Many professionals are beginning to feel overwhelmed by homeschooling while working full-time. Paul Kelly has five helpful tips that should help relieve the pressure of being both parent and worker. Parents of the class of 2021 are being asked to shoulder an extensive load, as they fulfil their professional responsibilities alongside the mammoth task of homeschooling their children in preparation for the leaving cert in a format of which remains to be seen. With work deadlines looming and studies to be completed, how can parents manage it all? Control the controllable  Map out the week ahead and limit the decisions to be made. Meals can be planned, and dedicated work/study times set out – this is particularly relevant if your internet is problematic, or you are sharing a workspace.  Agree the family’s collective priorities for the coming week, whether it is a work presentation or an assignment deadline. Communication is key – knowing what everyone is focusing on will help you work as a team to get everything over the line, and it will help you to pre-empt or address any concerns your child may have.   Set joint longer-term goals Are you working towards a specific goal at work? Share it with your family and ensure they understand how it will benefit them. Similarly, for your leaving cert child, their chosen college course is not a solo goal, it is now a shared goal for the family. Maintain levels of motivation by starting a bucket list of things you’ll do and places you’ll go when the leaving cert exams are over and restrictions lift.   Practice discipline Try to keep as much normal structure to your days as you can. Set your alarm for a consistent time with everyone up and dressed, ready to start the working day at 9am. Keep tidy, dedicated workspaces and stick to normal break times. Outline your working times, and ensure you actually work while you are at work. This will help you to switch off from work when you are back in parent-mode.  Reset and refresh Make sure everyone switches off and look for ways of breaking up the mundane. It can be hard with teenagers who are missing social outlets, but a family takeaway or movie on a Saturday night gives everyone something to look forward to. Make sure you look after your own headspace by limiting time spent reading the news. Instead, try to get out for a walk in the fresh air once a day and encourage your children to do the same.     Seek out support Whether it’s asking for support in work or getting your child some extra assistance with their studies, if things are becoming too much, look for ways of getting help, within the confines of the restrictions. These are unprecedented times, try to understand your own limits and be kind, both to yourself as well as your children. This, too, shall pass.   Paul Kelly is the Director of Teaching at Homeschool.ie which provides an online grinds service for primary and secondary school students.

As the new school year approaches, anxiety is growing, and parents are conflicted. While we all accept the need for a return to school or college, it does mean that we must trust the plans and safeguards in place will work. Most children and teens are looking forward to returning to the classroom, however, the classroom will be very different, so as parents it is important to speak to your son/daughter before the term starts and ensure they are equipped and ready to adapt to the new ‘norm’ in school. You can support your child/teen through this transition back to school life. Here we have some top tips to guide these conversations:Ask how do they feel about going back to school? Listen carefully to the answer they may say what they think you want to hear. It is likely they will have mixed emotions, while they are eager to get back to the classroom, they have been safe at home with you or a trusted person for a long time now. Let them know that these feelings are ok and that everyone will most probably be feeling something similar. Set the scene. Give them as much information as possible. Most schools have been in contact with parents regarding the plans for re-opening and advised what is expected. The best thing you can do is make sure your son/daughter is informed, even if they are very young. Younger children can be assisted if they can see what is planned, so source photos or draw with them. Reassurance is key. Children are resilient, but they will need lots of re-assurance that returning to school is in their best interest. Their safety is a priority for their teachers, but they need to be aware of their own safety too. Let them know and understand how to stay safe in school e.g. washing their hands, not touching their face, listening to the teacher, and following the new rules.Keep the pressure off. Most children can adapt easily, but it will be a tricky time as a new routine needs to be established at home and in school, so be kind to yourself and don’t expect it all to happen overnight. Offer support, reassurance, and comfort, but don’t add any additional pressure, everyone will adapt at their own pace. Look forward. Much has changed since March and some of the changes in school will not be welcome. It is important to try and remain positive. This is not permanent and will end and we will be able to look forward and our feelings will change.Seek support. The transition may be more challenging to some children and they could find it difficult to adapt. If this happens speak to the school, they will be happy to help, remember they are doing everything they can so support students. If the difficulties persist and anxiety is becoming an issue seek support from your GP.Talk openly to teenagers they may be nervous about returning to school too, a lot has changed, including