Tabla de contenidos para Summer 2022 en Creative Steps

Much happens in a quarter of a year…when I last wrote, Europe was at peace (just) and we were optimistically looking forward to a post-Covid recovery. Fast-forward three months and events in Ukraine have had a wide-reaching impact on all areas of our lives and the “cost of everything” crisis is starting to bite. The government is apparently looking at how to reduce the cost of childcare to ease the burden on families, but once again appears to be looking at a ‘quick fix’. The proposal to relax staff-child ratios in the early years must continue to be opposed, as it would surely lead to a reduction in the quality of care and child safety, let alone increasing the pressures on an already stretched workforce. Government funded childcare places are…

Shape Aliens RRP £11.75 Have a blast with this fun, cosmic matching game where players match their shape cards to the aliens, then launch them onboard the 3D spaceship. Not only is this game lots of fun but it helps to develop colour and shape recognition skills. Farmyard Sticker Colouring Book RRP £3.00 A fun filled 24 page farmyard themed sticker and colouring book featuring drawings of familiar animals such as cows, pigs and sheep, along with 35 stickers! This colouring book is a great way to help children improve their hand eye coordination and develop pencil skills. Little Bug Bingo RRP £5.50 A colourful travel bingo game featuring a variety of bugs and mini beasts! Small, compact and portable, this mini-matching game features a variety of familiar and unfamiliar…

Sandcastle Bucket Name STORE CUPBOARD ■ Coloured card – in green, yellow and orange ■ Fun foam letters – to spell out the child’s name ■ Fun foam shapes ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Take the sheet of green card. Cut out a sandcastle bucket shape. 2 Next take the sheet of yellow card and cut out a brim for your sandcastle bucket. Glue it in place. 3 Take the sheet of orange card and cut out a handle for your bucket. Glue in position. 4 The child can now have fun decorating the bucket with the fun foam shapes. They can use the foam letters to spell out their name. Display the completed artwork on the wall! Colour Sorting Fishes STORE CUPBOARD ■ A3 sheet of black card ■…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Crepe papers – yellow (different shades), green, red, and brown ■ Scissors ■ Craft glue ■ Floral wire 16-gauge green ■ Paper tape (2cm width) 1 To create the stamen spirals of the sunflower, use a piece of floral wire 16-guage green about 23 cm long, and a strip of brown crepe paper 100 cm long and 10 cm high. 2 Take the strip of brown crepe paper and make cuts of about 3 cm to create a kind of fringe. 3 Take the floral wire and fold the top end of the wire down and unbend it. 4 Take the strip of brown crepe paper and wrap it around the wire, which will act as the stem of the flower. Keep the fringed part of the…

Great books for growing minds KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK The Littlest Elephant Kate Read RRP £12.99 (HB) www.twohootsbooks.com Ellie, the littlest elephant has just learnt to swim and she is in such a hurry to go swimming, that she doesn’t notice the chaos that she is causing as she rushes through! Find out which animal teaches her to slow down. Age 3 years + We say… With its rich illustrations, this funny and bright book, helps to teach empathy for others, and helping those who may need it, in a fun and engaging way! Zoom - Farm Adventure Susan Hayes and Aviel Basil RRP £10.99 (BB) www.whatonearthbooks.com Join Bo and his duck for a farm adventure. Peek through the holes in the pages as…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Paper plate ■ Paints and paintbrush ■ Coloured card ■ Googly eyes ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Cut zigzags into a paper plate and paint it a bright colour. Leave it to dry. 2 Cut out the body shape from card and glue it to the back of the plate. Cut out the snout and glue this onto the body. 3 Cut the tail shape and the claw shapes from card and glue these into place too. Cut spines from a different coloured card, and glue to the back of the tail. 4 Cut teeth from white card and glue these on, and finish with some googly eyes. HINTS & TIPS ■ Draw around a 10p coin onto card and cut out the circles to make your…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Coloured card ■ Scissors ■ Pencil ■ Wool ■ Glue ■ Pipe cleaners ■ Googly eyes ■ White and black paint 1 Cut out a flamingo body (14cm x 14cm) from a piece of A5 pink card, or use another colour if you prefer. Paint the beak white, leave to dry then colour the end with black paint or a black pen. 2 To make a pompom, wrap coloured wool about 30 times around an 8cm x 8cm card square. Carefully slide the wool off the card then tie a piece of wool around the middle. Cut the loops at both sides to make the pom-pom shape. Trim the pom-pom. 3 Fold a pipe cleaner in half then glue it on the back of the body. Leave…

