The following list of resources are designed to give you a few ideas of things you can do to help your child to learn. The list of resources has been compiled from a range of resources which are available online and which have been recommended by other schools and on many sites. Please remember that the work is completely optional. Every subject is covered below. Some require the help of family, some can be done on a computer, but most can be done on your own. Remember there is no pressure to engage with any of these resources they are simply design to help parents and for your information.
IPPN CEO’s message to parents of primary school children – ‘Schools will continue to support children with their learning but they do not wish to cause any further anxiety for parents.’
The Department of Education have provided a sample timetable which might be useful to help plan your day.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1244549928388624384
Cúla 4 have a range of lessons online to help with the teaching of Irish. During the programme Cúla4 ar Scoil, children will be invited to participate at home and will be asked to send in pictures or videos of their work to the programme. The content is also available online on Cula4.com and on Cúla4 YouTube.
Access free OT Supports from MyOT and me
Link to wonderful Irish resources padlet shared by Taisce Tuisceanna
Link to additional online free resources shared by @ShaneHastings.ie
AsIam.ie offer wonderful resources for pupils with autism. Check out this video from AsIam.ie. You can also visit their website for additional resources to support children with autism during this time. They have some fantastic resources such as social stories to explain COVID-19.
Link to well-being journal designed by Fiona Forman
Click here to view the wonderful resources on the Junior Achievement Ireland website
General Resources
– suitable for all classes
Twinkl are offering all parents a One Month FREE Ultimate Membership to Twinkl.ie. This will allow parents unlimited access to every single resource for every single curriculum subject from junior infants to sixth class.
Setting this up is really easy to do – go to www.twinkl.ie/offer and enter the code IRLTWINKLHELPS. This code will only work for new memberships.
World Book
The World Book is a resource offered by the PDST. It’s like a virtual encyclopedia except a lot more interactive.
https://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/products?ed=all&gr=Welcome%21
Some teachers have sent out access codes for EPIC which offers free online digital books.
Skype with a Relative
This can be a nice idea if you have a family member who may have to self-isolate or who you may not be able to visit. It’s a way for children to use oral language and it might be a nice kind of game to play to keep boredom away.
Ideas include:
- Play 20 questions – take turns in thinking of an object and the other person can only ask questions which have a yes or no answer.
- A-Z – Pick a topic and take turns in naming something beginning with A then B then C and see if you can get to Z Without skipping any letters.
- The Big Interview – child prepares 10 questions they’d like to know about the relative and then asks them
- More ideas here: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-vocabulary-games/
More general resources include:
- www.studyladder.com – online activities covering all the curriculum
- http://www.prezzi.com/- Pick a topic and get the kids to research and put together a project. This could be done the old fashioned way or using powerpoint or Prezi
- https://www.scoilnet.ie/- Scoilnet Primary is another website with a wealth of worksheets and topics for researching.
Accessing school books online
A number of book publishers have made their school books and resources available online to parents.
- Edco Learning– suitable for all levels
Pupil resources for programme include:
- Skills Books
- All readers
- Pupil’s digital resources
To access EDCO Learning online, please note:
Username: primaryedcobooks
Password: edco2020
2.Folens Online– suitable for all levels
To access all the digital resources:
- Go to www.folensonline.ie
- Select Teacher
- Fill in a username, email and password
- For Roll Number use the code: Prim20
- CJ Fallon – suitable for all levels
To access all the digital resources:
- Go to https://www.cjfallon.ie/ and click on the “click here” button.
- Filter what books you want to search for
- They will ask for your name, email and whether you are a student, parent or teacher
Follow this link to find a list of education companies that are offering free subscriptions due to school closures
http://www.amazingeducationalresources.com/
Literacy / English Resources
Read, Read, Read. This is the best time for kids to read as much as they can. Pick a good book. Download a summary for yourself. Most books have book club type questions for each chapter online. Have a chat with the kids about the books.