them and they could have worries you may not have considered. Teenagers still look to their parents for re-assurance and so it will be important that parents demonstrate confidence with the planed return to school. They learn essential social skills and how to interact with others, so encouragement is critical. You could also view handling the uncertainty and change   which was held by our Cork District Society recently.Teachers and school staff fully appreciate the apprehension and anxiety and want this transition back to school to work for everyone. They want to support students, ensure they are comfortable in school, and can continue to learn and move forward. By working together this can be achieved, with everyone playing their part.CA Support is here to support our students, members, and their families. Contact the CA Support team on mobile: (353) 86 024 3294 or email: CASupport@charteredaccountants.ie

By Moira Dunne Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, many people are still working from home over the summer months. Staying focused can be difficult, as home working presents many distractions. In last month’s article, I gave some tips for managing distractions at home. The summer introduces a new set of distractions, however, such as good weather and school holidays. In this article, I will outline some strategies to help maintain motivation and productivity in the months ahead. The challenge is to stay focused so you can get your work done. There are two things you can do: manage yourself and manage others. Manage yourself Managing yourself means understanding what impacts on your productivity while placing a high value on your time. Think of your workday as a simple equation: you have X amount of work to do in Y amount of time. Be clear about the work you should prioritise each week and each day. Then, protect your time for those priorities by negotiating when asked to do additional pieces of work and saying no to non-essential activities. This can be hard to do, but it is essential to stay on track. If you find that summer weather affects your productivity, turn this distraction into a motivator. By setting a goal to finish on time, you will be more inclined to stay on track during the day. You will procrastinate less and not be as distracted by time-wasting activities. Instead, you will be focused on the prize of getting out into that good weather. Be strategic and adjust your plan if you know the forecast is good, for example, starting earlier than usual so you can get through all your work to finish early. Manage others Working at home while minding children is hard. Now that the school term is finished, your homework routine is probably gone. Is it time for a new plan? Involve your kids in coming up with ideas and create a summer routine together. Design the plan to incorporate your work hours. One approach is to work in time blocks to take advantage of the quiet times in your house. To optimise your productivity, plan to work on your priority tasks during these high-focus time blocks. Save your low-level, administrative tasks for periods when there will be more noise and distraction. Here is a sample schedule that may help you plan your alternative workday: 6am to 8am: high-focus work. 8am to 8:30am: breakfast with the kids. 8:30am to 10am: kids’ activities while you do low-focus tasks like email responses or attend an online meeting. 10am to 12pm: outdoor activity with the kids. 12 noon to 2pm: high-focus work while your kids have some downtime and a lunch picnic. 2pm to 3pm: time away from work for an activity with the kids. 3pm to 5pm: low-focus tasks like email responses or online meetings. If necessary, do a short time block later to complete some administrative tasks. Design a plan that suits your parenting and working responsibilities. Perhaps you can avail of a summer camp or childminding by a relative to increase your options and flexibility. Be productive To be productive, you must be pragmatic about your circumstances and do what you can to optimise your working time. By using a well-planned routine, you can give yourself a higher chance of managing your time and productivity. Have a great summer! Moira Dunne is a productivity consultant and Founder and Director at BeProductive.ie.

Amid COVID19 crisis, parents find themselves in unusual circumstances, working remotely, home-schooling children, and juggling many more balls in the air than normal.  It is a time when parents of children of all ages need extra advice and guidance.  Fellow member, Sheelagh O’Grady, having retrained as a Parent and Relationship Mentor in UCC now operates a joint private practice with her colleague Aoife Ryan.  Since the crisis unfolded, they have seen a significant increase in the number of parents who are feeling stressed and worried and are now seeking help and support. In response to this, they have launched a free telephone support service for parents. As a member of the Chartered Accountant community, she would like to offer this free service to members, as a source of support and compassion in these challenging times.     Available 10am-11am and 7pm-8pm Monday-Friday. Simply text Aoife or Sheelagh, stating whether you would like a morning or evening appointment. Sheelagh O’Grady 089 4081313, Aoife Ryan 089 2349339. In the meantime, see below some tips for keeping the kids content while working from home Establish a routine. Children, young and old, thrive on routine.  It gives their day a structure and helps keep boundaries in check.  