We have compiled a list of websites that we think will be useful to you at home. Click on a subject to view the expandable menu.
Useful websites by Subject
Art
The Tate has its own website just for kids. It is brilliant for anyone interested in exploring and creating art.
The ‘Make’ section has lots of ideas to inspire you, including: how to make a robot, how to create Van Gogh style art and many, many more ideas.
If you’d rather just ‘Explore’, this section lets you do just that. Here you will find a wide range of art to look through and learn from, including both artists and art movements.
Finally, the ‘Games and Quizzes’ area will provide you with hours of arty fun!
Rob Biddulph is an award winning author/illustrator of picture books. He has started posting online videos every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am for you to draw-along to! All of the online drawing tutorials Rob has recorded so far are on the website, so you don’t need to stream live if this is not possible. He even asks for your creations to be posted online for him to see. Don’t miss out!
BBC Bitesize have a great collection of video resources online. It is organised into various sections, where you can choose the area of art you want to look into, including art disciplines, media and materials and artists. So whether it be creating some Andy Goldsworthy art in the natural environment or creating a Banksy-style stencilling image, you will not be lost for new ideas!
The National Geographic Kids site has a wide range of exciting resources which are free to download, once you have signed up.
The resources come with step by step instructions on how to create various different things, including: carnival masks, pebble people and a dinosaur bone.
Computing
STEM.org.uk is a one-stop-shop for all things Science, Technology and Maths. The website is crammed full of great resources, tutorials and planning. I would encourage parents to have a look through the site first before letting children explore as the content is vast. Find an area they they are interested in an hone in.
Scratch is a block-based visual programming language and website targeted primarily at children. Users of the site can create online projects using a block-like interface. I wonder if there are any future computer game designer among us at Hillfort?
This website includes free coding lessons in an attempt to encourage children to build upon (or start) their computer science knowledge. This is a nice pre-cursor to block build coding. However, the complexity can increase quickly but with great tutorials.
Design Technology
Are you missing being creative? Do you love designing and making things? During lockdown, ‘Kapow’ have released two design and technology projects for children to access. There is a KS1 topic for children to create a new chair for Baby Bear and KS2 can follow the lessons to create a castle. We look forward to seeing your creations!
Is there a better time to learn all about food, where it comes from and how to prepare a healthy meal? Fun for all the family, this useful website also has handy recipe ideas, activities for 3-16 year olds and resources including PowerPoint presentations, posters and activity cards.
BBC – Bitesize – Design Technology
A one –stop shop for all things design and technology. Here you will find videos about the design process, different skills you will use and videos relating to each aspect: materials, mechanics and engineering, electronics and electrics and food. There are also handy links to some creative activities on the CBeebies website (creating your own sock puppet) and BBC teach.
French
The Fable Cottage provides a range of stories in French. There is also a French transcript to go with each story which can then be translated into English so you can read along with the story!
Brush up on French words and phrases while watching entertaining graphics. This website also has mini stories to listen to and follow.
BBC Bitesize – French
This website offers daily French lessons ranging from ‘Activities and Hobbies’ to ‘Birds, Bugs and Beasts.
Geography
Are you an enthusiastic geographer? Do you want to find out all about natural wonders which occur around our planet? Then this is a website for you! You can discover many different things from what it is like to live in a rainforest to explosive volcano facts.
Do you want to be transported to many amazing places? Are you interested in looking at untouched wilderness? Then spending time looking at the world through Google Earth is a website for you. You can search for many different places all over the globe from The Sphinx to the Great Wall of China. What is the most bizarre place you can find?
Ducksters is an exciting, educational website which allows you to research and discover many intriguing facts about the 7 continents on Earth. You can study maps, look at a country’s population and research into different geographical features. Do you dare to play a game of ‘Geography Hangman’? If so, this website is a must-visit for you!
History
Are you a budding historian? Do you want out amazing facts about the past? Then this is great website for you! You can find out so many things from fun facts about the Queen to the treasures of Tutankhamun. Will you
dare look at the terrifying tales from Greek Mythology?
Maths
In either paper form or online, Times Tables Rock Stars is a carefully sequenced programme of daily times tables practice.
Do you want to challenge your arithmetic and problem solving skills? Why not try the Corbett Maths Primary 5-a-day questions? Choose the questions for the right date and then see how far you can go. Is bronze the right level for you for now? Can you push yourself to move up the levels?
If you love playing Maths games, this is the website for you! Choose the age group that you want and then pick a category that interests you. There are lots of different games to play. Have fun and maybe even challenge someone too!
Did you ever think you could mix computer games with Maths? This website has lots of games which you play like regular computer games but with an added twist of challenging your Maths skills too. Why not take a look and see which games you like to play?
