Indice dei contenuti per Autumn 2025 in Creative Steps

I hope you have all had a fabulous summer and are looking forward to autumn. The new school year always brings with it a certain level of anticipation and perhaps nervousness (and that’s just the parents!), as youngsters are transitioning to new early years settings or moving schools. It’s several years since my boys were going through this, but I can still remember the apprehension and excitement at this time of year. Unfortunately, it seems many school starters are not equipped for their new environments, struggling with the basic skills required, such as the ability to sit and concentrate, taking turns or listening to instructions. This is the post-Covid intake and will pose additional challenges for teachers and carers. School readiness is something we can all help with and there…

STORE CUPBOARD Paper plate Medium paint brush Blue and white paints Dark grey felt Eye sticker Black marker pen Paper straw Strong glue Pencil Scissors 1 Cut the whale's body from a paper plate, ensuring the belly of the whale is along the edge of the plate. Paint it blue and leave to dry. 2 Paint a straw blue and leave to dry. 3 Paint the bottom half of the whale with pale blue paint. You could mix blue and white paints together. 4 Cut out two fins and a tail from dark grey felt. 5 Stick on the eye sticker. 6 With a black marker pen add a mouth, eyebrow and dots to the front of the whale. 7 Glue on the fins and tail and stick the straw…

STORE CUPBOARD Autumn fallen sticks or twigs Pipe cleaners, ribbons, yarns, rubber bands, string Beads, gems, crystals or any other sparkly decorations Scissors Glue & biodegradable glitter (for magic dust!) - optional HINTS & TIPS Try giving your wand a name - like “The Twinkling Leaf Wand” or “The Golden Autumn Stick” You can use natural items like small leaves, acorns, feathers or pinecones for an eco-friendly touch. Make a matching crown or bracelet to go with your wand for extra magical fun! 1 Pick your favourite stick or twig during your autumn walk – it could be straight, twisty, or even one with a forked end! 2 Wrap pipe cleaners, ribbons, or string around one end of the stick to make a comfy handle. 3 Use beads, buttons, feathers,…

KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK Banana, Banana, Banana! Sarah Finan £7.99 (BB) www.postwavepublishing.com There’s only one thing this little baby wants to eat – bananas, bananas, bananas! Mashed in a bowl, mixed with porridge, smothered in honey – always yummy. Age 0 years + We say… A fun sturdy book with rhyming text and clever cut-outs that little ones will love exploring Pencil’s Best Story Ever Carly Gledhill £12.99 (HB) www.postwavepublishing.com Pencil has written THE BEST STORY EVER and he can't wait to share it. But when Pencil's characters refuse to stick to the story, chaos unfolds. Can Pencil pull his story back on track so that EVERYONE can play a part and EVERYONE can enjoy it? Age 3 years + We say… A zany…

STORE CUPBOARD A5 white card Pencil Coloured pens, pencils or paint Scissors Glue Lolly sticks or stirring sticks Thin ribbon Tape 1 Draw a striped pattern on 2 pieces of A5 card with coloured pens or pencils, or use paint. Colour one sheet with red stripes and the other with green, or use different colours if you prefer. 2 Cut out an 8cm long body shape from the striped paper then glue it onto a lolly stick, leaving a short section at the top to attach the head. 3 Colour another small piece of card for the face. Trim off 3cm from the ends of 2 lolly sticks for arms, colour the curved ends for hands. Cut two 1cm x 8cm striped paper strips for the arms then glue onto…

STORE CUPBOARD Red & white felt Polystyrene ball Small white pompom Pipe cleaners/chenille stems Buttons Soft toy stuffing Small stones & cling film Scissors & pencil Strong glue Paints & paintbrush 1 Using the templates provided, cut two legs, two arms, two body pieces and one hat from red felt. 2 Sew or glue down one long side of an arm piece and fold it over to make a tube. Repeat this with the other arm and the two leg pieces. 3 Carefully push a pipe cleaner or chenille stem inside each of the arms and legs. 4 Glue or sew the two body pieces together with the arms and legs tucked into the sides. Leave the neck edge open. 5 Put some small stones wrapped in cling film inside…