Let young kids co-create a wall chart that details the daily schedules for all the family. This will help maintain quiet times, family mealtimes, and rest times. It might take a day or two to establish these new routines, but it will be well worth the effort. Keeping them occupied. Small children like to feel useful so giving them simple tasks to carry out will keep them happy.  Empty out a kitchen or bedroom drawer and ask them to “sort” the contents out. Setting up treasure hunts in the garden or the local green spaces can help with fitting in exercise and fresh air into the day while using up all their excess energy. Making a den with old sheets and chairs can create a new magical space for them to play. They can hide out here with their toys and their imagination for hours. There are lots of great websites to help with keeping toddlers and kids of all ages educated and occupied: GoNoodle designed to get kids exercising at home. A good way to explain the virus and the importance of hand washing is to show them this video clip or better still re-create it as an experiment and let them try it out. Marvel artist from Cork, Will Sliney, who has drawn Spider-Man and now works on Star Wars comics set up a new challenge each day on his YouTube channel at 2.00pm WeWilldraw. There are great learning platforms online and one of the biggest is Kahoot which is free to use and gives access to millions of free learning games for the entire family Learning a new skill or language on Youtube is a great way to spend an hour a day for all ages. Lots of museums now offer online tours – what a great way to while away some time while broadening their education. See this one that covers twelve world class museum visits. Is your local library closed? No problem, here’s a great elibrary resource which will provide hours of reading and entertainment to kids of all ages. Be sure to check out the full list of resources at the end of the article.  Connectivity Connecting with grandparents and other family members, as well as friends, using online technology has never been more important.  Setting up regular “Skype” or “Facetime” chats will benefit all of us and ensure we reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness communities are facing.  Perhaps grandparents can “Skype” at bedtimes and read goodnight stories each night?  Getting groups of young children to connect with their best friends and peers regularly will help maintain the fun elements of each day and has never been easier to set up.   Family time Creating an hour or two per day for family activities will be a necessary part of any new routine.  Here are some easy ways to have together as a family: Preparing the family meal – getting everyone involved from the choosing of the meal/recipe, chopping the veg, laying the table, and clearing away. Capitalise on the extra time at home to make meal-times count.  Movie night – have regular movie nights and allow each member of the family to pick their favourite.  Board games – now is the time to dust off the Monopoly and Pictionary. Kids love this time with their parents when everyone comes together, and all devices are turned off and put away. The first few days of this schedule may seem a little awkward as we all get used to our new “normal”, but children are so adaptable and will follow our lead.  Before long, when they see us relax into the new schedule, they will too. This structure of activities and routines will help keep us all productive and appropriately challenged. We may even find we all benefit considerably from this extra time together. Here at CA Support we are here to support our members and students.  Feel free to get in touch if you need support during this time. We can be contacted by email or call us on (353) 86 024 3294.  

This can be a challenging time at home for everyone. Trying to juggle your day job while keeping the kids occupied and entertained is certainly going to add to everyone’s stress. What follows are some simple practices to help keep a sense of calm where everyone can co-exist during these uncertain times. Establish a routine Children, young and old, thrive on routine. It gives their day a structure and helps keep boundaries in check. Let young kids co-create a wall chart that details the daily schedules for all the family. This will help maintain quiet times, family mealtimes, and rest times. It might take a day or two to establish these new routines but it will be well worth the effort. Keeping them occupied Small children like to feel useful so giving them simple tasks to carry out will keep them happy. Empty out a kitchen or bedroom drawer and ask them to “sort” the contents out Setting up treasure hunts in the garden or the local green spaces can help with fitting in exercise and fresh air into the day while using up all their excess energy Making a den with old sheets and chairs can create a new magical space for them to play. They can hide out here with their toys and their imagination for hours There are lots of great websites to help with keeping toddlers and kids of all ages educated and occupied: GoNoodle designed to get kids exercising at home. A good way to explain the virus and the importance of  hand washing is to show them this video clip or better still re-create it as an experiment and let them try it out. Marvel artist from Cork, Will Sliney, who has drawn Spider-Man and now works on Star Wars comics set up a new challenge each day on his YouTube channel at 2.00pm WeWilldraw. There are great learning platforms online and one of the biggest is Kahoot which is free to use and gives access to millions of free learning games for the entire family Learning a new skill or language on Youtube is a great way to spend an hour a day for all ages. Lots of museums now offer online tours – what a great way to while away some time while broadening their education.  