This page is part of our collection of resources for people dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak, living in the Helston and surrounding area. We are filling it with information we come across from various sources, but if you have any suggestions for what people might find useful, please let us know via the contact page, or message us on Facebook!
Fun For Kids!
There is tons for kids (and grown up kids) to do while stuck at home! Here are some ideas. If you find any more, please share!
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems!
Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together.
Elevenses with The World of David Walliams
David Walliams is releasing a FREE audio story every day for the next 30 days. It might help some parents out there to get their kids to quieten down and listen to a story whilst you get a few jobs done or just grab a cuppa in peace.
Red Ted Art
Thousands of craft articles for children of all ages. Page creator Maggy has put together an introductory guide to the site, to prevent anyone being overwhelmed by the amount of material here!
Live Animal Cams
Lots of zoos and aquariums provide live camera feeds, even when they’ve had to close to the public. The button below will take you to Monterey Aquarium which has great Moon Jellyfish, but you could also try San Diego Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Houston Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Edinburgh Zoo, and Dublin Zoo.
Free Audible service for kids!
Audible has made hundreds of titles completely free to help during the coronavirus crisis. Around 800 audible books will be available free while schools are closed, grouped in categories like: Littlest Listeners, Elementary, Tween, Teen, and Literary Classics.
Neil Gaiman reads The Graveyard Book and Coraline
Head over to Neil Gaiman’s website video readings of two of his books aimed at younger audiences.
Great Collection of fun and educational resources.
Curated collection of links to fun and educational resources aimed at Year 3/4 kids, but some have a much wider audience. Links to National Geographic for Kids, Hour of Code, BBC Bitesize etc.
[Also, padlet looks like a good way to collect links!]
Oliver Jeffers’ Story Time
Writer and illustrator Oliver Jeffers will be reading one of his children’s stories live on Instagram every weekday at 6pm. His Instagram account is @oliverjeffers.
Story competition! Could you be the next Micheal Morpurgo or JK Rowling?
Cornwall Council is launching a new competition to find the next generation of budding writers and would like you to come up with a bedtime story.
Whether you’re an experienced writer or this is the first time you’ve thought about writing a story, it doesn’t matter, we want to hear your brilliant, creative ideas.
The competition is split into primary and secondary age children and the best story will be turned into a bedtime story. There are also a host of other prizes up for grabs. Why not give it a go?
Story Time In Space
Bedtime stories are great, but how awesome are bedtime stories read from space?! This project from the Global Space Education Foundation has astronauts on various missions in space reading popular children’s books while floating about in zero gravity!
Free eBooks!
World Book Online have just made their fabulous collection of over 3,000 eBooks and audio books available for free for children to access at home. They have books suitable for all ages. Click on the following link to access them.
The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities
With kids at home and parents looking for educational activities, many of our favorite authors are offering online read alouds and activities on social media. We Are Teachers have rounded up some of the best virtual author activities!
Free Online Courses
There are lots of free online course available online. Some were already available free, while others have been made available specifically for the Coronavirus period. Either way, there are lots of opportunities to expand our skills and learning for free. If you come across any more you would like to share, get in touch!
Free developer courses!
Free access to 12 different interactive courses in web development (HTML + CSS, JavaScript, PHP), data science, and programming languages (Python, Ruby, Java, Go, C++, Clojure)! 💡
Quarantine Guitar Course!
Learn guitar while in isolation – This is a free 12 week beginner guitar course, designed for people in isolation from Covid-19. Suitable for anyone, even if you’ve never played a guitar before. This course will also help anyone unable to get to their usual guitar teachers.
10 University Art Classes You Can Take for Free Online
Interested in mastering a new, hands-on creative skill? You can learn to draw your own comics or capture artful digital photographs. Wish you could brush up on Art History 101? There are courses exploring the art and archaeology of ancient Egypt and the development of the artistic avant-garde. This article rounds up 10 art and design classes offered by colleges and universities across the globe.
600+ Free Online Programming & Computer Science Courses You Can Start Now
Eight years ago, universities like MIT and Stanford first opened up free online courses to the public. Today, close to 1000 schools around the world have created thousands of free online courses, popularly known as Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs.
Inspiration and Entertainment
There are lots of things to do besides gorging on box-sets while we’re at home (not that that’s always a bad thing). Here are a few we came across, but please let us know if you come across any more!
10 Virtual Tours of the World’s Most Famous Landmarks
They may be closed right now but you can still take an interactive online tour, to gaze over the edge of Machu Picchu and marvel at the Pyramids from every angle. (Guardian article with links)
Kneehigh’s Windows to the World!
Let your sitting room be your stage. Your kitchen be your props store. Unclip your imagination and join Kneehigh’s creative club. You’ll be set some bonkers and brilliant creative challenges over the next few weeks. From puppet making to poetry, one of Kneehigh’s talented team will demonstrate a creative skill and set you a challenge at 9am on their YouTube channel. Share your results with #KneehighWindows and they’ll share their favourites.
Radio Garden
Find new radio stations simply by spinning the globe!
9 Famous Museums Offer Digital Tours You Can Take From Home
Many of the world’s famous museums are offering virtual tours that you can take from the comfort of your living room. These include the The Louvre, the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam’s Street Art Museum, Anne Frank’s Family Home, The Met in New York, and many more! Goodnet has prepared a small selection of museums that you can check out but there really is something for everyone.
The Top 100 Documentaries We Can Use to Change the World
A more beautiful, just and sustainable world is possible. Take this library and use it to inspire global change!
Explore Mars in 3D!
The Curiosity rover has been on the surface of Mars for over five years. In that time, it has sent over 200,000 photos back to Earth. Using these photos, engineers at JPL have reconstructed the 3D surface of Mars, which you can now explore in your browser in an immersive WebVR experience.
Stay Active!
Even if your are stuck at home, there are lots of ways to keep fit, both as adults and with your children. Here are some YouTube selections to get you started!
The Body Coach TV (Joe Wicks): 5 Minute Move | Kids Workout 1
Cosmic Kids Yoga: Kids yoga and mindfulness to STAY STRONG 💪🌈
Yoga With Adriene: HOME – 30 Days of Yoga With Adriene
Getting Out
We are very fortunate to have Penrose Estate, Cober Valley and the Coast Path nearby if you can get out. While National Trust have had to temporarily close their gated sites, Penrose is open for an explore. Head over to the National Trust page for Penrose, and find a map here.
