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!

Seaside writing resource for young children. “Shells can be…” with short, thick writing lines between shell representations for describing words. Supporting guide sheet for teacher also included. Start by handing round some shells, encouraging children to study, feel and listen to them. Discuss their properties, prompting for words like curly, light, hard, smooth, rough, shiny, hollow, round, twisty, pretty, patterned and delicate. Then present sheet, demonstrating how they can have a go at writing their word ideas on the lines. Perhaps try some together on the board first. After the activity, invite all to choose a word to read out or say. The shells can then be coloured or decorated.

Exciting, illustrated writing frames supporting Journeys, Explorers, Transport, Space, Ocean and World topics, harder and easier versions. Children write in first person, as the explorer, describing their imaginary expedition: destination, means of transport, clothes, equipment, dangers (3 invited), and how they’re feeling. An activity to get everyone on board, fired up and thinking, also developing literacy skills.

Transport studies and Literacy development are combined in this attractive writing activity, with line starters: Through the windscreen of my car, I can see - Through the porthole of my boat, Through the window of my submarine, … the windscreen of my helicopter … the porthole of my rocket…, with a generous, wide-spaced line under each for description. Encourage rich, imaginative and relevant description for each one, e.g. for the view from the submarine, perhaps a list of sea creatures and features, with accompanying adjectives. Encourage further entries with views from other vehicles and transport means - crazy ones included - writing on the reverse or extra paper if necessary, firing imagination and creativity as well as interest in the subject. Round off with illustrations on separate paper. Best for Juniors (ages 7-11 approx.).

This pretty woodland picture will attract young children, and the big, bright, highlighted text will motivate them to read or sound out the ten animal words. These are all familiar, one- and two-syllable words, such as robin, frog, ants and rabbits. A handy resource for phonics and reading practice and monitoring, best used one-to-one or in small groups for most children, though able readers will enjoy working out the words independently. Also suitable for advanced EY and lower ability Yr 2 children. The resource will also support work on woods, countryside, animals, mini-beasts and nature generally.

Which of the eight given sound-words fits which slot? That’s the simple challenge here. Eight separate lines of prose are given below them, each with a gap for one, but which? There’s a blank line at the end, with an invitation to write a sentence containing onomatopoeia independently.

Ocean poetry is exciting to write. This rhyme bank and the example verses on the next page will help you and your class to concoct fantastic poems about the wild and wonderful oceans, dangerous voyages, pirates, treasure and more. Supports literacy, as well as study of oceans, travel, history, geography and any class reading book with the theme. Recommended particularly for Yrs 4-7.

A beautiful butterfly picture to colour. This clear but intricately patterned butterfly offers exciting colouring opportunities. An attractive activity for young children, helping development of colour sense, fine motor control, and understanding of the natural world. Supports work on seasons, mini-beasts, animals, colour and more.

Children love rhymes, but they can be tricky to construct, so this resource provides 4 structured rhyme frames on the theme ‘seabed’, with a sheet of tips and examples to help them along. Suitable for Yrs 5/6 working mostly independently, and for Yrs 3/4 with teacher support. However, all will benefit from a whole-class rhyme produced together, chanted and clapped to check rhythm, and written up on the board as an example. Year 2 would also enjoy a shared rhyme challenge, using a selected verse from the sheet. The resource supports literacy, especially poetry and linguistics, developing language dexterity and control of rhyme and rhythm. It would also support any topic related to sea, pirates, holidays, maritime history or the environment. Contents: 2 sheets, black-and-white, PDF.

This tea table has some tasty dishes - and some inedible ones too! The challenge is to clear away the unsuitable ones, such as the old boot, clock and paper, by reading the words to identify them and crossing them out. This humorous activity takes the fear out of reading and will motivate able and hesitant readers alike to read or sound out all the 15 words. Designed for Year 1, but will also serve older children for reading practice. Can they create a tea table conundrum of their own? Early Years children will also enjoy picking out words and colouring in the picture.

Plurals s, es, ies and unusual variations are all addressed in the 3 varied challenges here. There’s an odd-word-out game (s/es), some practice words for ies plurals with a line for children to think up their own, and a list of single nouns with unusual plurals (all different) to be provided, including some tricky ones like fungus and antenna. Recommended for Years 4-6, with support as needed. Fun to do and share; handy lesson enhancers and gap-fillers. Two sheets.

Squirrels are fun to watch and write about, so your class will enjoy this writing sheet. The illustrations will spur ideas, and the Guide sheet will supply you with a handy list of further ideas to bring in. Follow the warm-up introduction suggestions to get everyone focused and enthused first, and set colouring pencils ready for shading in the illustrations when they’ve all had a go and read out their chosen words and phrases. The resource supports creative writing, vocabulary development and other aspects of English, while also nurturing an appreciation of the natural world and local environment.

A lively little story brings meaning to grammar here. When to write “it’s” and when to leave out the apostrophe and just put “its”? That’s the burning question in this fun activity. The plentiful illustrations, the large, soft-blue script and the engaging narrative all add to the appeal, and the key words stand out bright and clear in bold red for simplicity. A summary of the grammar rule involved is given at the top of the two-sheet resource, with example phrases for both “it’s” and “its”. A few answers and tips are also given at the end for extra guidance. Children are then invited to compose two sentences of their own (lines provided), to illustrate “it’s” and “its”, to consolidate the concept. Best for Yrs 5 and 6 and able Yr 4s. Story: Rashid’s robot has gone crazy, but Ella finds a solution - recharging it! Seeing the robot enjoying its “tea”, they go off to have their own - including ice cream sundae!

This cheerfully illustrated poetry frame prompts simile ideas for the colour red and encourages description with gaps for two adjectives per item. The first idea is given (tomato) - perhaps juicy, ripe, squashed, bright, squishy, garden, fresh or round. The other lines leave the object open to thought and choice. This would tie in with my other colour-themed poetry frames and rhymes - see catalog.

The ocean bed is a mysterious place, and this light-touch poetry frame invites children to dream about the possibilities, and describe their imaginings as they wish. The given structure, meanwhile, helps to focus minds and get pens rolling. The two-page resource includes a page of guidance notes for the teacher’s reference, with an example poem to share with the class. The poetry frame promotes creative writing, and literacy generally, while also drawing attention to the wonders of the sea.

This 5-sheet resource comprises a castle picture-poem, easier/harder, and a castle-characters picture-poem in 3 graded versions. These are attractive sheets with lively, hand-drawn illustrations of old, cobwebby, crumbling castles, the graded ones featuring characters such as a ghost, king and queen. Children have the fun of writing directly onto the castles - a particularly vivid experience in the ‘My castle is’ activity. Describing words are invited on each sheet. These writing frames are self-explanatory, having starter phrases followed by thick lines for writing, with increasing opportunities for imaginative, expressive input on the graded character sheets. For ‘My castle is’, prompt for describing words such as: old, crumbly, tall, spooky, dark, haunted, spidery, cold, windy, grand, royal, huge, hard, rat-infested, ghostly, scary, massive, golden, fine, splendid, stone, rich, ancient, mysterious, creepy, abandoned, damp, shadowy, candle-lit, and ruined. On the Castle Characters graded sheets, encourage a range of personality attributions for the ghost, king and queen, such as kind, mean, cruel, crazy, gentle, friendly, and various colours. The ghost might be see-through, floaty, spooky or dancing. This is principally a Literacy resource, though it also offers scope for expressive art through colouring, and an intriguing window onto the past.