See this one that covers twelve world class museum visits. Is your local library closed?  No problem, here’s a great elibrary resource which will provide hours of reading and entertainment to kids of all ages. Be sure to check out the full list of resources at the end of the article. Connectivity Connecting with grandparents and other family members, as well as friends, using online technology has never been more important.  Setting up regular “Skype” or “Facetime” chats will benefit all of us and ensure we reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness communities are facing.  Perhaps grandparents can “Skype” at bedtimes and read goodnight stories each night?  Getting groups of young children to connect with their best friends and peers regularly will help maintain the fun elements of each day and has never been easier to set up. Family time Creating a hour or two per day for family activities will be a necessary part of any new routine.  Here are some easy ways to have together as a family: Preparing the family meal – getting everyone involved from the choosing of the meal/recipe, chopping the veg, laying the table, and clearing away. Capitalise on the extra time at home to make meal times count Movie night – have regular movie nights which allow each member of the family to pick their favourite movie Board games – now is the time to dust off the Monopoly and Pictionary.Kids love this time with their parents when everyone comes together and all devices are turned off and put away Getting outside – having regular excursions outside to the park, the beach and any green spaces is a great way to spend quality family time while enjoying some fresh air and exercise! The first few days of this schedule may seem a little awkward as we all get used to our new “normal” but children are so adaptable and will follow our lead.  Before long, when they see us relax into the new schedule, they will too. This structure of activities and routines will help keep us all productive and appropriately challenged. We may even find we all benefit considerably from this extra time together – here’s hoping! Extra resources World Book Online have just made their collection of over 3,000 ebooks and audiobooks available for free for children to access at home. They have books suitable for all ages. Click on the following link to access them. https://worldbook.kitaboo.com/reader/worldbook/index.html… Actor Josh Gad Is Reading Books to Kids Online Every Night During Coronavirus Quarantines. https://chipandco.com/actor-josh-gad-is-reading-books-to-kids-online-every-night-during-coronavirus-quarantines-383789/?fbclid=IwAR2MvdsfU7CKHMUSQw3j84lC83mUus9VWoC-2TrybTAvhgTlOcvguqVsnk8 You can now download over 300,000 books from the NYPL for free: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/you-can-now-download-over-300-000-books-from-the-nypl-for-free-031820 Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video) https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?utm_medium=social&utm_term=59F3F59E-653B-11EA-938E-3D9296E8478F&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=travelandleisure_travelandleisure&utm_content=link&fbclid=IwAR2SKLUqtJ3RwzZN_T72GNWmMdnL_u_VzK-jc8XsJoD4n60qWocvKj_Cs2Y Coding for kids during school closures: https://www.tynker.com/?fbclid=IwAR1YfXhVlHvIcagAg3cE5AR_sfe6pMbvyHujh-prjPEsL_ViaFpMDvHqnUM The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour! https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/ Tour Yellowstone National Park! https://www.nps.gov/…/lea…/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/ This Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs. https://www.farmfood360.ca/ Indoor Activities for busy toddlers https://busytoddler.com/2020/03/indoor-activities/… Play games and learn all about animals https://switchzoo.com/ Play with fave show characters and learn too https://pbskids.org/ Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip. https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life. https://www.thechinaguide.com/destinati…/great-wall-of-china Math and Reading games https://www.funbrain.com/ Phonics skills https://www.starfall.com/h/ This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/ Read, play games, and hang out with Dr. Seuss https://www.seussville.com/ 300,000+ FREE printable worksheets from toddlers to teens https://www.123homeschool4me.com/home-school-free-printabl…/ Geography and animals https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ Math practice from counting to algebra and geometry http://www.mathscore.com/ Fave kids books read by famous people https://www.storylineonline.net/ Crafts, activities, mazes, dot to dot, etc, https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/ High school chemistry topics https://www.acs.org/…/hi…/chemmatters/articles-by-topic.html Math and reading games https://www.abcya.com/ Math and language games https://www.arcademics.com/ Hands on Elem science videos https://www.backpacksciences.com/science-simplified Voice based learning... learn through Alexa https://bamboolearning.com/resources Fun games, recipes, crafts, activities https://www.highlightskids.com/ ClickSchooling brings you daily recommendations by email for entertaining websites that help your kids learn. https://clickschooling.com/ Math as a fun part of your daily family routine http://bedtimemath.org/ Games to get "into the book" https://reading.ecb.org/ Online history classes for all ages preteen through adults https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive Biology https://www.biologysimulations.com/ Elem Math through 6th grade https://boddlelearning.com/ Educational games K-12 https://www.breakoutedu.com/funathome Digital archive of