Academic Enrichment
This time at home can be used by our students (and parents) to enrich academic experience and learn new life skills.
The Principal's Blog - Language and Lockdown gave some ideas for academic enrichment during this time, and below there are some further ideas.
It is our choice how we want to use the time during lockdown:
Why not join this AI Bootcamp? No experience required!
The Xelerate AI Bootcamp is a pre-college enrichment program which will provide high school students with a solid foundation in AI concepts and is meant for students from all fields even those without a programming or computer science background. The program will introduce students to the main applications in AI and the meaning behind common AI terminology including neural networks, machine learning, deep learning and data science. Students will also work on impactful AI projects or Passion Projects where they will be mentored by leading professors and industry experts.
Learn more at www.xelerateacademics.com
Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world to bring you virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world.
British Museum, London
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. You can also find hundreds of artifacts on the museum’s virtual tour.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Google’s Street View feature lets visitors tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary eras.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
You can virtually walk through this popular gallery that houses dozens of famous works from French artists who worked and lived between 1848 and 1914. Get a peek at artworks from Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin, among others.
NASA, America
You don’t have to be a scientist to get inside the gates of the Langley Research Centre in Virginia, the Glenn Research Centre in Ohio and the Space Centre in Houston. Simply go online to tour everything from flight simulations to supersonic wind tunnels, and let all your childhood dreams come true. For more information visit nasa.gov.
The National Gallery, London
If you’re in the mood for a bit of art and culture, you’ll be spoilt for choice with The National Gallery’s online offerings. Take a tour of 18 gallery rooms with over 300 paintings, including works by Titian, Veronese, and Holbein. Captivated by one particular piece? There’s also the opportunity to learn more about each of the paintings on view. For more information visit nationalgallery.org.uk.
Acropolis Monuments, Greece
Even without recommendations to practice social distancing and limit travel, it’s not every day you get to fly to Athens to see the Acropolis. Explore the archaeological site via an interactive tour online and learn about the most prominent monuments, including the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike. For more information visit acropolisvirtualtour.gr.
Guggenheim Museum, America
Never got round to seeing one of New York’s most famous art museums? Fear not, Google’s Street View can transport you to the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase with the chance to view everything from the Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary eras. If that’s not enough to keep you busy, the online collection also has 1,700 artworks by more than 625 artists, as well as works from Venice and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. For more information visit https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/solomon-r-guggenheim-museum
The Louvre, France
Although we can’t actually jet off to France to see some of the famous landmarks, seeing The Louvre online is the next best thing. As one of the world’s largest art museums, it offers plenty of entertainment to keep you busy for months. Go online and learn about everything from Egyptian Antiquities to the remains of the Louvre’s Moat, built by French king Philippe Auguste. For more information visit louvre.fr.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Explore the masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age, including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. Google offers a Street View tour of this iconic museum, so you can feel as if you’re actually wandering its halls.
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Anyone who is a fan of this tragic, ingenious painter can see his works up close (or, almost up close) by virtually visiting this museum – the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
European artworks from as far back as the 8th Century can be found in this California art museum. Take a Street View tour to discover a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, and photographs.
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
This less well-known gallery houses the art collection of one of Florence, Italy’s most famous families, the de’Medicis. The building was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 specifically for Cosimo I de’Medici, but anyone can wander its halls from anywhere in the world.
There are thousands of museum Street Views on Google as well, plus an opportunity to look round famous historical and heritage site, allowing you to explore the Statute of Liberty, the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower, to name but a few.
Special features on Google Arts & Culture currently include stories ‘Four Things To Do With Your Camera Phone’, ‘The Weird and Wonderful World of Dinosaurs’ and a novel way of looking at the art world, called ‘Explore by Colour’.
#MuseumMomentofZen
If you are into your social media, there’s a great thought-provoking and hopefully calm-inducing hashtag to check out on both Instagram and Twitter, which allows institutions to share particularly zen artworks online to provide a moment of calmness amidst the current global anxiety. For more information click here.
And if you are missing the great outdoors, you can even go “outside” with incredible virtual tours of some of America’s best national parks.
TED Talks
TED talks offer mind-expanding enrichment on a whole range of different topics: www.ted.com
The New York Academy of Sciences is looking for the best and brightest high school students passionate about changing the world through STEM!
We are recruiting students ages 13-17 from around the world to participate in our FREE virtual STEM mentoring programs: 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures and The Junior Academy. Accepted students become Young Members of the Academy and gain access to the world’s smartest network! While both programs use online mentoring platforms enabling participants to interact from anywhere in the world, there are a few key elements that make each opportunity unique:
- 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures connects STEM-focused high school girls to dynamic, motivated female mentors during a year-long virtual science education program. Participants gain access to innovative programming focused on developing essential 21st century skills and become part of a strong network of female STEM leaders from around the world!
- The Junior Academy introduces exceptional students to an online community where they gain access to best-in-class STEM resources and work together to solve real-world problems. STEM professionals mentor student teams during 60-day innovation challenges, with multiple challenges a year for participants to choose from.
Harvard University are offering a catalogue of courses for free
There are a number of coding sites to choose from including
Reading Lists by Grade
Pre-KG | Download |
KG | Download |
LG1 | Download |
UG1 | Download |
Grade 2 | Download |
Grade 3 | Download |
Grade 4 | Download |
Grade 5 | Download |
Grade 6 | |
Grades 7 and 8 | Download |
Grades 9 and 10 | Download |
Grades 11 and 12 | Download |
Audiobooks
Why not try an audio book free from Audible or click on the link below for Primary Years options
E-books
The Library has compiled a list of online platforms offering online resources and e-books for different age groups. Most of the resources are currently free.