Learning Resources for BCNS Children and Parents
Welcome to our learning resources page for parents and children at Brannoxtown CNS.
School Closure
At home, children will benefit from many everyday activities including helping around the house, playing and exploring outdoors, chatting and catching up with family, and creating, experimenting and learning in ways that excite and interest them. For each week of school closure, teachers have prepared a Weekly Learning Guide for each class. A new Guide is published weekly on the teacher’s webpage and on the Class Dojo. Be sure to keep in contact with your child’s teacher on Class Dojo to access links to Zoom sessions, special activities and lots more!
- Múinteoir Dawn: Junior & Senior Infant Classes
- Múinteoir Anne Marie: First & Second Classes
- Múinteoir Sarah: Fourth, Fifth & Sixth Classes.
Your child’s teacher is available to support learning during school hours. Thank you to parents and children for sending us photos, videos and messages on Class Dojo about learning at home.
Using Zoom
Research tells us it’s really important to stay connected with others, i.e., members of our family and friends. Psychologists have shown that we need to stay in touch with friends for our happiness and overall wellbeing. Nothing can replace seeing a friend face-to-face. While our school is closed and we can’t do this, we’re using Zoom for children to connect with their teacher and friends. For parents of the school, information about using Zoom, including links to your child(ren)’s sessions, are posted on the Class Dojo. Below, you’ll find some reminders on preparing for and participating in Zoom sessions with our school. Until we meet again, thank you for supporting your child(ren) to connect with friends and teachers using Zoom links shared on Class Dojo.
Learning Ideas for ALL Children and Parents
Here, you’ll find some general learning resources for children which we’ve used in school and which children enjoy. Older children in particular, will enjoy (and be able to) independently explore the online resources below, organised by curriculum area, beginning with: Social, Personal and Health Education (Wellbeing and Physical Education), Maths, Language (Irish and English), Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (History, Geography, Science) and Arts (Art, Drama and Music).
Wellbeing
Wellbeing Journal for Children: This is a lovely resource from Fiona Forman, co-author of the Weaving Wellbeing series (free PDF download) with thanks to Outside the Box Learning www.otb.ie for sharing!
Weaving Wellbeing Journal URL: https://indd.adobe.com/view/5237deef-2311-469f-9e2d-b5ee89c2000f
Go Noodle: Children love an active Go Noodle break in school! It’s easy to select the channel for a mindfulness, movement, motor-skill or dance break. Set up a new family account or use the school account below:
Go Noodle URL: www.gonoodle.com
Username: sarahfitzpatrick@kwetb.ie
Password: Brannoxtown-CNS2020
Guided Relaxation and Mindfulness for Children, Peace Out: Peace Out Guided Relaxation for Kids includes a series of guided relaxations and visualizations for children written and voiced by Jaime from Cosmic Kids.
Peace Out Mindfulness URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBnPlqQFPKs
Guided Exercise Videos: Join Joe, the PE Coach for some great exercise videos that children enjoy!
Joe the PE Coach URL (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
Mindfulness Videos : Listen to these guided mindfulness videos created by Múinteoir Clair to help alleviate stress and tension.
Version in English URL (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDzcog1OL-w
Version in Irish URL (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH4N3okFSIw
Maths
BrainPop and BrainPop Junior: We love using this resource in class. Now children can use it from home, thanks to free access. Enter your topic in the search engine, e.g., ‘Perimeter’ (Maths) or browse subjects to select your topic. Watch the video. Take the easy quiz and when you achieve a full score, take the hard quiz! Try out the additional activities like building concept maps, etc.
BrainPop JuniorURL (Infants to 3rd/4th class): https://jr.brainpop.com
BrainPop URL (4th class to lower second-level): https://www.brainpop.com
Username: SarahFitzPatrick
Password: Brannoxtown-CNS2020
Mathplayground: We use this resource in class for reinforcement in specific topics. Browse maths topics or classes/grades (US) and filter results compatible with your device.
Mathplayground URl: www.mathplayground.com
Username/Password: None required.
