The current normal if you could even call it that is almost surreal. If you told me this time last year in a years time I would be working from home full time, home schooling my kids as the schools are closed and delivering my lectures all online. I probably would have either laughed or fainted or both. Covid has turned the world as we know it upside down. We have had to quickly adapt to this new world and to be honest I have to hand it to my kids they are the unsung heroes of the moment. Not a moan or groan. They are getting on with life and homeschooling. Not every day is full of enthusiasm for it but we are all doing the very best with it.
I thought it might be handy to compile our favourite home school resources and share them in a post as they have proved invaluable for us in helping our kids continue with their learning in these strange times. Back in 2018 we did a huge renovation and I insisted on a home office which was fully kitted out including a HP Deskjet 3720 printer which may have been little used up to now but not lately!! It is quite literally in every day use. One of the things I will say is bookmark a link to your reputable ink cartridge site like Cartridge Save trust me you will thank me later. Ink has been a very much used and loved commodity in this house. We buy the HP Ink cartridges and on average get around 300 pages per cartridge. My printer has a double sided print function which we use all the time. Its very handy to to save on paper.
Our current favourites are below, but if you do know more leave them in the comments below and I can add them later:
Twinkl
I cannot speak highly enough of this resource. We use it every day and it is suitable for the whole school ranging from pre school upwards covering the entire spectrum of subjects. There are many options from printable’s to power points on certain topics. There has also been themed resources such as Easter or summer packs which cover a range of activities from colouring sheets, to word searches to quizzes. I would literally be lost without it.
The Gruffalo
My little man loves the Julia Donaldson books, I think I can quote many of her books off by heart at this stage. 
Particular favourites are The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child. The above link is a treasure trove of themed material so if you have a fan in your house this is a fantastic resource for printing themed worksheets. We have downloaded The Gruffalos 20th Anniversary worksheets to work on this week.
Orchard Toys
Most of us probably have some Orchard Toys products lying around. We are huge fans of their games for travelling and my youngest loves the jigsaws. They have also made available a really good online resource of printable worksheets such as fun facts, colouring and literacy help sheets. Again very handy to supplement the school learning. They also have a great recipe section which my pair love.
Oxford Owl
My kids use the Oxford reading tree books in school and are very used to the characters and themes in them. Oxford University Press has very kindly made available access to their catalogue together with some free ebooks and associated activities. Rather than have devices in bed for the kids I would print the ebook (usually very short) and then do the associated activities the following day. For example at the moment they have available a lovely illustrated ebook titled “Winnie and Wilbur Stay at home” with a lovely message of staying at home can be fun too.
Parting Thoughts
Despite these uncertain times, homeschooling allows you to take all the time you need to ensure learning is taking place. Once your child is ready to move on, you don’t need to waste time on redundant or repetitive lessons.
Studies have also shown that students exposed to a homeschool curriculum perform much better than their counterparts in formal institutional schooling. Peer-reviewed studies indicate that 69% of homeschooled students succeed in college and adulthood.
Hopefully, the list above will help you choose the right study plan for your own children. They have been instrumental in allowing my little ones to transition well to the homeschool experience. May it do the same for yours.
Please do share below if you have any other resources.
Note: This is a collaborative post
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