There is a wealth of online resources to keep you entertained, educated or enlightened, from home. We are adding to this list regularly, please check back for updates.
- Learn My Way provides free courses on using a computer, browsing the web, sending an email, staying in touch, and finding work online
- Citizens Online has a list of recommended resources to help you stay in touch with family, friends or colleagues during the coronavirus outbreak – or to help you to help others
- Digital Unite has digital guides to help you and learners during these challenging times
- Zoom is a video conferencing tool that lets you host meetings with up to 100 people, for up to 40 minutes, and has lots of other great features. Zoom Tutorials and video introductions available.
- Purple Patch Arts has daily activities for people with learning disabilities You can do them all at home, using things that you should be able to find around the house or garden
- Monterey Bay Aquarium has live webcams where you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are
- Take virtual tours of five USA National Parks
- Cannon Hall Farm - live streams from the farmers, via Facebook
- Project Gutenberg allows you to download free, out of Copyright books, such as Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe and Frankenstein
- Books for Keeps is a children's book magazine, online
- British Library: learning events and workshops
- Love Reading has book reviews, recommendations and competitions
- Open Culture Audiobooks has a selection of free audiobooks and free eBooks
- Cambridgeshire Libraries on Twitter - includes author chat and general discussions
- Virtual tours of the world's best museums and galleries (Travel and Leisure website)
- Virtual tours of world museums, educational sites and galleries for children (Family Days Tried and Tested website)
- Duet Yourself - virtual community choir, via Facebook
- Arts Award blog - ideas for delivering the Arts Award remotely
- Canopy Creative Network - remote life drawing classes for all ages, via Facebook
- Guitar Lessons from Fender - 3 months of free guitar lessons
- Kids Art Projects - Louisa Penfold website
- Access to the Arts - weekly Makaton signing choir sessions, via Facebook
- BBC Arts website
- BBC History Extra website
- British Library Sounds website - the entire range of recorded sound. Music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds
- Royal Opera House - free online content for the culturally curious
- Living Knowledge Network (LKN) Livescreening Platform an archive programme of past events. A new event will be released online each week.
- NHS mental wellbeing audio guides
- NHS breathing exercises for stress
- Reading Well - list of books for mental health
- NHS Moodzone (YouTube) - CBT for mental wellbeing
- Headspace guided meditation (YouTube)
- Digital Unite COVID-19 wellbeing guides
- Government guidance on staying alert and safe (social distancing)
- Digital Unite - keeping up to date with health news
- Digital Unite - health and fitness technology guides
- Alzheimers Society advice on coronavirus for people affected by dementia
- British Heart Foundation 10 minute living room workout
- Children's Commissioner information for children on coronavirus
- Home workouts for seniors from Joe Wicks, the Body Coach (YouTube)
- PE With Joe (YouTube)
- Action for Happiness
- Understanding Universal Credit (help related to Coronavirus)
- Gov.uk information on coronavirus support for employees, benefit claimants and businesses
- Gov.uk advice on business support around coronavirus
- Coronavirus advice from Which?
- FutureLearn offers a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world, including the option to take courses for free.
- Alison - over 1000 free online courses
- Learn My Way - free courses to improve digital skills
- Harvard Free Learning - free online courses from Harvard University
- Open Learn - free online courses from the Open University
- Digital Unite COVID-19 guides and resources
- Gov.uk Skills Toolkit - free courses to help you learn new skills or change jobs
Authors
- Rob Biddulph: Online drawing sessions #DrawWithRob
- Andy Shepherd – free downloadable resources
- Authorfy: Free author videos and writing resources
- Cressida Cowell: Reading some of her favourite stories on YouTube
- David Melling – downloadable activity pack
- Elevenses with the World of David Walliams: Every day at 11am, listen one of David Walliams’ World’s Worst Children stories for free
- Jarrett Lerner – ‘finish this comic’ activity sheets, free downloads
- J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter at Home
- Joseph Coelho – videos, activities and advice for writing poetry.
- Julia Donaldson Adaptations: Animated films based on the much-loved children’s picture books
- Lunch doodles: Draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing with illustrator, Mo Willems
- Michael Rosen – YouTube channel
- Michelle Robinson - activity sheets and games on her website
- Oliver Jeffers
- Rick Riordan – activities
- Ross Montgomery – teaching resources
- Scottish Book Trust: 80 Authors Live events to watch from home
- Tom Palmer – free resources, colouring, and reading chapters aloud on YouTube
Maths, science and technology
- British Science Association: Community group activity packs
- British Science Week Activity packs: Free activity packs on the theme of ‘Our Diverse Planet’
- James Dyson Foundation: 44 engineering and science projects for children aged 7+
- Raspberry Pi
- Science Museum: Science games and apps to help with your learning
- Scratch: program your own interactive stories, games, and animations
- CBBC Operation Ouch
- BBC Bitesize
- Science Sparks
Home learning
- Our resources for home education page has a list of some of the best free home learning resources
- BBC Bitesize
- CBBC
- Shakespeare Week website kids zone - craft and games activities
- Teachers Pet website - free home learning resources
- Teaching Ideas website - thousands of resources
- Teach It Primary website - free access to learning resources while schools are closed
- Teachwire website - a list of resources for teaching at home
- Tiny Happy People on BBC website - activities for babies, toddlers and children
- Digital Unite - list of the best free websites for learning and creating with children
- Free online lessons for primary and secondary students from Oak National Academy
Reading
- Anderson Press: Free resources, videos and activities, they have a Temporary Permissions page about allowing schools and libraries to record and post their books during the pandemic
- Ask a Librarian: Message board from Great School Libraries. Find resources, advice and support
- Bloomsbury: Resources to download and links to your favourite authors’ websites
- Books for Keeps: The children’s book magazine online
- British Library: learning events and workshops
- CBeebies: Games for kids and early years activities
- Classroom Secrets: Free resources for school closures
- Easy Indoor Activities for Kids: 50 ideas for activities at home
- Family Zone: Useful resources from the National Literacy Trust
- Hachette Schools: Online learning and reading resources
- Hamilton: Free English Resources
- Memrise: Free online learning packages for a range of languages
- National Geographic Kids: Discover, learn and play
- NewsWise: from the National Literacy Trust. Helping Key Stage 2 children to navigate the news
- Oxford Owl: Resources to help primary school children learn from home
- Phonics Play: Games to help with learning phonics. – all resources are currently free, if you login with the details on their home page
- Pobble 365: Daily images and activities to help with writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation
- Premier League Primary Stars: Free home learning resources for school closures
- Puffin Books: bringing stories to life and inspiring you to share stories
- Shakespeare Week: Kids’ Zone – activities for children
- Teacher’s Pet: Free home learning resources available to download
- Teaching Ideas: Thousands of free classroom activity ideas and downloadable resources
- The Reading Realm: Free home learning packs, author interviews and other reading resources
- Words for Life: The National Literacy Trust’s website for parents
- World Book Day: Stay-at-home ideas and resources
- Teachwire: Resources for children in Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. A list of resources/other websites, some already on this list
- Tiny Happy People: help develop your child’s communication skills
- Digital Unite list of the best free websites for learning and creating
- Booktrust hometime for older children - story related activities
- Booktrust fun stories and activities for under 5s
- Words for Life provides parents, children and young people with activities and support to improve their language, literacy and communication skills from home. Words for Life also has a Virtual School Library.
- BookTrust Time to Rhyme