Topmarks: We use this site for a range of maths games. Enter your topic in the search key and filter results compatible with your device. The site provides learning games across subjects.
TopMarks URL: https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/
Username/Password: None required.
Language: Irish
Duolingo: Try out this super resource for learning Irish – for parents and children! Set-up an account and take the placement test. This will help the app to give you the right level of Irish for your practise. This is a great little website/app. If you can give this 10 minutes a day (basic user), you’ll learn lots!
Duolinguo URL: https://www.duolingo.com/learn
Create an account: An adult email is required to activate your account.
Cúla4: This is the TG4 website for children with programmes and games to develop Irish language skills. You can select the ‘English’ button to translate the site
Cúla4: https://www.cula4.com/ga/
Username/Password: None.
Ceol le Coláiste Lurgan: We’ve been practicing: Func Anseo (Buíochas le Coláiste Lurgan, YouTube!) You’ll find our printed lyrics here. Stay practising for our Ceolchoirm-beag when school re-opens!
TG Lurgan URL: https://www.youtube.com/user/tglurgan
Leigh Leat: This Irish website created by teachers, includes audio stories, poems and music. Children will enjoy listening and reading/singing along.
Leigh Leat URL: http://www.leighleat.com/scealta.html
Username/Password: None.
Dictionary / Foclóir: This is Foras na Gaeilge‘s English-Irish Dictionary. The dictionary is available free of charge, and has been adapted to work both on desktop computers and on mobile devices. As well as translations for the English content, the dictionary also contains grammatical information and sound files. It’s a fantastic resource for learners of all ages including parents.
Foclóir: https://www.focloir.ie
Help Files on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn9HKh5DfabZeEgV2Yp0Yp26Vmd_tqNeq
Username/Password: None.
Language: English
Storyline Online: This award-winning site has gorgeous book reading videos to promote reading aloud to children. Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by a teacher, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for all learners.
Storyline Online: https://www.storylineonline.net/about-us/
Reading, Kildare Library: Children at Brannoxtown CNS can use their their school library card to access a huge range of ebooks and audiobooks from the Borrow Box app. If you don’t have your library card fob, text the school phone and we’ll text it to you. The Borrow Box app from Bolinda is available on Android, IOS and Kindle devices. All you need is your library card number to login and create a PIN. For parents, the library offers RB Digital eMagazines. With the RB Digital app available from Apple Store and Play Store, your book/magazine can be read from phone or tablet. See the full article with information about services for library members on Kildare Now.
Kildare Library URL: http://www.kildare.ie/Library/OnlineServices/
Grammer, Jolly Grammer: We use Jolly Grammer with children in Senior Classes to identify parts of speech.
Jolly Grammar Introductory Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHf7PqcRd3A
Jolly Grammar, Parts of Speech Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgvsZPpkr4c
Oral Language: To prompt discussion, we sometimes think about and discuss a photo from the New York Times Archive. Children think about the words they would you use to describe what you see happening in these photos. The goal is to use descriptive nouns and vivid verbs as well as adjectives and adverbs.
New York Times Photo Archive: https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture
Writing, Poetry – ReadWriteThink: Our Writing Workship in January was on Poetry. The Read Write Think site is a fantastic resource for children to learn/revise poetry styles by creating their own poetry. This US site includes a range of high-quality language resources for reading and language arts for children of all ages.
Read, Write, Think URL: http://www.readwritethink.org/search/?resource_type=16&type=28
History, Geography and Science
National Geographic Kids: Here, children can access games and videos on specific history and science topics. The range of science experiments to explore at home are easy to set-up at home and enjoyable for children, once they know what they want to learn about.
National Geographic Kids URL: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com
Username/Password: None to access lots of resources on this site.
Mystery Science: Mystery Science is the creator of popular science lessons in U.S. schools. Here’s a great starter set of science lessons for teachers and parents to use.
Mystery Science URL: https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
Username/Password: None needed.
