Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Online resources for kids during the Covid crisis
One upside (if you can have such a thing) of the coronavirus pandemic is the number of online resources which have started up. These range from fun activities which keep kids happy and engaged to learning packages which aid their school work. Most are free but some do require registration or are subject to a free trial period before charging.
Please note that we try to keep this page as updated as possible but offers/free trial periods may change and don't forget to check back for the latest updates.
If you have any resources that your family have found particularly useful - email us on judy@writeplacemedia.co.uk and we will add them in.
BBC Scotland is broadcasting lessons and programmes on BBC Two, CBBC, iPlayer and online. There is a dedicating package of learning and resources for Scottish pupils which can be accessed here.
Play Scotland has a PlayHub - a collection of play resources for parents and families, aimed at providing practical support for children, young people and their families. Meanwhile, Parent Club Scotland has a guide to what going back to home learning means, as well as tips and advice for parents and pupils on how to cope with it and get the most out of it.
Edinburgh Science has a whole range of activities that can be done at home for 5 to 11-year-olds. They are designed to be carried out using everyday items that are to hand, meaning that they are easy to complete.
Over the last year the Palace of Holyroodhouse has reactively developed a range of resources including the Junior Warden Challenge.
On a similar theme, Dynamic Earth has a selection of hands-on crafts, activities and workshop ideas to try out at home.
The Theatre of Science is running a free show – The Science of Ice! You can learn about how incredible ice is and try ice experiments. Some advance prep is needed – take a clean, empty tin can with the label taken off, fill with water and a few tablespoons of salt and put in freezer the night before.
National Museums Scotland has a range of ways to enjoy the collections. They include having fun with Lego, getting outside to explore the natural world or trying out some new activities – from sketching some of the museum’s favourite objects to designing new patterns inspired by paper art from Mexico. There is even a family workout – stretch like a big cat, jump like a monkey or just relax like a Buddha. As well as resources for families, there is also support for teachers.
Historic Environment Scotland has a set of Learn, Create & Play pages on its website where you’ll find games to play, colouring sheets to doodle on, crafts to make, recipes to try, and videos to watch. You can also choose to dive into an ‘Investigate’ section to explore historic sites and topics in more depth.
Hearts FC has re-launched its online support club for home schooling using bite-sized activities that children can work on from home at their own pace whilst receiving support and guidance from the club’s professional mentors. Examples of activities include trying your hand at coding your own animations, exploring the world of cyber security, and putting your typing skills to the test.
The Woodland Trust is offering everything from ideas for outdoor activities including winter walks and scavenger hunts to indoor fun such as a wildlife quiz and ways to get crafty with recycling. They include downloadable resources to keep kids occupied.
Mini First Aid Edinburgh has online first aid workshops and activity sheers for children. All that is needed is a doll or teddy, or a sibling/grown-up to practise on. Cling film, sticky first aid tape, jam, ketchup or lipstick, a clean towel and a first aid kit, if you have one.
The Scottish Book Trust has a Home Activities Hub where you can find resources for your home classroom, author events to watch online, and stories to share together. Helpfully for primary school children they are divided into 6 to 8 and 9 to 12 age groups.
Edinburgh children’s author Catherine Rayner has created some great online activities for children including step by step drawing guides to draw your own versions of her characters such as Augustus and Abigail, and downloadable activity sheets.
Children’s picture book author and illustrator Simon Hetherington is live streaming art classes every Monday and Thursday morning at 10.30am. To join in with the classes, all that is needed is some paper and some pencils/pens/crayons.
The Authorfy site contains videos from famous authors who read extracts from their books from which you can then download related cross-curricular schemes of work. Free registration is required.
Audible have made a huge number of audio stories free for the time being to stream on desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.
The Botanics in Edinburgh has some fantastic online lessons aimed at learning all about the world of plants. Aimed mainly at primary school kids, the home school activities are aligned with the Scottish curriculum, created in honour of Marley, the Botanics’ very own black cat. Topics cover science, expressive arts, health and wellbeing and many more and will be updated regularly. Activity sheets are also available in Marley’s School of Garden Magic.
Five Sisters Zoo has used its YouTube channel to present new short online classes (roughly 20mins) for school learners which will be made available each Tuesday and Thursday at 11am. The classes – by Head of Education, Adam - will be accompanied by activity sheets so those at home can get involved.
Edinburgh Zoo has a wide range of online resources to help with home learning, from interesting facts to craft activities.
The Royal Mint has created interactive cross-curricular activities including ones featuring The Gruffalo and Wallace and Gromit as well as activities to do with coins and money
Network Rail has designed a collection of activities centred on trains and engineering including downloadable books and problem solving.
The Met Office has developed resources for discovering maths, science and more through weather and climate.
Disney On Stage has created a bank of activities based on favourite Disney films including crafts, environmental subjects, storytelling and literacy.
Love Drama is still running its paid-for weekly classes but rather than being in Musselburgh they are coming via Zoom, led by professional drama practitioners. These class focus on developing transferable skills through creativity and performance while having fun.
Scottish Ballet is offering a new series of paid-for online classes aimed at children.