s children Physical Education (PE). If like me, your child always has an abundance of extra energy, Joe Wicks is your man to go to. His morning PE sessions don’t require any equipment and are accessible for the entire family. It’s also a great way for the entire family to work out together, let off some steam, and have some fun.

https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1

2. Classroom Secrets

My son’s school directed all parents to www.classroomsecrets.co.uk at the start of the lockdown. On their website, there are printable work packs available for all school-age children. So far, we have been working through two worksheets per day for each subject and have found this to be a manageable level of work without putting too much pressure on Mr nine-year-old.

3. Travel and Leisure.

On their website, Travel and Leisure have provided a handy list of twelve famous museums that are offering free virtual tours. The list includes:

• The British Museum, London

• Guggenheim Museum, New York

• National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

• Musée d’Orsay, Paris

• National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul

• Pergamon Museum, Berlin

• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

• The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

• Uffizi Gallery, Florence

• MASP, São Paulo

• National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

4. The Math’s Factor

This handy website was founded by Carol Vorderman and provides maths tutorials for all children. Normally charged at a rate of £2 per week, The Math’s Factor has agreed to waive this charge during the COVID-19 lockdown.

http://themathsfactor.com

5. Audible

Audible, Amazon’s online audiobook service is now offering a selected number of children’s audiobooks completely free during the lockdown. The beauty of this service is that these books are available in six different languages. So for parents whose children have been learning a language, this could be a novel way to continue these lessons. Time to brush up on my high school French with Shorty!

https://www.audible.co.uk/?ref=Adbl_ip_rdr_from_US&source_code=AUK30DFT1BkWS010516905U&ipRedirectFrom=US&ipRedirectOriginalURL=ep%2Fkids-audiobooks

6. The World of David Walliams

Comedian and author David Walliams is opening up his relatable ‘The world’s Worst Children’ series, completely free of charge, for the next thirty days. Each day Walliams will be releasing a new audio file for children to enjoy.

https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/elevenses/

7. Country Living

On their website, Country Living has provided a handy list of twelve live webcams where animals can be viewed during this lockdown period. The list includes:

• Folly Farm, Pembrokeshire

• Edinburgh Zoo

• San Diego Zoo

• Dublin Zoo

• Houston Zoo

• Wildlife Trust, Cumbria

• Kansas City Zoo

• Atlanta Zoo

• African Animals

• Zoos Victoria, Australia

https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/g31784857/live-animal-webcam-zoo/

8. Science Channel

The Science Channel on YouTube offers amazing science videos such as ‘The Impossible Jenga Move’ and ‘Is Spider Silk Stronger than Steel?’ Like The Body Coach, this YouTube channel is more of a ‘whole family’ service where families can get together to learn science, and it certainly prompts some interesting discussions.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceChannel

9. School Express

On the School Express website are thousands of worksheets, created by teachers, that offer a whole variety of subjects for all ages. There’s even a useful section where you can create your own worksheets as well as an online games section.

http://www.schoolexpress.com

10. BBC Bitesize

Last but not least is BBC Bitesize. I have fond memories of the BBC Bitesize resources from when I was at school myself. The website is divided into primary, secondary, and post sixteen education, which is then divided into key stages and geographical locations. When you select the desired key stage you then have a choice of all subjects. My particular favourites were the historical videos which I think might be tonight’s viewing of choice… about to brush up on my knowledge of Roman Britain!

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

And as an added bonus, check out my friend (and a recent Keele graduate) @Mrslightningmclean on Instagram and YouTube for some parenting and homeschooling humour!

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC5XNpXZp6DJFlGZNVT9FvjA

Stay safe and stay home folks! Xxx

Originally published on http://www.thegrrlwiththemostcake.com