Family Learning Festival 2023

October 13 2023

The Family Learning Festival is a national celebration of learning in family life. Learning as a family can help us all become more confident learners. Family learning not only supports children to achieve at school, it can help us to find new hobbies and interests, and realise our aspirations. Research shows that engaging in learning activities can also improve our health and wellbeing.

What can we learn?

Literally anything! From looking for bugs in the local park to learning a new language; from teaching the kids how to cook to talking to your great aunt about the family history; whatever interests you or your family, this is your chance to do it!

Here are some ideas and links for fun projects that the whole family can get involved in.

Science

  • The British Science Association have a selection of activity packs containing fun activities for families, including: Indoor activities, Outdoor activities, Kitchen activities & Make it activities.
  • For those of us who are interested in astronomy, the National Schools Observatory have lots of activities for all the family. It is a fascinating website and well worth exploring.

 

Cooking

  • Cooking can be a really fun learning experience. Children can gain a lot of confidence from cooking – and develop healthy eating habits that will help them throughout their lives. They also learn practical maths, measuring and language skills. BBC Good Food have compiled a selection of easy and fun cooking projects to get the kids into the kitchen.

 

Reading & Writing

  • The Infant’s Library was created by John Marshall more than 200 years ago. The aim was to encourage children to learn by reading to their dolls. Charlotte Brontë started out writing miniature books for her little sister. The British Library have created an activity to create your own miniature book.
  • The National Literacy Trust’s Words For Life has lots of playful and imaginative activities to improve children’s language, literacy and communication skills. They can be filtered by age and activity type.

 

Maths

  • One of the most empowering things you can do is to develop your maths confidence. The National Numeracy campaign have a wide range of fun maths activities and a downloadable Family Maths Toolkit to help you do just that.

 

Nature

  • The Woodland Trust have a number of ideas for scavenger hunts to help you explore the local parks and countryside.
  • The RSPB have a compiled wide range of family friendly activities to help to discover more about birds and the environment.

 

History

  • Learning about local or family history is a great way to connect the generations. History Begins At Home have created a wide selection of themed question sheets to help you get the conversation started and draw out all those fascinating memories of the past.
  • Find out if there is a local museum, archive or history society. These are a treasure trove of photos artefacts and documents that bring local history to life. Many will suggest walking routes that will take you past key sites. Check with your local library or on your council website for local details. Or visit Old Maps Online to see how your local area has developed over time.

 

Find Events Near You

 

Share The Fun!

Why not tell us what you get up to? Share your stories, photos, poems and activities. Send them to pdovey@cwu.org and we will put them on the website. Every member who shares their experiences will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 gift voucher.