To help you select activities to suit your learning environment, each project in Creative Steps includes guidelines to the skills and subjects which will be enhanced by doing that activity. To assist with the aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), projects and activities in the first section of the magazine for 0-5 year-olds will support the Early Learning Goals (ELGs): ★ Communication and Language Development ★ Physical Development ★ Personal, Social and Emotional Development ★ Literacy Development ★ Mathematics ★ Understanding the World ★ Expressive Arts and Design In the following sections for 5-7 and 7-11 year-olds, projects and activities will be linked to the following KS1 and KS2 National Curriculum subjects: ★ Art & Design ★ Design Technology ★ Drama ★ Geography ★ History ★ Home Economics…

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. Recycled Egg Box Dolls Here's a fun way to make dolls from your recycled egg boxes. (We recommend that you microwave your empty egg boxes to sterilize them before playing with them). STORE CUPBOARD ■ Egg cartons ■ Paintbrushes ■ Paints – assorted colours ■ Scissors ■ Ribbon ■ Marker pen 1 For each doll you will need five egg 'cones'…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Card ■ Scissors ■ Pencil ■ Nuts, bolts, washers, toy vehicles for printing ■ Paints ■ Paint mixing tray or plate ■ Sponge pieces ■ Ruler ■ Glue 1 Use a piece of sponge to dab paint onto the flat surface on a metal fastening like a nut, bolt, washer, or screw then make a print onto card. Make 1 or 2 prints at a time then add more paint to make more prints. Keep printing using different shapes and colours to make a variety of patterns. Use a new piece of sponge for each colour. To make a tyre track print, sponge paint onto a toy truck or tractor tyre then roll the wheels across the card. Leave the prints to dry. 2 Draw outlines for…

Tissue Paper Football STORE CUPBOARD ■ White card ■ A4 green card ■ Black tissue paper ■ Black pen ■ Pencil ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Use a pencil to sketch the outline of a football on the sheet of white card. Go over the pencil lines with a black pen. Cut out the football shape. 2 Glue the football onto an A4 sheet of green card. 3 Prepare the black tissue paper by tearing off small pieces and scrunching them up into balls. 4 The child can now have fun gluing the scrunched-up tissue paper onto the ball to recreate the black and white football design. Laced Rugby Ball STORE CUPBOARD ■ Brown card ■ Gold elastic cord ■ Pencil ■ Black pen ■ Hole punch ■ Scissors ■…

Whether you have a garden or simply a window box, there are lots of things you can do to help. HOW TO HELP BUTTERFLIES 1 Plant flowers that they love, especially nasturtiums, bluebells, lavender, cornflower, primroses and buddleia. 2 Leave out fruit for them to eat, such as overripe pears, plums or apples. You can use fruit from your fruit bowl or simply leave fruit where it is when it’s fallen from a tree. 3 Don’t use chemical sprays on plants that are flowering. 4 You could leave a little area of your garden purposefully wild with long grass and wildflowers. 5 Make the butterflies their own little paddling pool and feeder. Follow the instructions here to make your own butterfly feeder. MAKE A BUTTERFLY POOL Butterflies love to land…

Bee Badge STORE CUPBOARD ■ Yellow foam ■ Black &white pipe cleaners ■ Black paint ■ Thin paintbrush ■ Black felt tip pen ■ Pink felt tip pen ■ Small googly eyes ■ Round badge ■ Strong glue ■ Scissors 1 Draw around a 2p coin onto yellow foam and cut out to create the bee's head. 2 Using the template provided, cut out a body from yellow foam and paint on black stripes. 3 Make 2 wings from a white pipe cleaner. Bend it till you get 2 heart shapes. 4 Make 2 antennae from a black pipe cleaner. Bend over the ends. 5 Glue the parts together to create your bee. 6 Stick on googly eyes. 7 Draw on a mouth and 2 pink cheeks. 8 Stick your…

