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:
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All students have a log in for this |
Make a wonderful book to share |
Online multilingual reading books |
Actors read beautiful picture books. |
Excellent reading and phonics site |
Free online library of books |
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Reads aloud comic books of different genres |
Can you read and write these high frequency words? |
A wonderful writing website |
Fun learning and activities for home |
Story starters and creative writing ideas |
Another creative writing site |
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Games for English Language learners |
Reading and writing games |
Stories read by astronauts |
Reading books in multiple subjects |
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 |
Smart videos for curious minds of all ages |
Coding tool |
The hidden world of National Parks Take virtual guided tours through national parks |
Wellbeing |
| Memory games for kids |
Information and fun games |
BBC for kids | Kiwi kids news | Online jigsaw puzzles | Thinkers keys on different topics |
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School kit at home facebook page has lots of innovative activities updated daily |
This and other museums have great online content |
Learn English and other languages |
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.