STORE CUPBOARD Milk poly carton White fabric Orange, black, green paint Medium paintbrush White pom pom Black fine liner pen 2 screws Eye stickers Black foam Strong glue Scissors Pencil Large dinner plate LED candles Ghost Lantern 1 Wash and dry a milk poly carton. Remove any labels. 2 Ask an adult to cut a square hole in the back of the milk carton, just large enough to insert an LED candle. 3 Lay a large dinner plate onto white fabric (you could use an old white t-shirt). Draw around the plate with a pencil. 4 Cut around the pencil line to make a large fabric circle. 5 Lay the circle over the milk carton and screw down the cap. 6 Cut out a wiggly mouth from black foam. 7…

STORE CUPBOARD Black scrunchie Lilac sequins Lilac and green foam 2 wiggly eyes White paint Fine paintbrush Black marker pen Strong glue Lilac Bat Scrunchie 1 Cut a bat out of lilac foam and colour the body with a black marker pen. 2 Draw details with a black marker pen onto the wings. 3 Glue on 2 wiggly eyes. 4 With white paint draw on fangs, nostrils and highlights to the wings. Leave to dry. 5 Stick the bat to the scrunchie. 6 Glue on lilac sequins. Green Bat Scrunchie Make a scrunchie bat in the same way. This time use green foam and silver sequins.…

STORE CUPBOARD Pistachio nut shells Chocolate/cardboard box Brown, yellow, red & green paints Medium and fine paint brushes Brown foam Black marker pen Strong glue Scissors Pencil Tree 1 Cut out the bottom of the chocolate box, so that you have a base for your picture. Paint the box a colour of your choosing and let it dry. 2 Paint pistachio shells yellow, red and green. Leave to dry. 3 Draw a tree on the chocolate box and paint it brown. Leave to dry. 4 Glue on the painted pistachio shells. 5 With a black marker pen, draw on veins onto the shells. Cat Watching Leaves Fall 1 Cut out a cat from brown foam. 2 Glue on the cat to the card base and glue on pistachio shells. 3…

KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK Words Can Fly Donna Ashworth & Eirinn McGuinness £16.99 (HB) www.bonnierbooks.com Each poem explores what's most important in young lives - family, friendships, school and the world around us - encouraging a growth mindset that fosters empathy and builds resilience. Through its heartfelt verses, children are inspired to celebrate their unique identities, embrace curiosity, and discover the transformative power of kindness and compassion. Age 7 years + We say… A beautiful book, perfect as a gift and a keepsake, with uplifting and empowering poems to be cherished and revisited The Greatest Stuff on Earth Steve Tomecek & John Devolle £14.99 (HB) Have you ever stopped to think about all the stuff you encounter every day? There’s the stuff you breathe,…

Lights! Camera! ACTION! HUE Animation Toolbox is the ultimate movie-making kit for young creators! Presented in a beautiful gift box featuring hand-sculpted clay dinosaurs and paper craft characters, the toolbox has a hilarious, eye-catching design which, when opened, transforms into a multi-sided animation stage featuring ready-to-film claymation space scenes. Created by professional animators, this unique kit is a celebration of stop motion. “I wish there was something like this when I first started,” says Ruth Barrett, Head of Animation at HUE. “It includes everything young storytellers need to spark imagination and start animating right away.” Ready to get started? Keep looking because there’s a treasure trove of animation goodies inside! • A flexible, Plug & Play HUE HD camera in a shockproof case. • Fully-featured desktop animation software for Windows/macOS +…

STORE CUPBOARD Pine cones Acorn caps Wiggly eyes Scissors Glue 1 Take an acorn cap (the little cup that holds the acorn) and trim off the stalk. 2 Using glue stick the acorn cup over the stalk of the pine cone. 3 Fix wiggly eyes to either the acorn cups or the pine cone. 4 If your hedgehog does not stand correctly, add a small piece of blutak to the underneath of the cone. HINTS & TIPS ■ There are many colourful plants and fungi to be found on the forest floor but many can be very poisonous. So foraging is best done under adult supervision. If you are not sure - Don’t touch! OTHER IDEAS ■ Try different combinations of your foraged finds to create different creatures. Leaves make…

