Role-play the different characters in the story (Mr and Mrs Grinling, Hamish the cat, and the seagulls). How were they feeling at different points in the story? My Review: I saw this book in use in a primary classroom this year, in a year 1 - 2 split setting. It was used for the five weeks i was there and it worked very effectively, the children loved it.

Explore the forces in action when Mr Grinling rows his boat out to the lighthouse. What forces are in action when his lunch is being carried along the wire? The lunch was ‘devoured’ by the seagulls. Can you make a list of words which show different ways that people can eat their food?

Find a Scheme of Work

A sweet book, that is easy to read. I read it to reception, they engaged with the book and found parts very funny. For an even better way to find KS1 resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the KS1 resource HUB! GO TO KS1 HUB

Mr Grinling is an ‘industrious’ lighthouse keeper. What does this mean? Can you think of any words that mean the same thing? The book tells the story of Mr Grinling, the lighthouse keeper, and the trouble his wife has getting his lunch across from the mainland. Mrs Grinling prepares her husband a delicious lunch, but the seagulls keep eating it before it reaches him. After several failed attempts, she finally manages to foil the pesky birds with some mustard flavoured sandwiches! Write a sequel for the book, showing how the fisherman in the boat stopped the seagulls from eating his lunch. Saw this being used during SBT1. A fantastic book to use with year 1 and/or 2. A good story which lends itself nicely to actions which make the book more memorable e.g. lighthouse, cottage etc. The story has some good language in it e.g. industrious and concocting, which can really enhance all of the children's written work. Can buy a basket and put lots of different food/ a ginger cat (Hamish) in to bring the book to life- the children really loved this when I was on placement. Something else that worked really well was the children were all given a piece of cake and had to write a postcard as though they were one of the seagulls from the story describing what the cake was like.For an even better way to find KS2 resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the KS2 resource HUB! GO TO KS2 HUB

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, by Ronda and David Armitage, is a brilliant book for inspiring classroom activities around the topic of the sea, its history and the brave people who keep us safe at the seaside and away from dry land. The wonderful vocabulary within the story is in itself a great reason for choosing this book to start your topic. Words such as ‘industrious’, ‘concocts’ and ‘brazen’ help this tale trip off your tongue. Get your children thinking about what these new words mean, using the sound and the context to help them work it out. Choose two types of sandwiches and make a Venn diagram to show which children like / don’t like each of them. Next, get your children to plan a menu for the most delicious lunch they can think of, to go in their seagull proof basket. Look at the food that Mrs Grinling prepares in the story - do they agree that it’s delicious? What kind of food would they want in their ‘ideal’ lunch? If possible, get the children to test some of their ideas for getting the lunch safely across to the lighthouse, setting up a line in your classroom, similar to that which runs over to the lighthouse.Talk about what it means to be ‘brave’. Can your children give examples where they have seen or heard about someone doing something ‘brave’? What can they do on a smaller scale that is brave in their day-to-day lives? Activity 4: Shiver ‘me’ timbers

For an even better way to find EYFS resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the EYFS resource HUB! GO TO EYFS HUBOn a trip to the beach with their children, the Armitages saw a wire which ran from the cliff to the lighthouse and their son wanted to know what it was for. David suggested it was for the lighthouse keeper’s lunch… Mr and Mrs Grinling star in a number of other books including The Light House Keeper’s Catastrophe, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Rescue, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Picnic, and The Lighthouse Keeper’s Cat