history https://www.bunkhistory.org/ Test Prep for SAT, ACT, etc. https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com/handouts.php Geometry https://www.canfigureit.com/ Resources for Spanish practice https://www.difusion.com/campus/ Chinese learning activities https://chalkacademy.com/ Music is for everyone https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments Science, Math, Social Studies https://www.ck12.org/student/ Grammar practice for middle grades https://www.classroomcereal.com/ Daily free science or cooking experiment to do at home.http://www.clubscikidzmd.com/blog/ Chemistry https://www.playmadagames.com/ Reading passages for grades 3-12, with reading comprehension and discussion questions. https://www.commonlit.org/ Vocabulary, grammar, listening activities and games in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, and Latin. https://conjuguemos.com/ 35,000 pages of online content on the cultures and countries of the world. https://www.countryreports.org/ K-5th Science lessons https://mysteryscience.com/ Tons of free classes from leading universities and companies https://www.coursera.org/ Free printable K-8 Reading and Math activity packs (available in English and Spanish) https://www.curriculumassociates.com/supporting-students-aw… Digital learning content for preschool through high school https://www.curriki.org/ A wide range of math content from middle school through AP Calculus. https://deltamath.com/overview Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/…/learnathome.html 3 Free Weeks of Maker Stations to keep your children creating at home! Each challenge includes simple instructions using materials around the house, QR code video resources, and a student recording sheet. bit.ly/freemakerstations Classes for older teens or adults https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/lp/t1/freemo… Online homeschool platform & curriculum for Pre-K to 12th grade. All main subjects are covered, plus extra curriculum courses. http://discoveryk12.com/dk12/ Printable board games, activities and more for phonics and reading all using evidence-based methods. Can be customized to any student's needs including creating flashcards for other subjects. https://dogonalogbooks.com/printables/ K-8 online math program that looks at how a student is solving problems to adjust accordingly and build a unique learning path for them. https://www.dreambox.com/at-home Engaging reading game for grades 2-8 that combines strategy, engagement, and imaginative reading passages to create a fun, curriculum-aligned literacy game. https://www.squigglepark.com/dreamscape/ Higher level math series... online video series with detailed solutions to more than a thousand publicly-released College Board SAT Math, Subject Test Math Level 1, and Subject Test Math Level 2 problems.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbQoCpvYRYRkRRvsObOPHaA… Foreign languages https://www.duolingo.com/ Interactive video earth science based curriculum supplement. https://www.everyday-earth.com/ A safe research site for elementary-level readers. They are offering -- free 24/7 access USERNAME: read (case sensitive) PASSWORD: read (case sensitive) https://www.facts4me.com/ Resources for AP students including live reviews, live trivia, and study guides! https://app.fiveable.me/ Educational brain breaks to help students review essential literacy and math skills, while getting in some exercise. Find over 900 videos to help your child keep learning at home and burn off some extra energy. Our site is best used for ages 4-8. https://fluencyandfitness.com/register/school-closures/ Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. https://www.gonoodle.com/ 7,000 free videos in 13 subject areas https://hippocampus.org/ Carmen Sandiego videos, stories, and lessons for all subject areas https://www.carmensandiego.com/resources/ Math Videos with lessons, real life uses of math, famous actors https://www.hmhco.com/math-at-work Entertaining & educational videos for all levels and subjects https://www.izzit.org/index.php Online education program for toddler through high school... https://www.khanacademy.org/ Free Printables for PreK-2nd Grade https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/…/Lite…/Price-Range/Free Free printables library with activities for children 0-6 https://www.littlesparkcompany.com/printables-library Free at-home kids yoga lesson plans https://littletwistersyoga.com/online-store/ Magic Spell is a carefully crafted spelling adventure. https://brainbox.games/ Resources for AP students https://marcolearning.com/ Enter your math problem or search term, press the button, and they show you the step-by-step work and answer instantly. 2nd grade through college. https://www.mathcelebrity.com/online-math-tutor.php Elem Math games, logic puzzles and educational resources https://www.mathplayground.com/ Poetry and music https://www.thewell.world/mindful-mu…/mindful-poetry-moments 3D printing projects and Coding projects, involving math and other K-12 subjects https://www.instructables.com/…/EdgertonCent…/instructables/ Introductory and intermediate music theory lessons, exercises, ear trainers, and calculators. https://www.musictheory.net/ Scads of free resources, games, learning resources, and lesson plans for teaching personal finance https://www.ngpf.org/ Improve your typing skills while competing in fast-paced races with up to 5 typers from around the world. https://www.nitrotype.com/ Illustrated recipes designed to help kids age 2-12 cook with their grown-ups. Recipes encourage culinary skills, literacy, math, and science. https://www.nomsterchef.com/nomster-recipe-library Online curriculum that builds better