This page is one of a suite of pages to support families learning at home during Covid-19. We hope this page helps you to find inspiration!
Parents Association Community Project!
Our School Rocks!
Custom rocks have been popping up in local communities, including at our own school gates. This is a fun, simple idea that can be done easily with children young and old! We are inviting families in our school to create their own rocks and upload a photograph of them to the school website so we can display these creations. Typically people place their rocks around the community for others to see. However, we are suggesting something a little bit different. We invite you to hold on to your rocks and when the time comes for us to come back together in school we will bring our rocks back and look at how we might use them around our campus as a memorial to these times. When this time comes, we will invite suggestions from our community as to how best we might use them! How to make your rock creation: - Pick a rock or stone - Rinse off any mud/muck - Once dry you can use paint, nail varnish, markers, crayons to customise - Seal your rock - this prevents washable paints/markers from washing away when put out. You can use PVA glue, clear nail varnish or even clear varnish that you may have. - Most importantly, have fun! We look forward to seeing your creations! Citywest ETNS Parents Association |
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Our Bonus Clubs
Would you like to join Citywest ETNS Book Club?
Or maybe you'd like to practice Sign Language?
Have a look at these Life Skill tips to try.
Or join in one of the many online classes on offer.
Finally, you could click here and sing along to our school song, All You Need Is Love - I bet that would put a smile on your face!
Or maybe you'd like to practice Sign Language?
Have a look at these Life Skill tips to try.
Or join in one of the many online classes on offer.
Finally, you could click here and sing along to our school song, All You Need Is Love - I bet that would put a smile on your face!
Activity Ideas
Below we have listed other resources we have come across. Feel free to ignore them or to try one a day. They are just ideas offered without any expectation or pressure. This time at home is a great chance for you as a family to focus on what is important to you and that will look a little different for each family. So use these suggestions in whatever way suits your family - which could be not at all!
These ideas are divided into five areas:
When you complete an activity, let us know and we will share it with others to inspire them!
English
Gaeilge
SHTEM (Science, History, Technology, Engineering, Maths)
The Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Drama)
Keeping Active
These ideas are divided into five areas:
- English
- Gaeilge
- Arts
- STEM
- Keeping active
When you complete an activity, let us know and we will share it with others to inspire them!
English
- Have a Skype call with a relative - here are some ideas for conversation-starters!
- Write a letter or postcard to a family member
- Library: Join the library for free - gain access to eBooks and eAudiobooks to read/listen to at home.
- Rivet: This website has online books for every level.
- Topmarks: There is a huge amount of games on this website, which promote learning in Maths and English.
- Book Creator: Children can use this app to create and design their own books. We have this app installed on our school iPads, so many of our classes are familiar with it already.
- Spelling practice: Try this website to help with spellings and phonics practice.
- Audible: Stream children's books for free for the duration of school closures.
- Roald Dahl: For any Roald Dahl fans, there are lots of great activities on this site.
- Write your own news report:
- For younger children (Junior Infants to 2nd class):
- Child tells you the news they have for the day. Stick to things in their own life rather than focusing on the news on the radio or TV.
- The day, the date, the weather outside
- 1 or 2 things they did yesterday
- Write down what they tell you on a whiteboard or piece of paper.
- Child either types out what you’ve written or copies it down in a journal or copybook.
- You can create your own little newsroom on the kitchen table or you can use Green Screen apps on an iPad and record your child reading their news.
- You can upload the video to Google Classroom or send it to loved ones to keep in touch.
- Child tells you the news they have for the day. Stick to things in their own life rather than focusing on the news on the radio or TV.
- For older children (3rd to 6th class):
- Child writes/types their news as well as news happening outside the world.
- You can create your own little newsroom on the kitchen table or you can use Green Screen apps on an iPad and record your child reading their news.
- You can upload the video to Google Classroom or send it to loved ones to keep in touch.
- For younger children (Junior Infants to 2nd class):
Gaeilge
- Bua na Cainte: Edco have made this programme available to families. This is the programme we use from Junior Infants - 2nd class, but it is available here up to 4th class. Use the login 'trial' and the password 'trial'.
- Sceal an Lae: Irish-language story books read by their authors
- Cúla4: Watch some popular cartoons and TV shows in Irish here. Try the Games section also for revision of vocabulary and phrases.
- Seidean Si: Games in Irish by class level
- Gaeilge stories: Listen to some popular children's books read as Gaeilge (in Irish) on Soundcloud.
- Gaeilge vocabulary: Conradh na Gaeilge have these Doodles on their website, covering a whole range of topics and providing vocabulary in both English and Irish.
- Duolingo: Use this app to revise and learn Irish or other languages.
