Home School Learning

Look what we did last time we stayed at home..............

Cillian and his dad came up with a fantastic idea to create a Bug and Bee Hotel and have named it 'Dungimmon House B&B for Bugs and Bees.' There is great creativity in the construction of the hotel and it looks like a great place for bugs and bees to come and stay! We're sure it won't be long until it will be fully booked!

He also spent many evenings with his mam completing a 1000 piece jigsaw of the GPO in Dublin. It looks really impressive in the picture, a lovely image of the GPO lit up at night.Cillian also helped make and deliver some tasty Easter treats with his family to share with their neighbours. They look delicious! A lovely example of a Random Act of Kindness!

Who doesn't love blowing bubbles? Looks like you're having fun Keira and Aidan!

Grace has been very busy baking some really yummy desserts!

Keira trying to beat her big brother in a game of draughts!

Look who arrived at Mark's house over Easter! Click on the video above to hear the little chick!

When Grace isn't baking she finds time to try another great craft - knitting!

Cycling your bike is a great way to get your daily exercise!

Keira and Aidan enjoying some imaginative play outdoors.

We're very impressed with this fantastic pike Mark landed. What a lovely relaxing pastime! You're a 'REEL' expert Mark!

Finn has been doing lots of baking and even made a yummy cake.

He has been going on lots of walks and this is Finn down at Killywilly lake where he enjoyed hot chocolate and buns with his family.

Finn has been reading and playing lots with Caragh his little sister who loves having him around all day.

He also learned to ride his bike without the stabilisers. Well done Finn! :)

Eve and Clara have been very busy helping out around the garden. Keep up the good work girls!

James and his brother Will have been getting outside to enjoy the good weather. They have been keeping very active. Well done boys!

James and Will enjoying some baking! Yummy! :)

Keira and Aidan have been having fun in their garden in the good weather. They have been getting creative indoors as well. Those bird houses look amazing! Keep up the good work! :)

Hannah has been busy doing her schoolwork. She also likes to play football with her sister Sarah. They have been having great fun cooling off in their paddling pool during the hot weather. Hannah did some great writing about looking after her friend Kate! Well done Hannah!

Even though Fiachra is missing his last few weeks at Greaghrahan N.S., he hasn't had much time to dwell on the matter. As well as doing his school work, he has been kept busy all over Spring lambing his ewes and looking after his two pet goats. Great work Fiachra!

Grace has been making great use of her time at home by creating this beautiful patchwork blanket. She knit white, pink and lilac squares of different sizes before stitching them all carefully together. She then knit a lovely pink border which she added to the edges of the blanket, providing the perfect finishing touch. We know this project took a lot of time and patience Grace. We're very impressed with your work and it's obvious Eve and Clara are too!

Planetarium at Home

ESERO Ireland (European Space Education Resource Office) has joined astronomers at the Blackrock Castle Observatory to provide fun space based activities for children while they are at home. Every Friday they look at the night sky. Click on the image to see the videos. click on the link below to access space related learning resources and activities.
https://www.esa.int/Education/Expedition_Home

10 Days of Stem Challenge

Virtual Tours

The highlight of the year for many pupils is the school tour. This year we have to stay at home and most of our favourite places to visit are closed. Many galleries, museums and visitor attractions at home and around the world are offering virtual tours where you can experience all the places you have heard about but not yet had the chance to visit. Click on the images below to sample a few of our favourites.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Stay Home with Titanic Belfast

Great Wall of China

Anne Frank House Amsterdam

NASA Glen Research Center

Virtual Tour of Mars

Ancient Rome

Penguins, elephants, African Savanna

Live Cams of the Animals

Virtual tour Pet Farm

Animals in Natural habitats

Practice Your PE Skills at Home

Beyond the Classroom resources can be used by parents to develop their child's skills at home. The skills of Running, Throwing, Balancing, Catching, Landing, Skipping, Striking and Dodging are fundamental to all sports. There is a video clip and an activity pack to go with each skill.
https://www.scoilnet.ie/pdst/physlit/beyond/

Playground Games

Spin the wheel to choose a playground game to play. Choose an old favourite or learn to play a new one. Games featured include: Blind Man's Buff, Hopscotch, Wall Ball, Piggy in the Middle and many more.
https://www.safefood.eu/Start/Healthy-Living/Getting-active.aspx

Funbrain

Funbrain is an educational website with free access to games, videos, books and comics. The games help to develop skills in literacy and maths. There is a variety of popular books for all ages, which can be read online including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Moon and Honey Moon series, Amelia Writes and Judy Moody series.
https://www.funbrain.com/

Keep up your Reading!