Great books for growing minds KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK When Creature Met Creature John Agard & Satoshi Kitamura RRP £12.99 (HB) www.scallywagpress.com Creature-of-No-Words lives a happy life on his own, until one day, he feels a deep sadness and he can’t do anything to lift his spirits. At that moment, along comes Creature-of-Words and quickly senses his deep despair. With her empathy and kindness, can she help him communicate and become happy again? Age 4 years + We say… This is a warm and powerful picture book, about communication, empathy and friendship, from an award-winning duo. Ella in the Garden of Giverny Daniel Fehr RRP £11.99 (HB) www.prestel.com This intriguing child's-eye view tells the story of Ella, an artist’s daughter, who sneaks into Claude…

PLANTER STORE CUPBOARD ■ Tin can (empty and clean) ■ Yellow patterned card ■ Glittery fun foam stars ■ Potting soil ■ Small plant ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Cover the empty tin can with a sheet of yellow patterned card. 2 Decorate the can by sticking on glittery fun foam star stickers. 3 Fill the can with a little potting soil. Take care when doing this as the can edges could still be sharp. Add a small plant. Good choices would be windowsill herbs such as basil, chives or parsley. Top up the can with a little more soil. Press the soil down around the plant. Place the can on a sunny windowsill. Water as required and watch it grow! TIN CAN GOLF STORE CUPBOARD ■ Tin cans (empty…

Great books for growing minds KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK Me, My Dad and the End of The Rainbow Benjamin Dean RRP £7.99 (PB) www.simonandschuster.co.uk Things aren't going great for Archie Albright. His dad's acting weird, his mum too, and all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together. When Archie sees a colourful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad's pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer. Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away. Age 9 years + We say… A joyful celebration of family and discovering an identity. Funny Bums, Freaky Beaks Alex Morss and Sean Taylor RRP…

TOTAL WINNER! To mark the 10th anniversary, Barry Loser: Total Winner, the first title in a hilarious new series of graphic novel adventures, will be published for the first time in full-colour! Featuring brand-new tales, the series written and illustrated by Jim Smith, introduces a whole new generation of readers to Barry, Bunky, Nancy and the gang – and Barry’s new cat French Fries. In Barry Loser: Total Winner, Barry has had enough of being a loser and wants to prove he’s a Total Winner, but when his parents ban him from gaming, he has to think outside of the box... The series ticks all the boxes for graphic novel fans, including ‘how to draw’ sections to help children make their very own comic books! For your chance to win…

professional for childcare and early years What is creativity and why is it important? What does being creative actually mean? As adults how we feel about creativity may be influenced by our own experiences and views of those around us, we may not think we are very good at drawing but that doesn’t mean we are not creative! If it involves expressing passion, resourcefulness, joyfulness, playfulness, spontaneity or new ideas, then everyone can express their creativity in many different ways; such as cooking, gardening or choosing certain clothes. Creativity involves adaptability, flexibility and the freedom of self-expression, Creativity is about processes which stimulate the imagination and is not necessarily about the end product. Providing a highly creative environment is essential in allowing children’s interests to flourish. Why are creative and…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ 2 medium paper plates ■ Thick paintbrush ■ White fabric paint (tube) ■ Red pipe cleaners ■ Eye stickers ■ Black felt tip pen ■ Strong glue ■ Scissors ■ Craft knife ■ Split pins 1 Fold a paper plate in half and cut away each corner to make more of a crab shape. 2 Cut out 2 claw shapes from the edge of a paper plate. 3 Cut out 2 eye stalks from the remaining paper plate. 4 Paint all the parts red and leave to dry. 5 Ask an adult to make holes in the sides of the crab and make holes in the bottom of the claws. Slot the split pins through either side and open out on the back. 6 Stick eyes onto…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ A4 coloured card ■ Coloured paper or wrapping paper ■ Scissors ■ Pencil ■ Ruler ■ Glue ■ Glue brush ■ Drinking straw ■ Sticky tape 1 Draw a butterfly outline onto a piece of folded A4 card. Cut out the butterfly and open out the wings. 2 Draw 2 parallel lines, 1cm from the middle fold. Fold along the lines to make a ‘V’- shaped fold in the middle of the butterfly. 3 Glue the end of drinking straw inside the fold, leave it to dry then stick a piece of tape over the top to hold the ‘V’ shape along the middle. 4 Turn the butterfly over. Cut out coloured paper dots or patterns then glue them onto the wings. 5 Glue along the middle…

