Are oceans or related themes on your teaching agenda? Or trying to enthuse your class in poetry? Or just trying to get them to put pen to paper or put their hand up to volunteer an idea? Then this is for you! Recipe poems are fun, quick and mind-stretching to concoct. They get everyone on board, instantly enhancing literacy skills and lateral thinking. Share ideas in a whole-class recipe, or hand out copies this relaxed-style, hand-illustrated sheet for individual, paired or group input. Then invite everyone to read out a line for one gigantic, beautiful, bonkers, thrilling, sparkling ocean concoction. First decide what sort of sea it’s for, e.g. stormy, summer’s day, night-time, mysterious or undiscovered. I’ve started you off with a spoon of, but that could be crossed out and changed to pinch, bowl, dish, ladle, teaspoon, handful, or other measurement. Below, add more, perhaps branching out into non-kitchen measurements to fit your ingredients, e.g. - a fountain of splashes, a rainbow of colours, a peacock’s tail of turquoise, a volcano of danger, a serpent’s nest of hisses, a cool drink of refreshment, etc. Have fun!

My star is… This opening phrase below the star picture offers an infinite scope of possibilities. Prompt for describing words such as shiny, pointy, gold, silver, tiny, pretty, sparkly, glittery, twinkly, friendly, kind, far away, high up, twitchy, spiky, mysterious, magical, shooting, smiling, hot and cold. Colour words may also be popular - red, blue, yellow, etc. Colouring in could be presented as a reward for the writing effort. Children will learn about space as they work.

Orange, yellow, purple and black/white/grey are the focus of these catchy, meaningful rhymes. I have written them to help young children identify colours and associate them with familiar items, also triggering ideas and inviting discussion. The rhythms and rhymes serve as introductions to poetry, too. Some of these are best for reading and listening, others for chanting, clapping and acting out.

3 rhymes on one PDF file - only first one visible here. These 3 little rhymes bring phonics to life with story and humour. Animals feature in each one, making them fun to act out and easy to recall. Each rhyme has a particular phonic focus - ‘oo’, ‘ee’ and ‘u’ respectively, and would enhance any lesson on these sounds. The three-page document is for the teacher’s use, though independent KS1 readers would also enjoy reading them. Black-and-white, PDF. PLUS Here’s a beautiful lullaby celebrating the ‘ee’ phonic, by Rhodri Williams-Wandoch: https://soundcloud.com/rhodri-williams-wandoch/try-to-sleep

Engaging rhymes are great for introducing phonics, and for re-inforcing and making them meaningful. I’ve made up these 3 rhythmic, rhyming poems to enhance phonics teaching for the sounds ‘i’ as in ‘mice’, ‘ar’ and ‘er’. The rhymes feature mice (and their ice cream and rice slices), farm yard charms (cows in barn, chicks in yard, cat in cart…), and an action rhyme, twirling, whirling, swerving… like various moving things. Early Years and KS1 children will all enjoy and benefit from these rhymes, which can be listened to, chanted, clapped and enacted.

These 3 simple rhymes bring the mini-beast world alive for young children. Each offers rhyme, rhythm, descriptive words and scope for multiple activities: clapping, enacting, language-building, physical movement, performance, and preparation for any follow-on writing. The rhymes could also be set to music or percussion, or sung to a made-up tune. I made up the rhymes and have found them effective in my poetry workshops for Early Years and KS1. (Illustrations also mine.)

These larger-than-life spider pictures are fun to write on, and the Guide offers word prompt ideas for each section. Both writing sheets invite describing words and action words for spiders, though the pictures are different. On the ‘Spider’ sheet, words can be written on the eight legs; on the ‘Speeding Spider’ sheet, they can be written along the zigzag line of its route over the… floor/grass/path/step? That’s for the child to decide. The first offers colouring opportunities; the second, space for imaginative drawing or shading. Both sheets are hand-drawn and home-produced, and have been successfully tried out in my workshops.

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the phrase - This frog is…, and having a go at writing it on the line provided. More words can be added below, as wanted. Encourage sounding out and emergent writing, rather than accuracy, with this writing activity, to build confidence in independent writing. Perhaps prompt for - green, hoppy, wet, patchy, jumpy, friendly, smiling, splashy or croaking, if ideas are needed. See my other simple writing sheets on wildlife themes for more variety.

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the given phrase - I can see… , and having a go at sounding it out and writing it on the line provided. They can then be rewarded with colouring fun, shading in this fascinating picture. For the writing, encourage children to study the picture and identify some of its features first, then let them choose their favourite one or few to write. Examples to prompt for if needed - a snail, a bird, flowers, grass, leaves, sky, the sun, a ladybird. Able writers could be encouraged to add a describing word or other embellishment. The resource promotes literacy, fine motor control, colour and shape awareness and an appreciation of the natural world.

This lively seaside picture has two wavy line spaces for describing words for the sea: “The sea is … and …”, and there’s a whole line below for further ideas. Young children will enjoy thinking up two words or more to describe the sea and having a go at writing them, before colouring in the waves, sea creatures, sand, bucket and spade and more. Children in my poetry workshops use the sheet with enthusiasm, for both writing and colouring. See my two harder versions too, plus Shells writing sheet: - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-r-y1-12099509, https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-y2-3-12099502 (free) and https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/shells-can-be-illustrated-writing-frame-guide-sheet-12099487 . Video (looking at shells) https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9

Phonics and reading practice with seaside theme and picture. Ten simple describing words, clearly highlighted in red boxes over a beautiful seaside photograph. Words: wet, fun, cool, bubbly, wavy, splashy, shallow, fresh, calm, sandy. See also: Seaside Writing & Colouring Sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-colouring-sheet-simple-12099515, and Boat on Sea Colouring Sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/boat-on-sea-colouring-sheet-12096606 .

These punchy, fun rhymes each celebrate a colour, listing and describing different items of that colour in ways that bring it to life for children. The ‘green’ one is an action rhyme; the others are best read aloud. Invite further item suggestions for extra verses - they don’t need to rhyme, provided you can sustain the rhythm. Pick one of these to start a phonics, poetry or descriptive writing lesson. Children from Early Years to upper KS2 will find them thought-provoking and stimulating.

‘My leaf’ is the title of this colouring sheet, but there are several extra leaves, of different shapes, floating and falling around the main one, reflecting the variety of leaf types to be found in our woods and parks. Some of the leaves are curling, perhaps representing autumn or just their natural tendency to curl and twist. **SEE ALSO - ** **Mini-beasts colouring sheet - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/minibeasts-colouring-sheet-12049563 + ** Butterfly colouring sheet - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/butterfly-colouring-sheet-12043732 + 3 colouring sheets with tints + hints (nature-themed) - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/colouring-sheets-with-tints-hints-3-11929704

Attractively illustrated phonics writing sheet, with pale colours (assorted) for writing over. Text - 3 lines: hello hens hello bat hello big dog There is also a ‘hello’ heading to colour in. These simple words make meaningful sentences - cheerful greetings, engaging children and helping them to start reading. I have many other phonics sheets in this catalogue.

p, f and d are shown next to familiar pictures starting with their letters: pig, fish, dog. The words are not written out, but just brought to mind, with meaningful association. Extra copies of the letters follow the pictures, reinforcing the link. Children can write over all the pale letters. Help them sound them out as they go. See my other phonics sheets for young children, all attractively illustrated, some free.