writers. https://www.noredink.com/ 80+ do at home science activities https://elementalscience.com/…/n…/80-free-science-activities Daily lessons and educational activities that kids can do on their own https://www.superchargedschool.com/ Adaptive curriculum in Math and ELA for Grades K-8 https://www.scootpad.com/ Novel Effect makes storytime a little more fun for kids (and grown-ups too!) As you read out loud from print books (or ebooks!) music, sound effects, and character voices play at just the right moment, adjusting and responding to your voice. https://noveleffect.com/ Quick & easy at home projects curated for kids 2 and up https://www.kiwico.com/kids-at-home Teaches students how to write a paragraph through interactive online tutorial http://www.paragraphpunch.com/ PreK-12 digital media service with more than 30,000 learning materials https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/ Curricular content hub specifically designed for K-3 students. https://pebblego.com/free-pebblego-capstone-interactive-acc… Science and math labs and simulations https://phet.colorado.edu/ An online physics problem and video bank designed for conceptual, standard, honors or AP1 physics. https://www.positivephysics.org/home Prodigies is a colorful music curriculum for kids 1-12 that will teach your kids how to play their first instrument, how to sing in tune & how to understand the language of music! 21 for free https://prodigiesmusic.com/ Free videos from around the world from grade 3-12 https://www.projectexplorer.org/ QuaverMusic is offering free access to general music activities to all impacted schools, including free student access at-home https://www.quavermusic.com/info/at-home-resources/ For students to practice and master whatever they are learning. https://quizlet.com/ ReadWorks is an online resource of reading passages and lesson plans for students of all levels K-12. https://www.readworks.org/ Critical Thinking resources for K-6 students https://marketplace.mythinkscape.com/store/redtkids Music Based Spanish Learning https://rockalingua.com/ Science simulations, scientist profiles, and other digital resources for middle school science and high school biology https://sepuplhs.org/ The Shurley English program for grades K-8 provides a clear, logical, and concrete approach to language arts. https://www.shurley.com/ Sight reading and sight singing practice exercises. https://www.sightreadingfactory.com/ Music practice transformed https://www.smartmusic.com/ Spellingcity is free right now with code VSCFree90 https://www.spellingcity.com/ Kid-friendly workouts — choose from Strength for Kids, Agility for Kids, Flexibility and Balance for Kids, Warm-Up for Kids, Cooldown for Kids, Stand Up and Move for Kids, OR create your own custom kid workout. https://app.sworkit.com/collections/kids-workouts A collection of hundreds of free K-12 STEM resources, from standalone models and simulations to short activities and week long sequences of curriculum materials. https://learn.concord.org/ Course sets (Levels 1–5) that combine and thoroughly cover phonics, reading, writing, spelling, literature, grammar, punctuation, art, and geography—all in one easy-to-use, beautiful course. https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/ At home OT, PT, and ST resources designed to build skills in children through movement and play. https://www.theottoolbox.com/ Science projects that can be completed with or without Internet access https://sciencespot.net/Pages/classhome.html Keyboarding practice https://www.typingclub.com/ or https://www.typing.com/ Next Generation Science video game focused on middle school where students directly engage in science phenomena as they solve problems. https://www.tytoonline.com/ Short videos and readings that answer various burning questions for students. There are vocabulary challenges and comprehension questions. http://wonderopolis.org/ Math practice https://xtramath.org/#/home/index K-5 curriculum that builds deep understanding and a love of learning math for all students https://www.zearn.org/ A quick start resource to help families pull together a plan for surviving the next 1-2 months at home with their kids, but it can also be a time of slowing down and enjoying kids as they learn. Preschool through 8th grade https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/learning-at-home-everyth… 450 Ivy League courses that you can take https://www.freecodecamp.org/…/ivy-league-free-online-cou…/… Spelling 1-4 grade https://www.spellingtraining.com/ 2,500+ online courses from top institutions https://www.edx.org/ 22 languages to learn https://www.memrise.com/ Learn to code https://www.codecademy.com/ Miscellaneous games for all subjects k-8 https://www.funbrain.com/ Phonics and learning to read https://readingeggs.com/ PreK - 5 games for all subjects https://www.turtlediary.com/ Online digital coloring pages https://www.thecolor.com/ Every course you could possibly want to homeschool preschool - 8 https://allinonehomeschool.com/ Every course you could possibly want to homeschool for high school https://allinonehighschool.com/ Phonics worksheets for kids https://www.funfonix.com/ Free stories online ages 3-12 https://www.freechildrenstories.com/ National Geographic Young Explorers is a magazine designed specifically for kindergarten and first grade students. Children can listen to the magazine being read to them as they follow along with the highlighted text. https://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html Learn all about earthquakes https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/ Learn all about the periodic table https://www.chemicool.com/ Farmer's almanac for kids... Date, weather, moon