Alternatively, sit with them and listen to them reading their Read at Home Book. Listen to them read. Check their comprehension by asking both simple and more complex questions.
- EPIC – suitable for all levels
Epic! is an online library which offers over 35000 resources including “Read to Me” books, audiobooks, student tracking, reading level linkage with Accelerated Reader and other reading levelling schemes. It also offers high interest texts such as National Geographic Kids and Guinness Book of Records. It is suitable for children from ages 4-12.
https://www.pdst.ie/DistanceLearning/SourcesofInformation#epic
2. BorrowBox – suitable for all levels
If you or your child are a member of the local library, you can access an App or website called BorrowBox. It is free and can be used for both audio books and ebooks. There is a children’s section.
Please note: To register, you need your library card which has your membership number on the back.
3.Vooks – suitable for all levels
Vooks is a resource for families to keep kids reading at home. Vooks can also be a welcome distraction for parents, allowing them to enjoy time with their kids, watching and discussing books together. To help, Vooks have created take-home lesson plans that provide children with 20 minutes a day of read aloud time and activities.
Please note: Free one month, sign up required
- Oxford Owl Ebook Reader Library – Junior Infants to 2nd Class
Oxford Owl has an ebook library with over 250 books in it and offers free access to parents once you create an account at www.oxfordowl.co.uk They also have some vocabulary and comprehension activities for most of the books.
- Writing Legends – suitable for all levels
As part of the response to Coronavirus Writing Legends are providing their resources free of charge until July 31, 2020. Writing Legends is a comprehensive writing programme, containing hundreds of activities for all students.
https://www.writinglegends.com/
- www.sorchaj.com- Infants to Fifth Class
This site covers phonics, dolch list words, Jolly Phonics including tricky word lists and practice reading sentences following the Spellbound order of words and more.
Gaeilge Resources
- Fócloir.ie– suitable for all levels
Even if you can’t speak Irish, there are some great ways to pick up some vocabulary. One really easy activity is to pick a topic, for example: food, household objects, colours, and so on, then write down 20 words associated with that topic in a list. Next go to https://www.focloir.ie/en/ and translate the words. The great thing is that almost every word on the website has an audio recording of it so you can listen to how to pronounce the words! As a family, you could try and learn a few words every day!
- Duolingo – Gaeilge– suitable for 2nd – 6th Class
Duolingo can be used for learning any language! You can create a profile and track your progress.
- Cúla 4 – suitable for Infants to 2nd class
Irish language programmes on TG4 for younger viewers.
Numeracy / Maths Resources
Don’t worry about progression on new topics. The best thing you can do is take out their maths book and go over old topics. Especially tables!!! Pick a topic every few days and print out a few worksheets for them to do. Revision is best here.
1.Hit the Button– suitable for all levels
Offers maths games for all class levels.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button
2.Mathletics
Join Mathlethics. This is a website packed full of maths games. Children can play against each other and work on all the skills that they will have already covered this year!!
https://login.mathletics.com
3.Multiplication.com – suitable from 3rd class up
On this website, there are loads of games to practice multiplication.
https://www.multiplication.com
4.Top Marks – suitable for all levels
This is a fantastic website with lots of useful games and activities, particularly for maths. Your child may already be familiar with a number of these games from school.
Please note: A paid app version is available from Apple/Google Play/Amazon but the web browser version is free to use.
- Coding
- There are some excellent websites and apps for coding. You can use scratch when coding with the kids. There are loads and loads of tutorials https://scratch.mit.edu.
- In addition, Tynker jr and Tynker are excellent apps for coding with the junior classes also.
- Apple’s Learn to code curriculum is another option. Download the swift playgrounds app and start with learn to code 1.
https://mailchi.mp/tynker/in-support-of-schools-facing-health-related-closure
Science Resources
- Scholastic Learn at Home – suitable for all levels
Day to day projects for all children.