MyON by Renaissance is giving free access to students of all ages and abilities to 7000 enhanced digital books. There are books on every imaginable subject from animals to sports, monsters and mythical stories to classics and joke books. Read by yourself or sit back, relax and listen or read along with the online reader.

GAA Heroes

Damien Quinn has illustrated a 20 page GAA Heroes colouring book to keep you entertained while you are at home. Just download the PDF from the link, print and get colouring!
https://tinyurl.com/tv4yg85

12 Classic Card Games

It's time to get shuffling, dealing and tallying scores! If your children have had enough of working on Maths sheets why not teach them to play some of the classic card games instead. They will be learning about number and pattern without even realising it. It will also help their concentration. Check out this link for instructions on how to play 12 of the classic games. https://www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/kids-games/indoor-play/snap-12-classic-card-games-to-teach-the-kids/news-story/1d153893aee53908749c1377c588928c

Dabbledoo Music

Dabbledoo Music are giving free access to their resources for teaching music. There are lots of musical ideas and activities to try at home, child friendly music radio shows to listen to, folk and pop songs to sing along to. Watch the Promo video and sign up to their course for parents. You can select the content that you would like and will be sent a weekly email with suggestions to suit your selection.
https://dabbledoomusic.com/p/parents

Learn about the Orchestra!

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra brings concerts to your living room. Host Rebecca Young and Philharmonic musicians introduce their instruments and the building blocks of music through games, silly songs, and activities that get your body moving and creativity flowing! Highly recommended!
https://nyphil.org/education/learning-at-home/families/very-young-peoples-concerts-at-home

Waterways Ireland Learning Zone

Explore Ireland's Inland Waterways with the wide range of fun and engaging activities on the Waterways Ireland Learning Zone website. You can watch videos from different parts of the canal and learn about the Waterway's wildlife. You can track the course of the canal through Ballyconnell and beyond using maps. There are puzzles to complete and many more exciting resources.

Self Regulation and Relaxation Techniques

Guided Visualisations

The PDST (Professional Development Service for Teachers) Primary Health and Wellbeing Team have developed a new resource
'Breathe - Self-Regulation and Relaxation Techniques for Children' featuring a range of calming breathing techniques, written activities and guided visualisations that children can use to bring about a sense of peace and comfort in any situation. The resource is suitable for children of all ages and class levels.
Click on the image to the left to download the resource. Click on the image to the right to access audio recordings of the guided visualisations.

Coping Skills for Kids

Coping skills is a website well worth checking out. It has tried and tested strategies used by child therapists for calming anxiety. There is a special section on helping kids, teens and adults deal with anxiety and stress around Covid 19. It has lots of ideas on creating a calm space, recommended books to read and videos to help practice deep breathing.
https://copingskillsforkids.com/calming-anxiety

Wellbeing and Self Care

Wellness Videos

Paula Conlan, a wellness drama teacher based in Kildare has compiled a series of wellness videos for use with primary schools. Paula has kindly shared these videos with schools around the country. She speaks directly to children offering them practical tips to help them cope during this difficult period. Check this page each week where we will upload a new video.

Introduction to mindfulness

Intro to Mindfulness contd.