phase, etc. https://www.almanac.com/kids Guide to gardening for kids https://web.extension.illinois.edu/firstgarden/ Website allows students to play basic games to reinforce math skills and compete against the computer or others https://www.mangahigh.com/en-us/ Space science for kiddos https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html Math Games, Logic Puzzles and Brain Builders https://www.mathplayground.com/ Games, quizzes and fact sheets take kids on a journey through time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/ NGAkids interactives offer an entertaining and informative introduction to art and art history. https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html News and more for kids https://www.youngzine.org/ Randomly generates 356,300,262,144 story starters https://thestorystarter.com/ Immerse yourself in cryptography https://www.cryptoclub.org/ Math games galore https://gridclub.com/ Tons of science experiments that you can do at home https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/ An interactive way to learn history https://www.mission-us.org/ Just explore, have fun, and learn some science along the way. https://thehappyscientist.com/ Interactive games based on the book series https://www.magictreehouse.com/ Work on the 8 parts of speech https://www.grammaropolis.com/ Learn all about cells https://www.cellsalive.com/ All sorts of learning here if you dig in https://www.google.com/earth/ Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning. https://scratch.mit.edu/ A wonderful, endlessly detailed way to get kids engaged in the world of art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/ Tests kids’ geography skills. Using images from Google’s Street View, it plops players down in the middle of the street and asks them to figure out where they are. https://www.geoguessr.com/ Allows students to type in any city, state, or country to view an archive of historical photographs and other documents. It’s a unique way to help them learn about history. http://www.whatwasthere.com// Short videos about numbers that help kids explore complex math topics and make math more fun. https://www.numberphile.com/ A human visualization platform that allows students to explore the human body in really cool ways. https://human.biodigital.com/login?returnUrl=/dashboard Helps kids learn to appreciate the arts by providing them with the opportunity to play games, conduct investigations, and explore different forms of art. https://artsology.com/ Lets kids play instruments online. Instruments include the guitar, piano, pan flute, drums, and bongos. https://www.virtualmusicalinstruments.com/ Crafts, activities, bulletin board designs, and finger plays for early education teachers and parents to use with kids. http://www.preschoolexpress.com/ A large selection of fun songs to help teach preschool and kindergarten students https://www.songsforteaching.com/preschoolkindergarten.htm Resource section includes free flashcards, coloring pages, worksheets, and other resources for children, teachers, and parents. https://supersimple.com/ Life skills curriculum for students in grades K-12. Their resources include strategies for teaching social and emotional skills. https://www.overcomingobstacles.org/ Coding for ages 4-10 https://www.kodable.com/ No need to travel to one of the Smithsonian’s zoos or museums — this website brings your child everything from live video of the National Zoo to the Smithsonian Learning Lab right to their screen https://www.si.edu/kids Cool Kid Facts gives your child access to educational videos, pictures, quizzes, downloadable worksheets, and infographics. They can use these to learn about geography, history, science, animals, and even the human body. https://www.coolkidfacts.com/ This interactive website, hosted by the U.S. Government Publishing Office, allows your child to see the ins and outs of the U.S. government by taking a series of learning adventures with none other than Benjamin Franklin. https://bensguide.gpo.gov/ This NASA initiative covers a wide range of topics including weather, climate, atmosphere, water, energy, plants, and animals. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/ Ask Dr. Universe is a science-education project from Washington State University. Kids can send Dr. Universe any question they may have about history, geography, plants, animals, technology, engineering, math, culture, and more. https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/ Your child can play games, learn fun facts, and find out how to turn coin collecting into a hobby. https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids From rainbows to tornadoes and winter storms to tsunamis, meteorologist Crystal Wicker breaks down the fascinating world of weather. http://www.weatherwizkids.com/ Kids Think Design explores careers in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, book design, product design, film and theatre, architecture, animation, and environmental design. http://www.kidsthinkdesign.org/ This educational website hosted by the Smithsonian Museum takes a deep dive into ocean life. https://ocean.si.edu/ Brainscape offers over a million flashcard decks for every subject, entrance exam, and certification imaginable. https://www.brainscape.com/ The Theta Music Trainer offers a series of online courses and games for ear training and music theory. https://trainer.thetamusic.com/en Banzai exposes students to real-world financial dilemmas to teach them the importance of smart money management. https://www.teachbanzai.com/ Innerbody explores the 11 bodily systems in depth. With interactive models and detailed explanations, this website will help them learn more about the internal mechanics of the amazing human body.https://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html Related article Coronavirus - Top tips to stay healthy and happy while working from home

