England is in lockdown for a third time and schools are closed until February 15 at least, Boris Johnson announced during his latest press conference.
Primary and secondary schools have been ordered to shift to remote learning. Johnson said the government had been doing “everything in our power to keep schools open”, but that educational settings act as “vectors for transmission” and there is a risk of spreading between households.
Vulnerable children and those of key workers will still be able to go to colleges, primary and secondary schools, and Johnson said nurseries and other early years settings will remain open in England.
Schools are likely to set tasks for children to do at home, but if you’re a parent at a loss and need a little helping hand, these virtual lessons could help.
PE
You knew it was coming. Yep, Joe Wicks is back with his PE With Joe yet again. The nation’s active teacher explained he’d be back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9am on YouTube.
Cosmic Kids Yoga also runs yoga, mindfulness and relaxation videos specially for kids aged 3+ on YouTube. The channel is run by fitness duo Jaime and Martin, who use storytelling to engage the interest of little ones.
English
Author and TV star David Walliams reads stories for kids every day at 11am. Time for the grown-ups to grab a cup of tea and put their feet up. Afterwards, why not chat to your child about the story. Listen to Elevenses online.
Collins Dictionary is also running a word of the day series, where you can go through new words with your kids such as furlough, grimdark and realism.
History
Horrible Histories veteran Greg Jenner is here for your history needs. He narrated 12 funny history lessons last year that you can listen to below.
Science
The Met Office has bitesize, DIY activities to use at home and are available in Welsh. Just click on the activity and download.
Science presenter and producer Greg Foot is running a live family show every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11am.
Music
Go back to listen to Myleene Klass’ music lessonson YouTube from March. Kids can learn about harmonies, music notes, bars and beats and of course, lullabies.
Art
Children’s book author and illustrator, Rob Biddulph, runs draw-along videos on Saturdays at 10am, as well as Tuesday and Thursday at 10am. Kids just need a pencil and paper.
