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An interactive story to learn about the sea turtle life cycle, natural and human threats. Children sit in a circle around a turtle nest (a hoop or mat) with 100 eggs. As they listen to a story they take turns (going round the circle) to remove eggs as a predator or problem arises. As the story continues, the remaining eggs are turned over to reveal hatchlings which in turn face more problems as they try to reach the sea. As juveniles in the sea there are yet more problems. How many will survive and return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs? What will the beach be like when they have become an adult Printables included in the pack: Turtle eggs templates. Students can cut out the circles and draw their own hatchling on one side, (optional, if you prefer use the pre-made cards below). Turtle egg and hatchling cards. Print and cut out. (Place face down for eggs and turn over for hatchlings.) Story Scripts, 2 versions, ‘Take 5’ and ‘Against the Odds’. Turtle problem picture cards. Turtle problem word and picture cards. Story Script Excerpt: One moonlit night a green turtle heaved herself along the beach and dug a hole in the sand with her flippers. She laid 100 eggs and took care to cover them again with sand to disguise the nest. Slowly, she made her way back to the sea where, exhausted, she slipped with relief back into the water as the sun began to rise. Early the next morning, a dog roamed the beach and could smell where the turtle had been. She dug up part of the nest, ate five eggs and cracked five more which were eaten by ants. Also included: Ideas for activities using turtle problems cards. Maths (subtraction) story idea. Related Resources: For an active game on the threats to turtles, see the Teachers Telling Tales resource /teaching-resource/turtles-in-danger-game-12237706

Turtles in Danger is an active chase and tag game suitable for primary / middle school children. The game teaches children about sea turtle life cycles, natural and human threats, endangered animals and survival strategies. The game can be played outdoors or indoors in a large space, a netball or basketball court is ideal. There are two rounds, one where some children are hatchlings making their way to the sea while avoiding the other children who are threats. For the second round the remaining children are turtles trying to survive in the sea and return to the beach to lay eggs while avoiding threats. The game can be played again removing the human threats to see how this affects the survival rate. This pack contains a guide to the game, a printable instruction sheet with pictures, labels and headbands to identify the children who are threats. There are 14 threats in total and they are colour-coded for dangers on the beach (sand colour) and for in the sea (blue). The labels and headbands have silhouette pictures for quick identification alongside the word and a short explanation of the threat. Through playing the game students gain an understanding of why many reptiles and fish lay so many eggs in order to survive as a species. Through discussion they learn how the impact of extra pressure such as threats from humans can lead to a threat of extinction. Related Resources: An interactive story about turtle life cycles, turtles in Trouble, /teaching-resource/turtles-in-trouble-an-interactive-story-12240371 A Sea Turtle quiz can be downloaded for free from https://teacherstellingtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sea-Turtle-Quiz.pdf Updated May 2025: labels made clearer compiled in one pack for ease of use added to turtle bundle /teaching-resource/turtle-y-awesome-bundle-13259734

Some children can be anxious when they feel sick or are hurt and need to visit the school nurse. A classroom visit from the nurse to demonstrate what he/she does can help to overcome this. There are 8 editable common scenarios here to role play with class toys or teddies. For example, taking temperature, using a hot water bottle or ice pack, putting on a plaster. If children are still anxious, especially about going to the ‘sick room’ they could take a teddy to visit the nurse with a scenario card for a further demonstration. A hospital or doctor role play area with the teddies is a good follow up to this lesson. For more information or ideas check out the post on teacherstellingtales.com https://teacherstellingtales.com/a-visit-from-the-nurse/ Update: new resources developed to encourage writing in the role play area, doctor’s consultation and prescription (simple pictorial sheet for early years). /teaching-resource/doctor-s-orders-role-play-writing-frames-12248191

Puzzles inspired by Little Fish’s quest to find his mum in the story Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins. Updated April 2025 Mazes A colourful maze in the shape of a heart can be used to demonstrate how to solve a maze by projecting the image on an interactive whiteboard. It can also be printed and laminated for completing with dry wipe pens. A version with a white background has been added for printing. The slightly more challenging circle maze encourages problem solving and pencil control skills. There’s lots of detail in the fish and background for colouring. Which Way Tracing A puzzle that involves tracing lines, developing those fine motor skills alongside problem solving. Blue and white background versions for screen / poster or photocopiable sheet. Dot-to-dots A picture for children to discover who Little Fish found also reinforces pencil control with the additional skill of following the numbers from 1-10. This resource is also good for colouring when complete. Two additional sheets have been added with numbers 1-15 and 1-20. New: Jigsaws Four fishy puzzles with 3 parts and wavy lines and six with six pieces (straight lines). An educator’s guide has been added and the quality of images improved. All resources compiled in one pack for ease of use. This resource can also be bought as part of a Hooray For Fish bundle.

Originally created for the IPC topic Sand and Water, this presentation is designed to stimulate children’s interest in sand, answer basic questions and inspire further exploration. Aimed at young children it features large colourful pictures and simple text (generally one heading and a sentence on each slide, (with more detail and some links in the notes for presenters). Questions prompt children to say what they already know or think and there are a few questions for them to guess where the answer is revealed, keeping their attention. It covers how sand is made and why it is different colours, animals that live or hide in sand, sand in the desert, how we use sand and sand art. This presentation is great as an introduction to scientific or creative exploration of sand, for example whether dry or wet sand is best for sculpture, making patterns by sprinkling or creating texture with sand. It is also a good stimulus for researching sandy habitats and how plants and animals have adapted to living in them.