STORE CUPBOARD Pipe cleaners – approx. 10 green, 1 white, few multi colour to assemble the decorations Scissors Decorative elements like buttons or beads Ribbon for bow 1 Connect 10 green pipe cleaners by twisting their ends together to make one long green pipe cleaner and coil it like layered circles of a wreath and tuck the end to secure all layers in place. 2 Cut various colour pipe cleaners into 4 pieces each and fasten them to buttons and wrap around the green pipe cleaner wreath. 3 Make a ribbon bow and connect it to the wreath top with a white pipe cleaner as shown in the image. 4 Decorate your door with the wreath to make an inviting warm Christmas vibe to your home of display in the…

STORE CUPBOARD 110grams softened butter 110grams caster sugar 2 large eggs 110grams self-raising flour 1-2 splashes of milk Vanilla essence Spooky cupcake cases Wooden spoon Bun tray To make the cup cakes 1 Wipe down surfaces and wash hands and pre-heat oven to 180°/ 160° C fan. 2 Place cupcake cases in an individual bun tray. 3 In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with a wooden spoon. 4 Crack the eggs into a cup and lightly whisk with a fork. 5 Slowly add the egg to your buttery sugar mix in the bowl, beating well as you do so. Should the mixture start to separate add a spoon of your flour. 6 Once all the egg is combined, add the flour to…

STORE CUPBOARD Cardboard tubes Scissors Brown paper bag Black acrylic paint & brush Black marker pen Googly eyes (Optional) Craft glue Sticky tape Black pipe cleaners for legs Single hole paper punch (or toothpick) 1 Close one end of the cardboard tube by pressing both sides with your thumbs to create a pointy ear-shaped closure, as shown in the image. 2 Punch or pierce two holes at the other end of the tube to insert pipe cleaner legs and seal the open end by pressing it together and sealing with sticky tape. 3 Using the template, draw two identical wings on the brown paper bag and cut out. 4 Glue the wings on the back of your tissue roll bat body. You could paint your bat body and wings black,…

KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK Nature’s Journeys: By Sea and Sky Lela Nargi & Xuan Le £12.99 (HB) www.bonnierbooks.co.uk See how spiderlings balloon on the breeze, albatrosses glide over vast oceans and jellyfish drift with the rhythm of the tides. As you traverse the world with these intrepid voyagers, you’ll encounter a dazzling array of habitats - along with their more grounded inhabitants. Age 5 years+ We say… Fascinating facts and beautiful illustrations sure to satiate young curious minds. Blue Suzanne Kaufman £14.99 (HB) www.lbyr.com One summer morning, Boy wakes up to discover Blue. Curious, he follows this mysterious bird on a day’s worth of adventure, play, and exploring the nooks and crannies of their coastal home. And at night, they soar, with hands and…

STORE CUPBOARD Paper cups White paper Googly eyes Purple and white paints Medium paintbrush Orange card Lilac foam Black felt tip pen Medium pom pom (4cm) Strong glue Scissors PURPLE OWL 1 Cut a 4cm high section from the bottom of a paper cup. 2 Mix purple and white paint together and paint the small cup and the large cup. Leave to dry. 3 Cut 2 circles from white paper for the outside of the eyes. 4 Cut out a beak and feet from orange card. Fold the beak in half. 5 Cut 2 pointy ears from foam. 6 Paint the wings, face and ears with purple paint and leave to dry. 7 With a black marker pen, draw zig zag lines inbetween the wings. 8 Draw on lines in…

The Creation Station help unleash the wonder within, through fun and educational arts and crafts, classes, parties, events and products. As a multi-award-winning, five-star rated company, they inspire over 14,500 children and families every week with creative arts and crafts experiences across the UK. Creating journeys of discovery, exploration and development to unlock ideas through fun, hands-on activities, here are a few creative ideas, taken from the www.thecreationstation.co.uk website. Coffee Filter Jellyfish STORE CUPBOARD 2 coffee filters Markers or paint 1 pipe cleaner Small piece of cardboard Pieces of crepe paper and fabric (Optional) Extra pipe cleaners with beads String 1 Colour both coffee filters with markers or paint and allow them to dry. 2 Poke a pipe cleaner through the centre of both filters. 3 Thread the pipe cleaner…