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
- Science Foundation Ireland – suitable for all levels
Any science experiment you could ever think of is nicely organised into lots of different sections. Much of the equipment you can find at home but well worth exploring to try and do a science experiment every few days.
https://www.sfi.ie/engagement/discover-primary-science-and-maths/activities-search/
Geography Resources
- Ask About Ireland– suitable for all levels
An oldie but a goodie. This web site covers both History and Geography from infants to 6th class including some great project ideas. There’s probably enough here to cover the entire curriculum. Hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old!
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/
- Scoilnet Geography– suitable for all levels
Teachers working with Scoilnet have produced a number of subject-based themed pages. Each theme page presents a set of links and resources on a particular topic. The link below contains a number of resources on different Geography topics.
https://www.scoilnet.ie/primary/theme-pages/geography/
History Resources
- Ask About Ireland– suitable for all levels
An oldie but a goodie. This web site covers both History and Geography from infants to 6th class including some great project ideas. There’s probably enough here to cover the entire curriculum. Hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old!
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/
- Seomra Ranga History Links– suitable for all levels
Seomra Ranga provides suggestions of websites that you may wish to visit for history ideas.
https://www.seomraranga.com/links/sese-links/history/
- Family Tree
Make your family tree with your child. You can do this digitally or by hand and you can go back as far as you want!
SPHE Resources
- Busy Bodies– suitable from 4th to 6th Class
Busy Bodies Adolescent Development Programme provides information on the physical and emotional changes that children may experience during puberty, to reassure them that puberty is a normal part of growing up. Busy Bodies is a useful resource to help support parents in providing information on puberty to children aged between 10 and 14.
https://www.healthpromotion.ie/health/inner/busy_bodies
- Scoilnet SPHE Page – suitable for all levels
Scoilnet provides a number of resources to support the SPHE curriculum including the Webwise programme, which teaches the pupils about Internet Safety.
https://www.scoilnet.ie/primary/theme-pages/sphe/
Resources to support PE/ Exercise at Home
Joe Wicks also known as “The Body Coach” is offering kids free online PE sessions simply check out his youtube channel
GoNoodle -suitable for all class levels
GoNoodle is a really easy and good way to get kids moving. There are a number of dances that your child will be familiar with from school- Twist and Shout, Pop see ko, the maxerena and trolls can’t stop the feeling to name but a few.
Brain Breaks- The Learning Station – suitable from infants to 2nd class
The Learning Station is another way to get kids moving. There are a several dances that your child will be familiar with from school- Dr. Knickerbocker, Move and Freeze, Shake your Sillies Out
If you put “brain breaks the learning station” into a google search, several dances will appear for you and your child to choose from.
Music Resources
- Dabbledoo Music – suitable for all class levels
Dabbledoo are offering all content for free to parents of schools with DabbledooMusic.
https://dabbledoomusic.com/p/parents-subscription-full-access/?product_id=1122889&coupon_code=18516L
- SoundTrap
www.soundtrap.com : This is a great way for students to experiment with loops and sounds through layering tracks and building songs. Supports GSuite and Office365 logins which means all work saved to the cloud. Free version gives students five compositions to explore. Lots of learning in students playing around with the built in demo songs and their use of sound recording techniques, musical effects and layering of sounds (texture etc.)
Visual Arts Resources
I Am An Artist– suitable for all class levels
One of the best produced Visual Arts guides for the curriculum. The site may be dated but everything in it is gold!
SEN Resources
- Education Nation
Online learning to better help all pupils with special needs.
https://educationnation.ie/register/covid-19-free-access/
Free access to all Education Nation courses for all schools until March 31st 2020
- SEN Teacher
One of the oldest sites dedicated to Special Education Teaching but has expanded it’s use to any type of learning environment. Loads of printables and interactive resources.
Learning about COVID-19
Information Worksheet for Children about Covid-19
All Classes
Free downloadable PDF for children about Coronavirus which is information but also acts as an activity sheet.
Tab for direct link is below.