Fresh Fruit Lollies STORE CUPBOARD ■ Pure apple juice (not from concentrate) ■ Fresh fruit – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries ■ Lollipop moulds ■ Wooden lolly sticks 1 Wash the fruit thoroughly. Cut off the strawberry stalks then halve. 2 Press the fruit into the lollipop moulds. 3 Pour apple juice into the moulds, leaving an inch gap at the top when filling. This will allow room for the juice to expand during the freezing process. 4 Place a wooden lolly stick in the middle of each mould. 5 Freeze the lollies for at least 6 hours, until set. 6 When you are ready to eat the lollies, run the moulds under warm water to help release them more easily. Enjoy! 3D Paper Fruits STORE CUPBOARD ■ A selection of coloured…

Paper Plate Rosettes STORE CUPBOARD ■ Small coloured paper plates ■ Coloured card ■ Stick-on letters/numbers ■ Decorations – colourful plastic jewels and glittery fun foam stars ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Choose one of the coloured paper plates to be the base for your rosette. Select a sheet of colour card and cut out two “ribbons” for your rosette. Glue them in position on the back of the paper plate. 2 Take the gold stick-on letters/numbers and spell out a Father’s Day message on the centre of the rosette. 3 Complete your Father’s Day rosette by sticking on glittery fun foam stars and coloured plastic jewels as decoration. Allow the glue to dry completely. Best Dad in the GALAXY STORE CUPBOARD ■ A4 sheet of black card ■ Gold…

HINTS & TIPS ■ It is a good idea to discuss beach etiquette before your trip. Make sure children are careful and do not touch anything sharp etc and do not disturb wildlife. Ensure they understand the dangers of tides and water. Adult supervision is recommended. ■ Check the tide times before your visit. A trip to the beach The beach is a fantastic environment to explore. It provides a great space for physical games, creative play and can supply a wealth of inspiration and materials for creativity back in the classroom. It is also a good place to start discussion about issues like pollution and conservation. STORE CUPBOARD ■ Gloves ■ Bucket ■ Wet wipes 1 Go to the beach! Beachcombing is an ideal way to start your seaside…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Coloured Card ■ Transparent circular lids (10-12cm diameter) ■ Small cardboard plates (15-16cm diameter) ■ Scissors ■ Paints ■ Brushes ■ Pencil ■ Felt pens ■ Ruler ■ Glue ■ Glue brush ■ Buttons or beads 1 Wash and dry a transparent circular lid. Place the lid in the middle of a cardboard plate, with the lid and plate both facing down. Draw a circle around the lid following around the shape where it touches the card, this should give you a circle guideline slightly smaller than the full size of the lid. Cut out the circle to make card window frame. Paint the frame and leave it to dry. 2 Check the lid slots inside the window hole with the outer edge holding it in place.…

TREASURE BOX 1 Take a four-hole plastic cake container and make sure it is clean and dry before you begin. Then choose some patterned paper. 2 Find a round object which fits neatly inside the holes in the tray and draw around it four times onto the patterned paper and cut out. With a tape measure, measure approximately the inside of the lid. Draw out the square twice on the patterned paper and cut out. Round off the edges a little at a time so the pieces of paper fit neatly inside the lid. 3 Take the circles of patterned paper and put some double-sided tape on the non-patterned side and stick into the holes. Take the paper for the lid and put the two pieces together with the pattern…