During this exciting topic, pupils will be diving into the wondrous world ‘Under the Sea’. We will be learning all about a wide range of fascinating sea creatures, from tiny fish to magnificent mammals, and discovering the different habitats they live in. Children will explore how plants and animals are uniquely adapted to survive in oceans, seas and coastal environments around the world.

As part of our learning, we will also look at important environmental issues affecting our oceans today, including sea pollution and overfishing. Pupils will consider how human actions impact marine life and discuss simple ways we can all help to care for and protect our seas.

To bring our learning to life, we are very excited to be visiting Bristol Aquarium, where children will have the opportunity to see a variety of sea creatures up close and deepen their understanding of ocean habitats. We will also be enjoying a visit to the seaside, giving pupils firsthand experience of a coastal environment and the chance to observe and explore it for themselves.

This topic promises to be hands‑on, engaging and full of discovery, helping children to develop curiosity, knowledge and a sense of responsibility for the natural world.

Supporting learning at home

Keep activities short, fun, and talk‑focused. Learning happens best through play, conversation, and curiosity.

• Read together: Share sea‑themed stories such as The Snail and the Whale, Commotion in the Ocean, Sharing a Shell, or non‑fiction sea life books.
• Talk about vocabulary: Encourage children to use words like ocean, coral, scales, fins, tentacles.
• Simple writing: Write a postcard from under the sea, make a short fact file about a sea animal, compose a sentence using a “wow word” (e.g. shimmering fish)

• Counting & grouping: Count toy sea creatures, shells, or pasta shapes.
• Patterns: Create repeating patterns (fish, shell, fish, shell).
• Problem solving:
  “If there are 8 fish and 3 swim away, how many are left?”
• Measuring: Compare lengths of pictures of whales, sharks, and starfish (longer/shorter).

• Art & craft: Paint or collage an underwater scene, make a jellyfish using paper plates and ribbon or create fish from recycled materials.
• Music & movement: Sing sea songs (Baby Shark, A Sailor Went to Sea), move like sea creatures (glide like rays, crawl like crabs)

• Talk about animals: How do fish breathe? Why do whales come up for air?
• Floating & sinking: Test household objects in water.
• Habitats: Discuss where sea creatures live and why the ocean needs protecting.
• Mini research: Watch short child‑friendly sea life videos together and talk about what
• Encourage children to explain their ideas: Their favourite sea animal and why? What they would see on the ocean floor?

• Role play: Pretend to be divers, marine biologists, or sea creatures.
• Question prompts: “What do you think lives here?”  “How would the sea look at night?”

• Talk about looking after the oceans: Why rubbish is harmful to sea animals? How families can reduce plastic use.
• Encourage turn‑taking and sharing during play activities.

• Visit the beach, aquarium, rock pool, or explore seashells.
• Use Google Earth to “travel” to different oceans.
• Create a “treasure basket” with shells, stones, blue fabric, and toy sea animals.