This summer saw the introduction of the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019, extending unpaid parental leave from 18 to 22 weeks with a further extension to 26 weeks parental leave in 2020. Recently, the Government has published the new Parent’s Leave and Benefit Bill 2019, providing parents with an optional two weeks paid leave. Michael Doyle explains what employers need to know. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 introduces paid parent's leave for employees in Ireland for the first time, building on existing statutory entitlements to paid maternity, paternity and adoptive leave. Subject to an employee having made the requisite PRSI contributions, a relevant parent will be entitled to take two weeks of paid leave within the first 52 weeks of a child's birth. This will be paid by the State at the same rate as the current State Illness Benefit (€245 per week). However, the Bill does not oblige employers to pay employees while on parent's leave. It will be up to each employer to decide whether to top up an employee's parent's benefit and by how much. What is the difference between Parental Leave and Parent's Leave? Earlier versions of the Bill referred to this new paid leave as Parental Leave and Benefit. The newly published 2019 Bill has changed the name to Parent's Leave and Benefit to distinguish parent's leave from parental leave, which is a separate and distinct entitlement under the Parental Leave Acts 1998–2019. Parental leave in Ireland remains an unpaid entitlement for employees. It is important to note that parent’s leave is separate and distinct to the two weeks' paid paternity leave entitlement introduced via the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016. Key provisions of the 2019 Bill There are a few key provisions of the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Bill that employers should keep in mind: All relevant parents will be entitled to this leave, including: parent of a child, a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the parent of a child; a parent of a donor-conceived child; adopting parent or parents of a child; the spouse, civil partner or spouse of the adopting parent of the child and each member of a married couple of the same sex, a couple that are civil partners of each other, or a cohabiting couple of the same sex. Parent's leave can only be taken within the first 52 weeks of the child's birth or the day of placement of adoption. Parent's leave can be taken in a continuous period of two weeks or in separate blocks of one week each. An employee will be required to give six weeks' notice, setting out the expected date on which the leave will begin and the duration of the planned leave. A parent will not be entitled to claim parent's benefit more than once where there are multiple births or adoptions. Parent's leave cannot be transferred between parents other than in specified circumstances, such as the death of a parent. Employers are entitled to postpone parent's leave where it would have a substantial adverse effect on the operation of the employer's business. For example, seasonal variations in the volume of work or the number of employees who are also taking parent's leave. Employers cannot postpone the leave for more than 12 weeks. Absence on parent's leave will not affect the employee's rights (other than the right to remuneration). Employees are entitled to protection from penalisation, including dismissal and unfair treatment for exercising their entitlement to parent's leave. The employee is entitled to return to their normal job and to the same terms and conditions of employment before they commenced the parent's leave. The Workplace Relations Commission can order the granting of the parent's leave and/or compensation of up to two weeks' remuneration where there is a breach. For example, where an employer postpones an employee's parent's leave but doesn’t permit them to take it within 12 weeks. What should employers be doing? Employment handbooks and family leave policies should be updated to cater for this new statutory leave. A key consideration for employers will be whether employees' State parent’s benefit will be topped-up. In practice, many employers will mirror the position adopted for topping up paid paternity leave. Employers will need to outline the application/notification process and employee's statutory rights while on parent’s leave. In circumstances where an employee’s parent’s leave needs to be postponed, employers would be well advised to consult with the employee prior to confirming the postponement in writing. Time to prepare When introducing the Bill, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection said: "in both 2017 and 2018, almost 25,000 new fathers availed of the newly established two-week paid Paternity Leave scheme". He further hopes that all new parents will do the same for the new parent’s leave once established as “it will provide working parents with a further opportunity to spend more time with their new baby during its first year which is of particular importance." We expect the Minister's aspiration will become a reality once this new statutory leave is introduced. We recommend employers familiarise themselves with the Bill now and take appropriate measures to ensure they are ready to process parent's leave applications, which could be received as soon as within the next few weeks. You can read the Parent's Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 here. Michael Doyle is a Partner in A&L Goodbody.