Didn't we have a lovely time? A seaside celebration

Celebrates the experience of a day at the seaside.

by Alan and Laura Barker

Suitable for Key Stage 1

Aims

To celebrate the experience of a day at the seaside.

Preparation and materials

• In many Church calendars the second Sunday in July is kept as Sea Sunday. Special events and outdoor services are held in seaside towns. Funds are raised for organizations, such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, that promote sea safety.
• A backdrop for this assembly could be provided by projecting a suitable image of a local seaside town. Alternatively, a focus could be created with some beach toys, shells, sand, etc.
• Some seaside souvenirs could also be displayed.  

Assembly

1. Refer to the approaching summer holidays. They may provide the opportunity for going away on holiday, or for day trips. Ask if any of the school community have been to the seaside. Where did they go?
   
   The seaside excites all of our senses. Invite the school community to accompany you on an imaginary trip to the coast.
2. (To encourage participation in the following questions, opportunity might be given for children to talk together briefly in pairs.)
   
   Let’s imagine we’re at (Name).
   
   Let’s go down to the beach. What can you see? (The sun sparkling on the sea. Distant ships on the horizon. Other children building sandcastles and paddling in the water. Shells nestling in the sand. Creatures in the rock pools.)
   
   What can you hear? (The waves washing on the shore. Children shouting and laughing. Music from the funfair. The cry of seagulls.)
   
   What can you feel? (The rough grains of sand between your toes. The warm sun. Remember to put on some sun lotion! The icy cold water as you paddle. The towel as you dry yourself.)
   
   What can you smell? (The saltiness of the sea and seaweed. Your sun lotion. Fish and chips from the beach café.)
   
   Are you hungry? What’s your favourite seaside taste? Fish and chips? Candyfloss?
   Seaside rock? Ice cream?
   
   Are you feeling tired? It’s been a brilliant day. What have you enjoyed the most?
3. Days at the seaside have been popular ever since railways were first built. Railways meant that people were able to travel easily to the coast. Nowadays most visitors to the seaside travel by car or coach. Many buy souvenirs to remind them of their trip (show examples), and keep shells or pebbles collected from the shore.
   
   How will you remember today’s trip? Perhaps most of all for the way in which it excited all your senses!

Time for reflection

The seaside is an exciting place with much to enjoy.

Be thankful for a day trip that you remember or one that you are looking forward to.

Prayer
Creator God,
thank you for the many ways
in which we enjoy your world –
through sight, and sound,
touch, smell and taste.
Thank you for the excitement
of new experiences
and different places,
nearby and far away.
Amen.

Song/music

‘Lazy days’ (Songs for Every Season, Out of the Ark Music)
‘Fun at the seaside’ (Here Comes Summer, Out of the Ark Music)