Home-Schooling Resource List

15th September 2020

by Clare Davy

Khan Academy

Khan Academy US based nonprofit operation, curated by experts. Provides resources for a vast range of subjects, all available completely free. Argued by many that this is one of the most comprehensive learning resources you will find, and they have acted quickly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with daily lesson plans and other tailored resources. You can search by grade or subject (based on the US Curriculum from K-12 plus some graduate courses) and the content is a mix of text, visuals and videos to suit all learners. While the content is aligned to the US curriculum it is still hugely valuable for those students in other parts of the world. Remember many subjects’ cross borders, such as, maths, science, and literacy.

BBC Bitesize

Another UK based site supporting the UK National Curriculum, from reception through to A-Levels. So you can be confident that your children are covering the same material they would be in the classroom. The content spans across all ages and subjects and as the name suggests learning material is presented in small, easily digested chunks.

ABC Education

An Australian based website offering thousands for free curriculum-linked resources for students. All their resources are free and mapped to the Australian Curriculum, covering English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, The Arts and Technologies, including STEM. Content can be searched based on year level or subject and your search can be further refined content type (games, videos, digibooks or audio). There is an option to create a free account to save your favourite resources.

Australian Curriculum Lessons

This site is pitched at teachers, providing them access to a collection of detailed lesson plans, activities and resources aligned with the Australian Curriculum. Lesson plans and resources span across all subjects, including videos and downloadable resources. This site might be useful for those parents who wish to delve deeper into the curriculum their child’s school is following and gain a better background understanding for themselves. Some parents may even want to try delivering one of the many lessons available following the detailed plan.

Twinkl

A global educational publisher giving free access to all teaching and learning materials. Scroll to the bottom to select your region and you will be redirected to your regions specific learning resources.

826Digital

A fabulous online learning site that supports and encourages the love of writing. It provides a range of learning materials, writing prompts and projects designed to get children of all ages to write. Also a nonprofit organisation which is completely free to signup, although donations are encouraged.

Oxford Owl

A UK based website that offers a wide array of free learning resources. They offer a free eBook library with access to hundreds of titles. All of their eBooks are free to use, however, you will need to register an account. Their eBooks are best viewed via a tablet, laptop or computer. You can browse for books by age, series of by Oxford Level. In addition to eBooks, Oxford Owl also have a range of learning at home activities, downloadable PDF activities, and ten-minute storyteller videos. An excellent resource and a timesaver for parents who want to supplement what has been provided by their children’s school.

Awful Parent

A particularly good resource for those parents with younger children. This site is packed with fun art and craft ideas to get your kids away from those screens and thinking creatively. Some activities include observational drawing, making your own playdough, 3D rainbow cardboard sculptures and so on. Each activity comes with a materials list, ways to encourage and engage your child and optional follow-up activities.

ArtBar

Similar to Awful Parent, ArtBar houses a huge collection of art ideas for the whole family. The site groups the activities into various categories (process art, recycled art, nature art, etc.) and age groups (toddler art, teen crafts, etc.).

Go Sketch Club

Have a buddying artist at home? Go Sketch Club are currently offering free online art courses during the current pandemic situation. Signing up will allow you access to Go Sketch Club newsletters, 30 day doodle challenge, live classes and competitions. Check out their website for more information.

3D Geography

A great resource to help with learning about Geography. They offer free templates for making Geography models – think 3D model animals, globe, volcanoes and the list goes on.

Fizzics

An Australian based website run by a group of science teachers. They have a great range of experiments that may be easily tackled at home, science podcasts and online classes.

Science Fun

Another free science resource including experiments and science trivia.

Questacon

An excellent science resource developed by The National Science and Technology Centre, in Australia. There are a diverse range of science experiments demonstrate via videos for your child to engage with at home. You can replicate these experiments by following the detailed instructions. They provide links to the Australian Curriculum and enhance the learning by discussing real world links.

Math Engaged

A brilliant resource dedicated to “building a Mathematical Mindset through Engagement and Creative Play in Mathematics.” Check out their card games for number fluency – a great way to learn while having fun!