By studying a food web taken from the seas around the British coast, pupils can see how interdependent organisms are and get an understanding of ecology. They need to consider the impact of removing species from the food web to see how it may affect others. Great for opening up discussions at the start or end of a lesson on the effects of over-fishing, pollution and extinction.

A handy list of a variety of items children might find on a beach. Aimed at primary school children, they must find 20 items whilst exploring the seashore. Ideal for working in groups and allowing children the opportunity to discover the range of objects that can be found along our coastlines. A class discussion afterwards will also help children think about where these items have come from, and which items are harmful for wildlife.

Aimed at primary school children, this guide to common British shells will help them on a beachcombing trip. They can see what different shells look like and tick them off as they find them. Ideal to use when developing team-work skills and for those children with a competitive side - who can find the biggest shell?!

Useful for primary and early secondary school children, this sheet shows five different birds found around the British coastline. Children must try and work out the diet of each bird by the shape of its beak. They will need to think about how each beak is adapted to its purpose. Ideal for either a quick starter or plenary activity or for generating a broader class discussion on how living things are adapted to survive.

Using this resource, pupils are able to learn how ecologists and conservationists carry out surveys on rockpools to find out their level of biodiversity. In groups, pupils can look at a different rockpool tidal zone and decide, using the overlaid quadrat, what percentage of their area is covered with each of six different species. They can then compare with other groups to see how species distributions change from one zone to the next! Pupils can also use the attached graph template to show how the distribution of species changes as you move from the high zone to the low zone.

An activity for children learning about adaptations, looking at how different beak shapes allow birds to do different things. The class is split into four groups, and they rotate around for activity trays, deciding whether pegs (heron beak) or spoons (spoonbill beak) are best for each one. They must then discuss what the real birds use their beaks for, and how they're adapted to survive.