By Guest

• June 23, 2011
Juliet Mickelburgh With 12 focus activities, a booklist and a mindmap for quick reference, this is another in our Topics Resources articles. These are ideas only: ANY CURRICULUM LINKS DO NOT RELATE TO THE CURRENT (2012) EYFS REQUIREMENTS

The Sea is a topic that has something for everyone, whether they are landlubbers or water babies. You can get really imaginative with sand and water play and use the role play areas to inspire the children even if you are not near the sea at all. There are some wonderful books that can support the topic and give opportunities for discussion or be the starting point for small projects.

Overview

This topic includes a book list, mind map and suggested activities to cover the six areas of learning. These are available in pdf format for those who don't have access to MS Word. The mindmap bullet points are included as a separate document for ease of reference, but also listed in the 'Ideas and Suggestions' sections below. Most of the early years publications available have covered this topic, often more than once, so don't forget to check your own resources! There are usually book recommendations and other resource suggestions in the topic forum as well, so make sure you have a browse through the discussions to see if there is anything else of interest.

Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Mathematical Development (MD)

Physical Development (PD)

Creative Development (CD)

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Ideas and Suggestions

• Water safety
• Sun safety
• Water likes/water fears
• What would it be like to live in a lighthouse/on a boat?
• 'I went to the beach and I took...'
• Discuss children's seaside trips
• Pictures of countries with no water
• Role play areas
• Circle times

Activities

Build a Big Boat /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Wish For a Fish /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• An 'S' word collection
• Wave patterns
• Sending seaside postcards
• Photos/paintings of the sea to initiate discussions
• Story books about the sea
• Non-fiction books about shells and sea creatures
• Songs and Rhymes
• Circle times
• What we wear at the seaside and why
• Different types of 'beaches' (sand/shingle/pebble) in trays to put toes in
• Beaching combing /treasure hunt

Activities

Shiny Shells /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Bon Voyage /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Water tray - e.g. rock pool/coloured ice cubes/harbour
• Sand tray - e.g. beach combing/treasure/sand castles
• What happens when you add water to dry sand?
• Make ice lollies
• Make fish cakes
• Make the Lighthouse Keeper's packed lunch complete with rope to send it
• Investigate Lighthouses
• Visit the fish counter at the local supermarket
• How far are we from the sea
• Compare countries with lots of water to those with very little
• Icy water - the sea in cold places

Activities

Buried Treasure /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Blowing Bubbles /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Display example

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Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy(PSRN)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Sort different types of boats (row/sail/power/paddle)
• Shapes at the seaside
• Patterns - waves/shells/footprints in the sand
• Counting opportunities - tentacles on an octopus/points on a starfish
• Sort sea creatures and land animals
• Floating and sinking
• Capacity
• Number sails on boats
• Using money in a seaside shop role play area

Activites

Favourite Sea Creatures /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Fish For Tea /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Physical Development (PD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Respond with movement to calm/stormy music
• Parachute games to show wave motion
• Sense of touch - sand/water/shells/shingle/seaweed/pebbles
• Malleable materials
• Outdoor water play
• Design and make area - boats that float
• Effects of the sun
• Clothing for the beach and in the sea
• Be a deep sea diver
• Be a ship's mate -actions for 'scrub the decks'/ship ahoy/hoist the sails/walk the plank

Activites

Parachute Waves /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Islands /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Creative Development (CD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Role play areas - deep sea/pirate ship/beach/seaside shop/island/arctic
• Sand pictures
• Dressing up
• Stories
• Songs and Rhymes
• Wave patterns in variety of media
• Sea music
• Colour mixing
• Hand printing sea creatures - overlap both hands to create octopus or crab
• Make rainbow fish
• Make bubble pictures
• Malleable materials and mark making
• Small world role play - e.g. pirate ship

Activites

Clay Fish /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Watery Wonderwall /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Other Resources

• A booklist is available here:

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• 'mindmap' document here:

  /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif /forums/uploads/word.gif