A maze to solve and colour featuring a chameleon and grasshopper. Linked to activities based on The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle.

Mazes are great for concentration and perfect for sneaking some fine motor skills in with older students! This pack was updated in April 2025 and now has four mazes, each with an added joke (fold the bottom edge of the sheet and open when the maze is complete to reveal the punchline! Answers to the mazes are also included and links to other pirate-themed resources.

Activities to accompany ‘Flyaway Katie’ by Polly Dunbar Good for: Getting to know each other. Talking about feelings. Students learning English as an additional language. Topics: feelings, colours, clothes, shapes, patterns. Contents Lesson plan with ideas for children to talk about what makes them happy. Read and Record Sharing Sheet Blank to enlarge for teacher to record children’s responses. Editable version for students to record with words or pictures. Flyaway Self Portraits Templates, blanks and with simple outline drawings to choose from. Display ideas.

Activities to accompany the storybook ‘Flyaway Katie’ by Polly Dunbar. Good for: Actively involving children during story time, developing listening skills, vocabulary, following instructions. Students learning English as an additional language. Topics: colours, clothes, body parts, feelings. Contents and Ideas: Story Elements cards with colours (8), body parts (4) and clothes (4) from the story. Give out to children individually or in pairs and ask to hold up their card when they hear it mentioned in the story. Follow-along Sheet. Children colour the picture of Katie, then look at the checklist with an adult.

A mini story and quiz presentation with pattern colouring and treasure hunt activities. Good for Follow up to reading The Mixed-up Chameleon by Eric Carle. Topics : Animals, Colour, Pattern, Camouflage. Observation Skills: looking carefully at pattern and colour. Contents and Ideas: (a resource guide is also included) The Content Chameleon presentation. A mini story and quiz about the no-longer-Mixed-up Chameleon returning to the zoo. He has lots of fun trying out animal patterns. The children guess the animal from the chameleon’s pattern. (All background photos are free to use and links are provided in the notes.) Pattern Colouring Sheets. An outline of the chameleon filled with an animal pattern. Children continue the pattern to hide the chameleon. Nine animal patterns and a blank outline are provided. Blank chameleon outlines. A portrait and landscape version. These can be used as colouring sheets or traced onto plastic pockets to explore inserting different colours and patterns. The traced chameleons can be placed around the classroom or playground for a chameleon treasure hunt. A few photos of ideas are included in the resource guide. Free Chameleons presentation with interesting facts, free images with links, YouTube and child-friendly website links for further exploration.

An interactive Powerpoint Presentation Can be used on interactive whiteboards, computers or individual devices. NOTE: there was an issue with opening the previous version, it has now been updated (20/10/24) apologies for any inconvenience Good for ICT skills: using a pen or mouse to click, drag and drop, using arrow keys to move an object. The activity challenges students to make the chameleon disappear by matching it exactly to the background, encouraging accuracy. Observation Skills: looking carefully at detail, pattern, texture and colour. Topics: Colour, Pattern, Camouflage. Can be used as a follow up to reading The Mixed-up Chameleon by Eric Carle and The Content Chameleon resource by Teachers Telling Tales. Contents: Chameleon Camouflage PPT (make sure you keep a master copy in case students save the changes). All background photos are free to use and links are provided in the notes. Free Chameleons PPT with interesting facts, free images with links, YouTube and children’s website links for further exploration.

Read the poem and colour the pictures. Good for reading comprehension, EAL, extending colours and animals vocabulary. This poem is fantastic for introducing new colour words like ‘lavender’, ‘turquoise’, ‘lilac’. It gives students the opportunity to explore blending colours and creating lighter and darker shades using different pressure. The worksheets with the poem allow teachers to assess students’ understanding. The blank sheet (with just the pictures) allows students to use their imagination and be encouraged to record their ideas by writing their own descriptions. A resource guide gives suggestions for use and differentiation. The worksheets are provided in PDF and Word (editable) formats. Dyslexia-friendly versions are included.

Great for a space topic. A fun alien poem for shared reading, worksheets with a copy of the poem for more careful reading and a space to draw the scene. A checklist is provided for students to work with a buddy and see how many of the descriptions they included in their drawing. (This could be printed on the back of the sheet). While they are challenged to include all the specified details, students can be encouraged to use their imagination to complete the scene. The activity provides lots of opportunities for discussion and develops reading comprehension skills. Worksheets provided in PDF and Word (editable) formats. Dyslexia -friendly font versions are provided.

Fun pirate-themed activities to consolidate positional language / introduce pirate topic vocabulary. Great for English language learners. Starter - Spot the difference posters to get students talking and using positional language. The same poster but in outline so students can add the objects in the correct place and colour their completed picture. Instructions are provided in picture and text form. making the activity accessible to a range of ages and abilities. A guide to using the resource with vocabulary lists is included. Updated April 2025 in one pack for ease of use. Related Resources A free pirate vocabulary anagrams sheet can be downloaded here: /teaching-resource/pirate-anagrams-12322262 There are pirate-themed mazes, sudoku and phonics games in the Teachers telling Tales shop with options to bundle and save. /teaching-resource/talk-like-a-pirate-phonics-bundle-12403177