Students at home will need a different routine to that which they would normally expect on a regular school day. It is important to set short timeframes and include breaks for exercise and social interaction. There may be home-based skills that you can do together as well as more formal classroom style learning. Fun is important!
Some ideas (select those that are age and level appropriate) :
Cooking: make the family dinner, think about recipe quantities, modifications if there are ingredients missing, experiment with adapting a recipe several times such as morning tea muffins or dumplings - what happens when you change ingredients, which versions are successful, which less so - record what you learn. Get feedback from the family and write up the best recipe for use again and again or to send to someone else.
Gardening: plant some vegetable seedlings and care for them while at home. Take a photo every few days and record their growth. Find out the best way of feeding and watering them, plus protecting them from the hungry birds.
Sewing/knitting: dig out the knitting needles and start a scarf or make a simple skirt or headband out of fabric scraps. Record each step and send to another classmate to have a go themselves.
Building: use lego, blocks, cardboard or an old shoe box to get creative: build a scene from a book you are reading, create an imaginary planet or invent some new type of transport device or household tool
Jigsaws and board games: learn how to win and lose; build spatial awareness with a large family jigsaw, adding dice,
Literacy:
There is some great local content on Home Learning TV available through TVNZ on demand. Pick from a range of age levels (preschool - 15yrs) and subject areas. Videos last about 15-30 minutes. Home Learning TV
These tips from Family Zone offer some advice for families who are concerned about keeping safe while distance learning.
Some of these sites involve making an account or paying for content ($). Others are free.
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All students have a log in for this |
Create a book to share (make account) |
Online multilingual reading books (free) |
Actors read beautiful picture books (free) |
Excellent reading and phonics site $ |
Free online library of multilingual books |
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Read aloud comic books of different genres (make account) |
Animated stories $ |
A wonderful writing website $ |
NZ stories read by Kiwis |
Story starters and creative writing ideas |
Creative writing - KTS students use this site for ideas |
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Free games for English Language learners |
Reading and writing games (free) |
Stories and activities (free) |
Stories read by astronauts (free) |
Info about learning to read. $ (+ free activities and e-books) |
Free online audio and e-books |
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Each child has a login |
Awesome site full of free games |
Practice basic facts |
Maths games for a range of skills and levels. |
Resource that explains how to do exercises. |
Basic facts support |
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Fun, physical movement breaks for kids |
Library staff on hand to support inquiry learning |
Up to date and local news |
Coding tool |
Smart videos for curious minds of all ages |
Wellbeing activities and ideas |
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Stories and yoga |
Upstart mag some sign language starters for kids |
KTS students have log-ins. Huge choice including te reo. Great for the whole family! |
Musical things to make and do |
Thinkers keys on different topics | |
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ideas, games, videos |
Science topics to explore Crash Course Kids US - youtube |
Outdoors |
Museums |
Metropolitan museum Art for kids |
Activities and videos |
Research suggests that "the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that student's family is able to:
1. Create a home environment that encourages learning
2. Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children's achievement and future careers
3. Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community”.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/benefits-parent-involvement-research/ (for further reading)
MOE - parent section including information about the New Zealand Curriculum
MOE - Ideas on how to help with reading, writing and maths - there are some fantastic ideas here for each year group.