Stunning lighthouse pictures: http://abduzeedo.com/amazing-pictures-lighthouses Activity 3: Grace under pressure Children can work out the weight, price or size of the different foods in his lunch. They would be faced with children which needs them to focus on measurements and calculations such as addition and subtraction.

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.

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Use this lighthouse tour video to describe the inside and outside of a lighthouse, as well as the amazing views from the top. 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

Write a set of instructions that teach someone how to make a delicious sandwich for Mr Grinling’s lunch.On 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… 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? 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. Use the lighthouse in the book as a starting point for a design and technology activity. Get the children to study a variety of lighthouses and talk about the requirements for an effective design. What are the main elements of a lighthouse design and why is it built in this way? What kind of things does a lighthouse need to withstand? What colours are used for lighthouses and why might these colours have been chosen? For an even better way to find EYFS resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the EYFS resource HUB! GO TO EYFS HUB

Write a sequel for the book, showing how the fisherman in the boat stopped the seagulls from eating his lunch. Once their lighthouses are built, show the children how to make a complete circuit with a battery, wire and bulb. They should then work out how to fix this into their lighthouse model, so that the light appears at the top inside the lantern section. More able, or older, pupils could explore various options for getting their light to rotate inside the lighthouse. Talk with the children about the different methods Mrs Grinling tries in her attempts to foil the seagulls. What is her plan in each case, and why does the mustard work best in the end? Now divide the children into pairs or groups, and ask them to come up with some alternative plans for stopping the seagulls eating the lunch. Encourage them to think creatively and to come up with wild and unusual ideas, as well as the more obvious suggestions. Write a diary from the point of view of Mr Grinling. Use this video to get some ideas for your work: Plan and carry out an investigation to find out the strength of different materials. Which would be best to protect the lighthouse keeper’s lunch?Sue Cowley takes The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch as inspiration for four fun-filled, ocean-themed activities... Mr Grinling is an ‘industrious’ lighthouse keeper. What does this mean? Can you think of any words that mean the same thing? 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? 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 A much loved picture book which has been in print for over 40 years. Children love the greedy seagulls and the detailed contents of the lunch basket.