- Eleathanach: This is a newsletter in Irish - click on "Eleathanach na Seachtaine" for this week's newsletter or click on "Cartlann" to see previous editions. Suitable for 5th and 6th classes.
- Or try any of the activities listed above for English but do them in Irish!
SHTEM (Science, History, Technology, Engineering, Maths)
- Topmarks: There is a huge amount of games on this website, which promote learning in Maths and English.
- Anyone4Science: Anyone4Science are part of our after-school programme. During this time of school closures, they are offering online classes instead. Follow this link to find out more.
- Khan Academy: Find activities and lessons geared at your child's level and build from there.
- IXL: Maths work and games for each class level.
- Science Foundation Ireland: Check here for Science activities and ideas to do at home.
- Daily Stem: Ideas for simple STEM activities you can do at home.
- Scratch: This website teaches coding to children.
- Create your own family tree - do it digitally or by hand and go back as far as you like or as you can!
- Write your family history - what stories do different people in your family have to tell?
- Make a time capsule - we are making history right now, at this unique, unprecedented time on earth!
- Write a letter to yourself - include your age, who your friends are, your favourite TV show/song/book, write about what's going on in your own words, tell your future self how you are feeling, write about what you would like to be when you grow up and 5 things you would like to do when you're an adult!
- If its safe to get a newspaper, buy one and cut out articles you think would be interesting to your future self. Alternatively, print out news articles.
- Draw a picture of your family as it is now.
- Take some photos, print them and add them in.
- Put it all together in a scrapbook or lunch box and put it somewhere you won't find it until you are older!
The Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Drama)
- Art: Children can develop their art and drawing skills through channels such as this one.
- DabbleDooMusic: Offering free access to parents for one month, this website helps to make the music curriculum engaging and fun for children.
- Do a sketch or drawing a day
- Learn how to play a musical instrument - here are some videos to get you going:
- Do a puppet show - you could make your own puppet(s) or even a puppet theatre!
Keeping Active
- Go Noodle: Free subscription to this, with lots of dances, exercises, yoga and more.
- Cosmic Kids Yoga: Yoga for kids, lots of different videos to choose from.
- Buff Performance: Run by one of our parents, Buff Performance are creating some fitness videos for children, such as this one on Youtube. Give it a go!
- Make up your own HIIT workout routine - include:
- jumping jacks
- squats
- run on the spot
- plank
- lunges
- burpees
- balance on one leg and then on the other leg
- balance with your hands out, up or moving
- Go outside: Remember to stay 2 metres from people you don't live with
- Cycle your bike for 10 minutes
- Go for a walk
- Ride your scooter for 10 minutes
- Draw your own hopscotch with chalk and play it
- Throw a ball against a wall and catch
- Create your own obstacle course
- Run for 5 minutes
- 10 minutes of free play outside
- Jump on your trampoline
- Walk your dog
- Bubble bashing - get someone to blow bubbles for you to try and burst all of them
- Do 3 laps of your house or up and down the hall 10 times
- Keepie-uppies - how many can you do in a row?
- Skip sideways up and down the garden 5 times
General Resources
Here is a list of some websites which may be useful in finding activities to do at home to help your child's learning:
General resources
Lots of educational companies have also enabled free access to their books online. Here are some which may be of use:
General resources
- RTÉ School Hub: Airs on RTÉ 2 each day from 11am - 12, but is also available to stream on the RTÉ website or to play back previous episodes. Covers a range of curricular areas, mainly for 1st - 6th classes.
- Twinkl: Offering a free subscription during this time, using the code IRLTWINKLHELPS.
- Help My Kid Learn: This website contains lots of suggested activities for different age categories, across various topics.
- Daily schedule: Schedules such as this one might help to establish a routine for learning at home.
- Ask About Ireland: Provides resources and activities in S.E.S.E, Music, Art, English and other curricular areas.
- Seomra Ranga: A daily quiz set by an Irish teacher.
- Ciara Reilly on Padlet: Lots of ideas for learning at home, across all areas of the curriculum
Lots of educational companies have also enabled free access to their books online. Here are some which may be of use:
- Edco: Edco produce Bua na Cainte, the Irish programme which we use from Junior Infants - 2nd Class. They also have lots of workbooks with activities and ideas for families to try. To access this, use the following details - Username: primaryedcobooks Password: edco2020
- CJFallon: CJ Fallon have open access to their books, providing alternative English, Maths, S.E.S.E and Gaeilge books for pupils to use.
- Folens: Folens produce Planet Maths, the Maths programme we use from 1st - 6th Class in our school, as well as Abair Liom; the Irish programme used from 3rd - 6th Class. To access these, follow the link and register as a teacher, using the code Prim20 as the roll number.
- Gill Education: Gill Education have released their English Programme 'Over the Moon' for free use.