Gratitude

The five senses

Acts of Kindness

Mind my Selfie

Let's Play Ireland

Let’s Play Ireland is a government-led initiative aimed at promoting play for all children living in Ireland during the COVID-19 emergency.
Playing is central to children’s physical, mental, social and emotional health and wellbeing. Children learn through play while developing resilience, flexibility and understanding of their world. Play in families enriches childhood. All children and young people have a right to play.https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/lets-play-ireland/

Everyday Learning at Home

Learning isn't all about English, Irish and Maths you know! If you are doing any of these 16 activities, then you are learning. How many have you done? If you would like to try one you haven't done yet just click on the image for the instructions. Have fun!
https://www.weareteachers.com/everyday-activities-that-count-as-learning/

Draw Our Heroes Competition

For further information and competition details please visit https://drawourheroes.ie/

This competition is for all young people who are staying at home. To enter you just draw a picture of your real life hero in this difficult time of the Corona Virus.
Your hero could be a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, ambulance service, gardai, fire service, army, an post, shop assistant, van driver, Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris, Dr. Tony Holohan, your granny cocooning – in fact anyone who is playing their part to keep us all safe.
You can use paints or draw with pencils or use anything you like once it’s on an A4 page.

Aquaculture Remote Classroom

We had organised for Aquaculture Remote Classroom to visit our school this term. They have been in touch with us to say they are sorry they can't come to see us as the schools are closed. Instead they have developed a series of bite-sized videos and activities which focus on Irish aquaculture and the benefits of eating sea food. There are four videos suitable for 5th and 6th class about aquaculture, its sustainability and the benefits of eating seafood. Just click on the image to see the videos. When you are finished, check your knowledge by taking the quiz by clicking here.

25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens

Would you like to learn body poses to help you feel strong, brave and happy? You could try "The Superman" or the "Wonderwoman". You could turn on your "Spidey Senses" or go on "Safari" around your garden. Why not make a mindful jar with glitter and see how it helps you to feel calm and relaxed!
This website has great ideas for fun games, tips for teaching mindfulness to children and teens and has recommended meditation videos an apps for you to try.
https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/

Coronavirus A Book for Children

Award winning illustrator Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book aimed at explaining Covid 19 to children. It will answer all the questions you may have such as;

What is the coronavirus?
How do you catch it?
Why are people worried about it?
Is there a cure for it?
Why are some places we normally go to closed?
What's going to happen next?

" This book is a fantastic resource for children and explains the coronavirus in a colourful and calming way. Adults will learn a thing or two too!" Professor Luke O' Neill, head of immunology at Trinity College Dublin.

Grow Your Own Tomato Plant

Gardening is really good for our well-being and it is a great activity for the whole family while staying at home. It provides us with fresh air and exercise and allows us to get creative outside. Gardening helps to increase heart rate and provides us with all three types of exercise; endurance, flexibility, and strength.
Food Dudes have a video on tips for growing your own tomato plant. As well as fun ideas for gardening and growing plants at home. There are lots of ideas on re-using containers at home as pots. Visit https://www.fooddudes.ie/grow_your_own/

Introducing Food Dudes Fun at Home!

Welcome to Food Dudes Fun at Home! Schools might be closed but Food Dudes fun is coming to your home!
There are games, worksheets and videos for parents to download whee primary school children of all ages can learn about fruit, vegetables and healthy eating.
Each week new resources, in Irish and English, will be added. Visit https://www.fooddudes.ie/food-dudes-fun-at-home/

30 ICT Projects from Apple

Apple has come up with 30 creative activities to do with built-in features of iPad. The activities can be easily tailored for children of all ages. There are lots of fun projects like "choosing five days of photo fun", "capture a time lapse video", "write a love letter to the planet", "storyboard your daily routine" and "record news interviews". Find the instructions for the activities at https://education-static.apple.com/creativity-for-kids/activities.pdf

Imagine Nation

An Post and Children's Books Ireland have teamed up to launch the Imagine Nation Booklet. Leading Irish children’s authors and illustrators have created a free 24-page activity book for you and children from all over Ireland to enjoy. It's full of drawing, writing and mindfulness exercises.
Download your copy by clicking on the image.

Maths Playground

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Check out this great website with an amazing range of games for all ages to play. https://www.mathplayground.com/

Daily Mental Maths Challenge!

