Fun, Educational, Online Resources
Here in Sydney, Australia we are in the second major lockdown since the pandemic begun last year. Just like last year, I am again noticing a plethora of amazing resources being offered for free for teachers and parents alike.
I thought it might be useful to review, summarise and list the resources I think will be useful for parents or teachers and put them all in one article as a quick reference guide. There may be some options to keep the kids busy on a rainy day or if you just really need to get some more of your own work done (we all get it!).
Taronga TV
All ages
Simply click on the ‘watch now’ button to be taken to the Taronga Zoo You Tube library. There are so many gorgeous documentary videos- the footage is excellent and they are teaching so much about different animals. I found myself completely distracted watching and learning about the adorable Meerkats.
https://taronga.org.au/taronga-tv
Behind The News
Primary aged students
If you are a teacher or your child attends school in Australia, the fact is you have probably already come across Behind the News plenty of times. I see it as a fantastic learning resource but my own daughters also enjoy watching it in their free time (one, more than the other). It is always current but we also love delving into the archives to see what interests us.
Story Online
Pre-school, infants and primary aged students.
Story online is a beautiful resource with stories read aloud by well know Americans. I used this daily when I taught Kindergarten, they just absolutely adored Story Online and the amazing library on offer.
It is also worth checking with your child’s school if they subscribe to an online reader website. These websites offer children a wide range of stories that they can read to themselves or read along with.
Podcasts
All ages
I usually recommend podcasts to friends and family for road trips- we love them! Those of us in lockdown might have to imagine we are on a road trip while we listen. Our absolute family favourite is the Wow In The World podcast. They are absolute geniuses who teach us about science through creative story telling and drama. Yes it is all that wonderfulness rolled together.
The clever people over at wired.com have already created a list of the 12 Best Podcasts for kids that we can check out. So here is the link to it
https://www.wired.com/story/best-podcasts-for-kids/
BBC Bitesize
Ages 3-16+
Those of you reading in the UK will be completely familiar with the BBC and its resources but those of you from elsewhere around the world might not realise just how much of it is relevant to us in Australia and even those of you in the US. Perhaps just avoid the activities on money and other units of measurement that we do not share, as that might get confusing (but still a great opportunity for learning).
Teacher friends- there are so many resources here, I am sure you will find something useful for one of your lessons next week. There are also plenty of games to keep the children entertained.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
ABC Kids
All ages
Not to be left behind, Australia’s own ABC also has an amazing education site. I could spend hours exploring it and I am sure your children could too. They might find out more about something they are particularly interested in or they might learn about completely new topics. Such an amazing resource for parents and teachers alike.
https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/home
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS)
(previously Powerhouse Museum)
All ages
Personally I would prefer to be actually visiting one of the museums but that will have to wait. For now there are lots of wonderful resources to explore and if you sign up you might even find out about some of their live streams such as the Southern Sky Live stream from the Sydney Observatory taking place tomorrow night.
Live stream: https://www.facebook.com/events/763827424319895?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign
I hope your children enjoy exploring some of these resources and that having easy access to them helps your family.
