The seaside and the countryside
Geography · Early Years · The School
At the seaside
At the seaside there is the SEA, with waves that come in and go out. There is a BEACH of sand or pebbles, CLIFFS in some places, seabirds, boats, and often a harbour or a pier. The air smells salty and the ground is often wet where the sea has been.
In the countryside
In the countryside there are FIELDS with crops or animals, HEDGES and walls between them, woods and trees, farms, small lanes and streams. There are fewer buildings and fewer people than in a town, and much more open space to see across.
Comparing them
The best way to compare two places is to ask the same questions about both. What is the ground like? What grows there? What animals live there? What do people do there? Asking the same questions of each is what makes a comparison fair — and it works for any two places, anywhere.
Ask both places the same list, and the comparison writes itself. What is the ground made of? (sand and pebbles / soil and grass). What grows? (marram grass / crops and trees). What work do people do? (fishing, tourism / farming). What sounds are there? What is the weather like? What could you not do here that you could do there? Same questions, both places — that is what makes it a comparison.