Learning Resources: Coasts
Our learning resources for coasts explore how different types and combinations of coastal defences can help improve resilience to coastal flood risk and erosion.
All our activities are freely available and include videos, worksheets, games and a virtual tour of the waterfront city of Portsmouth.
Coastal Resilience: Virtual Tour of the Island City of Portsmouth
Explore how engineering can help improve resilience to climate change by joining a virtual tour around Portsmouth.
We’ll visit six sites around the island to look at the range of different engineered structures that have been created or adapted to improve resilience to coastal flood risk and erosion, as well as enhance the areas where they’ve been constructed.
Wave tank activities
Many of our learning resources are designed to be used with the wave tank model.
Watch the wave tank demonstration video then complete the activities!
The activities are categorised by the UK national curriculum ‘key stages’.
Activities for Key Stage 2 (age 7-11)
KS2 Invent a Wave Tank Activity
KS2 Wave Tank Coastal Structures Wordsearch
KS2 Wave Tank Coastal Defence Flooding Observations Form
Activities for Key Stage 3 (age 11-14)
KS3 Wave Tank Coastal Structures Worksheet
KS3 Wave Tank Volume, Averages and Cost Maths Activity
KS3 & KS4 Wave Tank Coastal Defence Flooding Observations Form
Activities for Key Stage 4 (age 14-16)
KS3 & KS4 Wave Tank Coastal Defence Flooding Observations Form
Coastal Resilience Challenge Game

In this game, you are a team of designers and engineers helping a coastal town community become more resilient to flooding and erosion. Using the playing cards and resources provided, explore which engineering options can help the coastline adapt to a changing climate. Don’t forget to consider your budget, the costs of each option, carbon, timescales and the needs of the community!
The game is designed to be played with a wave tank (and can also be adapted to be used with the wave tank video).
Download all the instructions and game resources below: