School is closed for a while and you might already be getting bored of being at home during the Coronavirus lockdown. At Meic, we’ve been furiously searching for some fun things to do where you can learn new facts and skills, keep fit and be entertained. Take a look below.
Art
Criw Celf (Art Club) – A daily video by cartoonist and artist Huw Aaron (who draws for the Mellten magazine) teaching you how to draw. The videos are in Welsh but you can still follow along even if you don’t understand the language. Click here.
American artist Steve Harpster of Harptoons is also offering daily live drawing lessons at 6pm our time on Facebook live. Click here.
CARN Drawing club is setting a daily drawing challenge every day between 6:30 and 8:30pm for people of all ages and abilities. Previous themes have included the spring and dinosaurs. Join in the #CARNdrawingclub. Click here.
Why not do something to try and earn a Blue Peter badge? When everything returns back to normal you’ll get free entry to over 200 attractions across the UK if you have a badge. Find out what you can do to earn one. Click here.
Or travel the world taking in virtual museum tours like the British Museum in London or the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Click here.
Cooking
Pick a recipe from the thousands on offer on the BBC Good Food website and start cooking. Click here
Chef Theo Michaels hosts live cooking sessions with his kids at home every Monday and Wednesday at 4pm. He posts the ingredients you’ll need on his website beforehand so you can be ready to join in. So far he’s cooked flatbreads with toppings and gnocchi. Click here.
Keeping fit and healthy
Learn to dance with famous dance troupe Diversity. There is usually a monthly cost for this but classes are being offered for free until 1st May. Click here.
Strictly star Otis Mabuse and Marius Lepure are offering dance classes for children live every day at 11:30am. Click here.
The Body Coach Joe Wicks is running cardio classes from his living room every morning at 9am. Although he’s said that these are classes for kids they’re pretty tough going for adults too. Click here.
S4C’s Ffit Cymru is offering classes for families on their Facebook and YouTube every morning between 9 and 9:20. Teulu Ffit with Rae is in Welsh, but it will still be easy to follow for those of you who don’t understand the language. Click here.
Own Your Goals Davina McCall is offering free access to their site, which includes hundreds of workouts, yoga, hiit, pilates and dance, for 30 days. Click here.
Headspace is offering free content to help people struggling with anxiety and stress. Their ‘Weathering the Storm’ collection is available through their app. Click here.
Maths
Carol Vorderman’s The Maths Factor is offering free access to their maths resources while schools are closed. Suitable for ages 4-12. Click here.
Music
Myleene’s Music Klass – learn the basics of reading music, clapping out rhythms, and some piano practice. Lessons twice a week. Click here.
Enjoy musicals and plays? The Wind In The Willows West End musical show has been made available to stream online for free (click here), you just need to register your details. You can find a list of other plays and musicals that are available to stream for free by clicking here. This list is updated as new shows become available.
Stories and magazines
David Walliams is offering daily audio stories of his books every morning at 11am. Click here.
Libraries may be closed but you can still borrow e-books through BorrowBox with your library ID and PIN. Click here.
Or if you’re more of a magazine reader then there are over 250 different magazines available to download for free with your library ID and PIN from RBdigital. Click here.
Science and Nature
Science and nature with Maddie Moate and Greg Foot offers live classes daily at 11am. The first week’s theme was ‘the garden’ and they’ve had live sessions on bird spotting in your garden, dissecting a daffodil and minibeast photography already. Click here.
Theatre of Science live interactive science lessons every Tuesday at 1:30pm (suitable for 2 to 10 year olds). The first one was creating rainbows with a plastic bottle, washing up liquid, paper and pens. Click here.
American YouTuber Marc Rober is hosting live science demonstrations on his YouTube page (so far there are no specific days or times set). Classes already taught have been Why does helium make your voice higher? and Does farting make you weigh less? Click here.
Check out some of the animals at Edinburgh Zoo with their live cameras watching the pandas, penguins, tigers and koalas. Click here.
Languages
This could be the perfect time to learn Welsh. Digital resources are available from the Welsh Government. Click here.
Rosetta Stone is offering three months free access to her language learning resource. You can choose from 24 different languages including Italian, Spanish, Chinese and German. Click here.
IT
Minecraft have released free educational games. Available to download free on Minecraft Marketplace until 30 June 2020 with your Hwb sign in details. You can use your creativity and learn how to code on your own or with friends. Click here. For instuctions on how to set it up watch the video below.
And more
The Urdd has activities and resources to enjoy in the house for Primary, Ages 11-13 and 14+. The 11-13 and 14+ resources include Mindfulness, Blogs, Learning Welsh and Art. The Primary resources include colouring, cooking, stories and puzzles. Click here.
Need to talk to someone?
If you’re worried about anything and want to talk things through with someone, then you can always contact the Meic helpline. Whether it’s about the coronavirus, or anything else that’s worrying you, our advisors are trained to help children and young people in Wales, and they can help you get the help that you need.
