While schools have provided online and paper learning packs to keep kids going through this time, they can't necessarily cover everything. Celebrities have been doing their bit to fill in the gaps like Joe Wicks who's running daily PE classes and David Walliams who's sharing free daily audio stories. But what about keeping children on track with their classwork?
If you ask any British school child of the last 30 years about reading, they'll very likely have fond memories of Biff, Chip and Kipper. For those of you not familiar with the plucky siblings, Biff, Chip and Kipper have been teaching the nation's children how to read for decades. Toted home in book bags to be read with mum, dad or granny and grandpa, the school learning books take children from the very beginning of their reading journey right up to fluent reading. They are a staple of the British class room. Moving up a level in Biff, Chip and Kipper books was a big deal!
Oxford Owl, the e-learning resource for children from Oxford University Press has an extensive online e-library with free access to over 100 e-books for children including a heap of Biff, Chip and Kipper books of all levels.
With a wide range of maths, english and reading resources that you can filter by age or school year, the completely free resource will keep kids entertained and learning for hours, with lessons and activities based around the curriculum. Simply sign up and get going!
Oxford Owl e-library is a perfect solution to keeping your kids on the reading programme during their time at home, without paying out for print versions of the books. By the books' nature, children progress past each pretty quickly, typically taking each home for a few days before returning to school. Mum of three Angela found Oxford Owl by chance: "I was looking for something for my daughter Lucy, she's 5 and has just begun reading. She's really enjoying it but only came home with one school book. I looked into e-books because Biff Chip and Kipper books were coming up at £28 for 6 and I just couldn't warrant that money."
Aside from the great reading resources there are activities from 3 to 11-year-olds covering times tables, phonics, creative writing and even cooking. There are also countless PDF work sheets to download. If you or someone you know is panicking about taking on the role of teacher, this is heaven sent.
Here's an example of their creative writing section alone to show you how rich the offering is:
"Unleash your inner author with our creative writing ideas. Find out how to come up with story ideas, plan your story, write exciting characters, and edit your story to give it that final polish. You can even watch some of your favourite authors reveal their top tips on the Oxford Owl YouTube channel."
Explore Oxford Owl and SIGN UP here.
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