Easy Science for Kids: This is a fantastic resource for children of all ages. The site has free resources including science worksheets and downloadable science activity sheets, interactive science quizzes, science experiment tips and ideas and a large collection of science videos. Scroll down to the end of the homepage to see a list of menu options/topics.
Easy Science for Kids URL: https://easyscienceforkids.com
BBC History for Kids: This site is no longer updated but still provides a range of videos relevant to the Primary History Curriculum. No passwords are needed.
BBC Kids History URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/
Username/Password: None needed.
Incredible Edibles, Agri Aware: Ireland’s agri-food educational charity has relaunched their programme for primary schools, Incredible Edibles, and opened it up for family participation during the school closure. The project encourages children to learn about where that food comes from and the importance of Irish fruit and vegetables, for a healthy balanced diet. There are five tasks to complete in this Family Challenge, on topics like food origin, identifying Irish food, planting, cooking and healthy eating week. Any parent can sign up children for free.
Incredible Edibles URL: https://www.incredibleedibles.ie
Art, Drama and Music
Virtual Art Museum Tours: From this site you can access 12 famous museums offering virtual tours. Museums include: the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, the Guggenheim, New York and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
Virtual Art Gallery/Museum Tours: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR3R4KsXkwJdnhhc9eQ2nmhLshysYnzktNeAal3q-rNvTYyX66V3TV4pq60
Username/Password: None needed
Chrome Music Club: Using Chrome Music Lab, children can make and share songs using the Song Maker experiment. There’s no need to set up an account, just open any experiment and start playing!
Chrome Music Club URL: https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments
Username/Password: None.
I am an Artist: I Am An Artist is an Irish resource which includes 30 short TV programmes (each 6 minutes in length), an interactive website with slideshows, lessons, weblinks and interactive games – all mapped to the Visual Arts Curriculum.
I am an Artist: www.iamanartist.ie/index.aspx
Lunch doodles with Mo Willems: Welcome to Mo’s Studio! In his first lunch doodle (Eastern US time), Mo welcomes you into his studio at home and guides you through drawing activities using one of his favorite characters as inspiration. Children can send the Kennedy Center your drawings and questions for Mo for possible inclusion in the next episode: lunchdoodles@kennedy-center.org.
The Kennedy Center, Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzjCPQv3y8
Cross-Curricular
BrainPop and BrainPop Junior: We love using this resource in class. Now children can use it from home, thanks to free access. Enter your topic in the search engine, e.g., ‘Perimeter’ (Maths) or browse subjects to select your topic. Watch the video. Take the easy quiz and when you achieve a full score, take the hard quiz! Try out the additional activities like building concept maps, etc.
BrainPop JuniorURL (Infants to 3rd/4th class): https://jr.brainpop.com
BrainPop URL (4th class to lower second-level): https://www.brainpop.com
Username: SarahFitzPatrick
Password: Brannoxtown-CNS2020
Touch Typing, Typing Club: Here’s another resource children love using for a short 10 minute break in class. This is a free tool to develop typing skills using correct hand posture on every key as you type. No log-in is required. Remember to write down the tutorial number where you stopped, for next time!
Typing Club URL: https://www.typingclub.com
Username/Password: None.
National Education sites for ALL Parents
Community National Schools – The Community National Schools main website.
Barnardos – Information on childcare, anti-bullying and a booklet on your child’s numeracy development.
Help my kid learn – Ideas for learning, which can be tailored to suit the age of your child.
Department of Education and Skills – Government website with a section for parents, school-related guidelines, circulars and inspection reports.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) – Information on national curriculum and assessment.
ISPCC – Ireland’s oldest and most well-known children’s charity (Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children).
National Parents Council Primary – Information for parents on your child’s learning and development in primary school and how you can become involved by setting-up and
Green Schools Ireland – An international environmental education programme, environmental management system and award scheme that promotes and acknowledges long-term, whole school action for the environment.
Rainbows Ireland – Support for children and young people who have been affected by the death of a close family member or whose family has changed because their parents have separated or divorced