OTHER IDEAS Tape a piece of elastic or string on the back of the body to make a dangling spider. STORE CUPBOARD Jar lids or bottle caps - any size Brushes or sponge pieces Pipe cleaners Scissors Sticky tape Ruler Glue Glue brush Paints Paint mixing tray 1 Make the spider’s body from a jar lid or bottle cap. Paint the lid with a piece of sponge or a brush then leave to dry. Paint a pattern on the body with fingerprints, a brush or use a sponge to make a texture. Leave to dry. 2 Make the legs by holding 4 pipe cleaners together then twisting in the middle. Tape the legs to the back of the lid. Press the pipe cleaners in the middle so they stay in…

STORE CUPBOARD Cardboard tube Chunky wool Green/ brown felt or card Scissors 1 Cut a section of cardboard tube, 2 to 3 cm long. 2 Cut a length of wool – keep it a manageable length for the child to work with. 3 Use a small piece of tape to fix one end of the wool on the inside of the cardboard tube. 4 Wind the wool through and around the tube until the shape of the pumpkin is formed. You may need several lengths of wool before it is the right shape, always start the new piece on the inside of the tube. Continue until the centre of the tube is filled. 5 To make the stalk, cut a 1cm piece of your cardboard tube and roll it tight,…

STORE CUPBOARD Card Pencil Ruler Scissors Single hole punch Ribbon or string Paints, pencils, stickers etc for decoration 1 Take your card (we've used 210mm x 105mm) and fold in half. Unfold again. 2 Measure along the short edges and mark the centre points. 3 From your centre point marks draw straight lines to the edges of your fold line. You should have drawn a diamond shape. 4 Fold along these lines inwards. (You may need to score the line first with the back of your scissors) 5 Fold the box along the centre line so that the two long edge folds meet. Overlap them and make a hole through both sheets of card. Repeat on the other side. 6 Decorate the outside of your box. Use paints, stickers, gems etc…

STORE CUPBOARD Origami papers (Printed or plain) Scissors Cutting mat Cutter Sticky tape Craft glue Strings for hanging the stars 1 Cut origami paper into equal-sized squares – use a mix of big and small for variety. 2 Fold each square in half horizontally and again into quarters. Open it out and now fold in half diagonally, and then in half again to create 8 triangles. 3 From the centre point, measure and mark an equal distance halfway along each of your four vertical folds. Carefully cut down to this point. 4 Fold each corner into the diagonal folds as shown to create four points. Fold along the lines, crease the star points, and secure each point with glue or tape. 5 Repeat to make two identical halves. 6 Thread…

STORE CUPBOARD A4 card Card for backgrounds, A4 or use a bigger size Scissors Pieces of sponge Paints Paint mixing tray or plate Paintbrushes, cotton buds 1 Fold a piece of A4 card in half, draw half a snowman then cut it out. Open out the snowman and the surrounding card. Both card pieces can be used for making pictures. 2 Pour some blue paint into a mixing tray. Place the card snowman in the middle on white card then sponge paint around the outside. Leave a white area at the bottom for the snowy ground. Carefully lift up the card snowman and leave to dry. 3 Pour some white paint into a mixing tray. Place the surrounding card (with the snowman-shaped window) in the middle of some blue card…

STORE CUPBOARD Thick card Pencil Ruler Tissue paper - mixed colours Scissors Glue Glue brush Wool 1 Draw a long oval shape (20cm x 7cm) on thick card then cut it out. Tear or cut pieces of tissue paper (approx. 10cm x 10cm) in different colours. Scrunch the tissue into tight balls. 2 Start brushing glue over the card then stick down the tissue balls so they’re tightly packed together. Work on one section at a time, so the glue doesn’t dry out. Keep adding more tissue balls until the card is covered. 3 Cut 4 or 5 long thin leaves (20-25cm in length) from green tissue paper. Glue the ends of the leaves at the bottom of the cob then twist or fold the leaves over the sides. Add…