Daily 10 is a primary maths resource which covers addition, subtraction, ordering, partitioning, digit values (place value), rounding, multiplication, division, doubles, halves and fractions. You will be asked 10 mental maths questions and can choose whether to have them timed or untimed. Give it a go and try to beat the clock!

The Great Isolation Activity Book

The Great Isolation Activity Book for Kids

The Great Isolation Activity Book for adults.

Click on the links above to the Isolation Activity Book.

How to Reduce the Stress of Homeschooling on Everyone

In this article school psychologist Rebecca Branstetter offers practical advice to parents on how to support their child during school closures. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_reduce_the_stress_of_homeschooling_on_everyone

Become a Nature Detective!!
With all the beautiful weather we're having, its the perfect time to become a nature detective by looking for all the signs of Spring/Summer that are all around us. You can spot many of the trees, flowers and birds in your own garden or on a walk with your family. Click on the pictures below to find some identification charts and some fantastic websites with lots of ideas for you to try. Watch out for some of the flowers below on your walks.

Daisy

Stitchworth

Identify birds by their song, download spotter charts, activity sheets, source craft activities, bingo games and much, much more

Cuckoo flower

Dandelion

Want to make a bird feeder? build a bug hotel or a hedgehog highway? Then check out this lovely website for instructions for lots of creative projects!

Dog-violet

10 nature activities for kids to do while staying at homestaying at home

Primrose

Tips for creating habitats in your garden to attract insects, birds and other wildlife.

Maths Week - Maths at Home

Maths Week Ireland are making resources available for everyone to use at home. The idea is to have fun learning Maths using everyday items that can be found at home.There is a different challenge set for every day of the week as well as tips for parents and lots more. Check it out at https://www.mathsweek.ie/2019/maths-at-home/

Have Fun Learning at Home for Easter

Click on the links below for lots of fun ideas and Easter inspired activities to keep you busy and learning over the next couple of weeks. There are games, art, craft and science activities to keep you learning and even a song and dance routine for when you need a break. Have fun!! :)

Access Easter resources on the Twinkl website input the code IRLTWINKLHELPS complete the New to Twinkl section and login.

Drawing Ideas on Art Hub for Kids!

Art Hub for Kids
Art Hub for Kids allows you to draw along side an artist and his student apprentice! There are lots of different things to draw and you can pause the video at any time to catch up with the artist!
Check it out by clicking on the image or the click below, enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMa5gsmZwHs

Bua na Cainte

Bua na Cainte is the interactive programme we use at school for Gaeilge. Please follow the instructions below if you would like to download it for home use. Please note the programme can only be used on a PC or laptop. The file is quite large and can take up to an hour to download. Go to www.edco.ie/bua
Select the file that suits your computer PC or MAC. Select your child's class,then click on it to start a download of the file. Once the download has completed, click on the file to install and follow the on-screen instructions. A Bua na Cainte icon will appear on your desktop. Once you select this icon a login page will appear. You will need to enter the following details: Login:trial Password:trial

RTE School Hub

RTE has just launched its Home School Hub across its television and online platforms. Watch live at 11:00am daily on RTE2 and download work from RTELearn. You will be able to engage with primary school curriculum-based content, project work, and fun activities to keep you entertained and learning. Click on the links below to see the first episodes!

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Spelling and Maths Shed

Students have been set up with a free trial to Maths Shed and Spelling Shed. Assignments for Maths and for Spelling based on their curriculum. Parents will receive the student’s username and password to log on to the site via their email account on Wednesday 18th March 2020.
https://www.edshed.com/en-ie

Reading Eggs

Reading is Fun!
Learning to read is one of the most important skills your child will learn. Reading Eggs supports each child’s learning by offering individual, one-on-one lessons. These online lessons allow your child to progress at their own rate. The students each have an individual username and password and can continue to progress with their reading. All the students details will be re emailed to parents on Wednesday 18th March.
https://readingeggs.co.uk/

Get Creative- Don Conroy returns with a YouTube Channel

Many parents will remember learning how to draw with Don Conroy! Now many children can pick up tips for drawing with Don with the launch of his YouTube channel!
Click on the image or the link below to watch his channel.
www.youtube.com/channel/UCo4dO9D4okn25M6mvfB02rQ