Music
Charanga is the resource that we use in school to teach music. Many pupils will be familiar to with it. There are many activities for pupils to use at home including learning to play an instrument. To login, the username is your child’s first initial followed by their surname and class name. The password is your child’s date of birth in 6 digits.
Discover the stories and secrets hidden in these classical pieces of music. For each piece you will find different ways you can explore the music, exciting short films, arrangements and more.
The Rhythm Trainer is a free, Flash-based program for learning and practising rhythm. There are two types of exercises: A Mode, where you click in the rhythm you hear, or B Mode, where you see a rhythm and choose the sound that matches.
An opportunity for children to explore and bring classical music’s great composers to life through music, stories and games. Websites for music.
Start your family band by crafting some awesome homemade musical instruments. Kids will have a blast banging on tin can drums, shaking DIY maracas and more.
P.E.
Active Schools help by providing rigorous, outcomes-based curriculum tools to every physical education teacher – no exceptions.
Body Coach TV posts weekly home workouts to help you get, stronger, healthier and happier.
Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation for kids. Interactive adventures which build strength, balance and confidence – and get kids into yoga and mindfulness early!
Boogie Beebies – a fun website aimed mainly for foundation and KS1 children to encourage them to get up and dance with CBeebies presenters.
10 min activities that count towards children’s recommend minimum 60 minutes of activity a day. Fun moves for all primary age children based on well know Disney movies.
Clips for KS1 and KS2 which help pupils to learn subjects like Maths and English while they move and stay active.
P.S.H.E
It is really important for children to stay safe online!
Here is an online safety story for 3 to 7 year olds.
Join in with Mummy Penguin’s song and follow the adventures of Smartie the Penguin as he learns how to be safe on the internet.
The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew.
These cartoons illustrate 5 e-safety SMART rules and include a real life SMART Crew of young people, who guide the cartoon characters in their quest, and help them make safe online decisions. This is more suitable for 8 to 11 year olds.
BBC Bitesize – Emotions
Learning to recognise and understand our emotions is a huge part of growing up! Especially in these strange and confusing circumstances, emotional well-being is even more important. Here are some short video clips, where KS 1 children talk about different feelings and emotions.
You all know that looking after our environment is incredibly important!
Learn about our amazing planet and some of its biggest threats. Learn some fascinating facts about many amazing species that you’ll want to share with everyone you know!
R.E.
Lots of downloadable activities in relation to different beliefs and cultures. Learn about the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi, about a Jewish Bar Mitzvah and The Good Samaritan all in one place.
Do you like listening and watching stories from around the world? On this website there are lots and lots of animated and fun stories related to the different world religions.
Do you like learning about other children’s lives around the world? Watch and listen to all the different stories of children as they explain what they believe and what their lives are like.
Enter the wonderful world of Ancora and play your way through exciting Bible Quests. With new updates every few months, the stories of the Bible are really brought to life in new and exciting way
Science
The Primary Science Teaching Trust is working with Science Sparks to create activities for children to have some fun with science at home. Each activity comes with a two-page instruction sheet. The activities are sheet has activities that are: clear and simple, accessible for all, use common household resources and, most importantly, are fun for children and their families to do.
‘Explorify at Home’ is a weekly supply of activities for parents and carers to do with their learners at home. It’s based on the primary science curriculum, but easy to access in the home environment. There is no need to create an account to use this resource.
‘Wow Science’ is a bank of videos, experiments and games linked related to a wide range of scientific topics. Whether you are looking for something practical or just something educational for the children to play or watch independently, Wow science is likely to have something of interest for all children.
Spellings
A great way to practise phonics, spelling patterns or the common exception words listed in the UK English Curriculum.
This game uses the words listed in the UK National Curriculum as being ‘Common Exception Words’ i.e. tricky words. Choose a year group, then choose bird box to select your word list. Arrange the letters in the correct order to spell each word. The robins will take the bread away when you get it right.
This game uses the words listed in the UK National Curriculum as being ‘Common Exception Words’ i.e. tricky words. Choose a year group, then choose bird box to select your word list. Arrange the letters in the correct order to spell each word. The bats will take the letters away when you get it right.
Reading
Searching for Accelerated Reader books is fun and easy with this free online tool.
Unlimited access to thousands of books, videos and quizzes from leading publishers to help kids everywhere read, learn and grow.
Help your child learn with expert advice and free activities from Oxford University Press.
A selection of ‘live’ stories read by Mr McGirr. Books read so far include: War Horse, James and the Giant Peach, George’s Marvellous Medicine and Esio Trot.
NOTE: Please be aware of the American content. The advice that the creators give may be different of that to the UK Government.