STORE CUPBOARD Paper plates Mixture of paints Small pom poms Medium & fine paintbrushes Strong glue Pencil DAY OF THE DEAD 1 Draw a skull and flowers with a pencil, in the centre of the plate. 2 Paint around the skull and the centre of the plate with black paint. 3 Colour in the skull and flowers. 4 Add green lines around the edge of the plate. 5 Dot red paint in between the green lines. 6 Paint a red line around the curve of the plate. 7 When dry, glue 5 pom poms to the flowers. FRIDA KAHLO PLATE 1 Paint the centre of the plate with blue paint. 2 Draw Frida and flowers in the centre of the plate with a pencil. 3 Paint the face and flowers.…

STORE CUPBOARD Flower heads /flower petals /leaves / stems /stalks Scissors Plate (optional) Tea lights or LED tea lights 1 Sort flower bouquet flowers by segregating the fresh flowers to one side and put flower petals, leaves and stalks to one side. 2 Arrange flowers in a circular pattern as you wish either on a plate or on the floor. Add in leaves, petals, stems, etc to create your pattern 3 You may place tea lights alternatively next to the flowers as a pattern too. HINTS & TIPS ■ Try to spray a little water to retain freshness for longer duration. ■ Trim the base of flowers with scissors to make them flat and sit easily on the flat surface. NOTE ■ Adult supervision is required if using wax tealights…

STORE CUPBOARD Cardboard plate Pencil Ruler Scissors Masking tape Lolly sticks Newspaper Glue Thick card Paints Paint mixing tray Tissue paper Drinking straw 1 To make a cart from a paper plate, draw 2 parallel lines, each one 6cm in from the edge of the plate. Draw 2 more parallel lines across the top and bottom, 6cm in from the edge, to make a square in the middle of the plate. 2 Cut into the plate along the 2 lines at the top and 2 lines at the bottom, cutting up to the corners of the square. Fold up the 4 sides on the plate then fold in the corner sections. Tape the corners to make the cart shape with sloping sides, adding a couple of extra pieces of tape…

STORE CUPBOARD Macrame wool Pipe cleaners Scissors Fine brush 1 Create your base shape using a pipe cleaner – bent into a circle or heart shape, for example. This can be as large or small as you want. 2 Cut equal lengths of macrame wool – ours were 14 cm long, but this depends on your design. 3 To attach to your base ring, fold each length of wool in half and pass the loose ends through the looped end, securing around the base shape. 4 Continue adding more lengths until you completely fill the shape as shown. Try to ensure the knots are all on the same side for a neat finish. 5 When finished, use a fine brush to comb out the strands of macrame wool to create…

BEADED SPIDER’S WEB STORE CUPBOARD Wooden kebab sticks Jewellery wire Beads Scissors 1 Place three pieces of kebab stick in a star shape, and lash them together in the middle with a piece of jewellery wire. 2 Cut a piece of wire and starting with the centre of the web, wrap one end around one of the sticks. Thread a few beads onto it, and then wrap it around the next stick. Continue until you have completed the circle. Repeat this step three more times to complete the cobweb. 3 Wrap another piece of wire around one of the sticks so that it can be hung up. HINTS & TIPS ■ Cut the sharp points from the kebab sticks before you begin. ■ Add a dot of glue to each…

STORE CUPBOARD Round cartons/pots FIMO Soft modelling clay in Cherry Red & white White & brown paint Green pipe cleaners Strong glue Circular object to draw around Knife & rolling pin 1 Start by taking a round carton, soak it in water to remove any labels. Clean it inside and dry. 2 Mix white paint with a small amount of brown paint to make a cream colour. Paint the carton or pot and leave to dry. 3 For the top, take half a block of Cherry Red FIMO Soft modelling clay and roll it in your hands to soften. Roll it into a ball and then place on a table and flatten with the palm of your hand. Then roll with a rolling pin until flat. 4 Find a round…