Phonics Bloom

Phonics Bloom is an interactive educational resource, providing phonics games for both the classroom and home. There are a number of free online games for Junior and Senior Infants to help them develop their phonological awareness.
https://www.phonicsbloom.com

Jolly Phonics

Please click on the link below to listen to the Jolly Phonics Sounds for Junior and Senior Infants.
https://vimeo.com/106231366

PE with Joe Wicks

Why not kick start your day with a live PE lesson withe The Body Coach Joe Wicks! You can catch up with him on You Tube at 9am each morning Monday to Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pe+with+joe+wicks

Go Noodle

Keeping your body and brain active is really important. GoNoodle is a web-based platform that offers hundreds of videos to activate the mind and the body together.
https://family.gonoodle.com/

Grow in Love

To log into Grow in Love for all classes go to https://app.growinlove.ie/en/login and use the following email and password.
Email: trial@growinlove.ie Password: growinlove
This will allow you to access the resources for all the books – video clips, songs, prayers etc.

Lego Challenge

Non-Screen Activities

Reading Rockets

103 Things to Do Before, During, or After Reading
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/103-things-do-during-or-after-reading

Oxford Owls

Oxford Owls has a fantastic range of eBooks, ideas and activities to support learning at home. If your love the Oxford Tree adventures with Biff, Chip and Kipper then this is the place to go. https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/

Advice on Home Learning from the Experts

This article from the Irish Times gives good advice on motivating your child to learn while they are at home. There are tips on the use of timetables, rewards and also an extensive list of online educational resources for parents. Click here
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/home-schooling-during-coronavirus-closures-advice-from-experts-1.4202372?fbclid=IwAR07IpqQANPRIQIyBw89riQCIOOef3lPmKzpm7EAhxyb3Rk-30QAJmmDEVA

Top Marks

Top marks provides a fantastic range of Maths and Literacy games for students from Junior Infants to 6th Class.
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/

ICT Games

Click on ICT games for a great range of Maths and Literacy games for 5 to 8 year olds.

Movement Mat

100+ Indoor Activities

Here's one for the Mums and Dads too! Borrowbox is the eBook & eAudiobook service provided by Cavan County Library There are thousands of titles available in both formats and they are classified into Adult, young Adult and Children’s titles. The Borrowbox App can be downloaded to any Apple or Android device. The Apple version offers a specific Dyslexia friendly font. Borrowbox can also be used on a Desktop/Laptop. Even though the library is currently closed to the public, you can still join online. Just click on 'Online Library Services' on the home page at http://www.cavanlibrary.ie/Default.aspx?StructureID_str=1

National Geographic

National Geographic Kids is a treasure trove of educational information. Parents can use the games, videos, and other resources to teach kids about animals, other countries, science, and related topics. You will be asked to register an email address before being allowed to download PDF activities but apart from that from that there is a huge amount of high quality content in bitesize chunks for children with the shortest of attention spans! https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Cosmic Kids

Cosmic Kids is an incredible kid-friendly approach to yoga! Jaime walks you through a story using various yoga poses. She has created generic stories like "Underwater Party" and "Diggory the Dumptruck" as well as familiar stories like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Trolls". Yoga reinforces skills in strength, coordination, balance, and body awareness. But it also works on focus, breathing, and relaxation.
https://www.cosmickids.com/

David Walliams Free Daily Audio Story

The World of David Walliams is releasing a free audio story from The World’s Worst Children every day for the next 30 days at https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/elevenses/

Jamie Oliver's Get Kids Cooking!

Get cooking with these six savoury brilliant family-friendly recipes from Jamie Oliver. They're tasty, healthy, easy and fun!
https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/category/get-kids-cooking/

Science Snacks using Materials from Home

Exploratorium has also posted 285 science activities, called "Science Snacks," which use "cheap, readily available materials" and can be done at home. Suitable for Senior classes
https://www.exploratorium.edu/learn