Table of contents for Spring 2022 in Creative Steps

Spring – the season of hope, new growth and regeneration. Surely this year we can look forward with renewed optimism? During the past couple of years, millions of children lost access to early childhood care and education services and there are clear signs that this has had a detrimental effect on their development. Early studies have already identified that babies born during the pandemic are showing significantly lower scores on cognitive, gross motor and fine motor development. It is imperative, therefore, that there is significant investment into the provision of quality childcare and education to redress this situation. With the escalating cost of living, let us hope and campaign for the government to examine the way early years childcare provision is funded, to ensure access to quality childcare for all…

Orchard Toys are giving three Creative Steps readers the chance to win an exciting games bundle! Orchard Toys games, jigsaws and colouring books offer the perfect balance of learning and fun for children from the age of 18 months. Egg Surprise RRP £5.50 A seasonal Easter-themed counting game, which makes the perfect sugar free alternative to an Easter Egg, that can be enjoyed all year round! Collect spotty bunnies and discover the eggs in this fun counting game. Who’s in the Jungle? RRP £11.25 ‘Roar’ like a lion and ‘Hiss’ like a snake as you discover Who’s in the Jungle in this 25-piece jigsaw! This colourful jigsaw features a busy jungle scene with lots of wild animals to spot, including tigers, lions, elephants, monkeys and crocodiles! This puzzle is suitable…

GROW UP IN COLOUR GIOTTO Turbo Color Fibre pens. Long-lasting super-resistant nib Ø 2,8 mm. Ventilated cap, tightfitting nib, choke-free stopper, secure, water-based ink, use soap and water to remove from skin. Machine-wash at 40° C. on a standard programme. Extra long cap-off. GIOTTO Turbo Maxi Water-based colours, washes off skin with soap and warm water. Machine wash fabric with a normal washing program at 40° C on standard program: Ventilated choke proof cap, child proof stopper and extra strong, tight fitting nib (Ø 5 mm). Extra Long Cap Off. GIOTTO Colors 3.0 Bright colouring pencils made of FSC®-certified wood. Length 18cm Lead 3mm. Ideal for school. Name field on each pencil. GIOTTO Mega coloured pencil, hexagonal section 9 mm, painted in the same colour as the lead with golden…

Badgers Head STORE CUPBOARD: ▝ White card▝ Black and white crepe or tissue paper▝ Black card▝ Paper plate▝ PVA glue 1 Draw around the badger template onto white card and cut out. 2 Cut or tear black and white paper into small squares and crumple into small balls. 3 Glue the black paper balls tightly along the two black stripes. 4 Fill the remainder of the face with the small white paper balls and allow the glue to dry. 5 Cut out 2 eyes and a nose from black card and glue into place. 6 Glue your badgers head to the back of a paper plate and display. TEMPLATE ON PAGE 65 Black-Headed Gull STORE CUPBOARD: ▝ Feathers▝ Twigs (optional)▝ White card▝ Eye▝ PVA glue▝ Black pen 1 Go on…

STORE CUPBOARD Felt fabric Scissors Glue Ribbon TEMPLATE ON PAGE 63 1 Draw around the egg template twice onto felt fabric and cut it out. 2 Cut a piece of ribbon, fold it in half and glue it between the two egg shapes to form a loop. 3 Cut each of the flower shapes from a different colour of felt fabric and glue them into a stack, before gluing them onto the egg. OTHER IDEAS ■ Glue a strip of felt across the egg, and then add the bow shape cut from felt fabric. ■ Alternatively, cut lots of different sized circles and stick them over another egg to make it spotty! FUN FACTS! ■ Decorating eggshells is an ancient practice In Africa engraved ostrich eggs have been found which…

STORE CUPBOARD: ▝ Pencil▝ Pipe cleaners▝ A5 thin card▝ Masking tape or sticky tape▝ Cardboard bowl or plate▝ Coloured tissue paper▝ Scissors▝ Glue▝ Glue brush 1 To make a tree trunk, roll a piece of A5 card into a tube along the length then stick it with tape. Bend or twist the tube to make a more natural looking trunk shape. 2 Carefully cut a hole in the base of a cardboard bowl. Push the tree trunk through the hole. Check the end of the trunk rests on your work surface inside the bowl then stick it in place with tape. 3 To make a branch, twist 2 pipe clearers together. Repeat to make 3 or 4 more branches in the same way. Brush glue over a strip of brown…

TO MAKE THE FLOWERS STORE CUPBOARD: ▝ Yellow and white tissue paper▝ Pipe cleaners▝ Pencil▝ Scissors▝ Scrap of card TEMPLATE ON PAGE 64 BADGE Glue your flower onto the front of a button badge with strong glue. 1 Using the scrap of card, cut out a template of the petal shapes to start with. 2 Lay 12 pieces of tissue paper, one on top of another and lay the template on top. 3 Carefully draw around the template with a pencil. 4 Holding the layers of tissue together, cut around the petal shape. 5 Fold the flower layers in half and snip a small hole in the centre. 6 Poke a pipe cleaner through the hole and curl the end around to make a centre. 7 Curl the other end…

Squishy Colour Mix STORE CUPBOARD: ▝ Clear zip lock bags▝ Primary colour paints▝ Duct tape 1 Set up zip lock bags and paints on flat surface before starting activity. 2 Open zip lock bag, squeeze red paint in bottom corner of bag, squeeze yellow paint at the top of bag. 3 As you are adding the paints, name each colour. 4 Close the zip lock bag and secure with duct tape to ensure no paint comes out. 5 Experiment mixing the colours together with children. 6 As children are squishing the colours together, discuss with children what colour are they creating when red and yellow are mixed. 7 Repeat the process with Red + Blue and Yellow + Blue. Spaghetti Painting If children are not fond of messy play, spaghetti…

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 ICT Literacy Maths Music Physical Development PSHE Religious Education Science Projects suitable for…

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. LEARNING ZONES:Expressive Arts & Design ★ Understanding the World ★ Physical Development Spending time in the outdoors is a good way to encourage children to respect the natural world and develop their understanding of how other creatures live and survive in the wild. Speedy Seedy Bird Cake Spending time in the outdoors is a good way to encourage children to respect…

TEMPLATE ON PAGE 65 TO MAKE THE GREY RABBIT STORE CUPBOARD: ▝ Mousse or yog hurt pot▝ White card▝ Grey and white paints▝ Medium and thin paint brushes▝ Pink heart button▝ Googly eyes▝ Black fine liner pen▝ Pink pom-pom▝ Green shredded paper▝ Mini eggs or sweets▝ Strong glue▝ Scissors 1 Paint a piece of white card with grey paint and leave to dry. 2 When dry, cut out a rabbit shape and 2 feet. 4 Glue on a heart shaped button for the nose. 5 Draw on whiskers and a mouth with a black fine liner pen. 6 Glue on the googly eyes, feet and pom-pom. 7 Slot the rabbit in the back of the pot. 8 Stuff your pot with green shredded paper and fill with eggs or sweets.…

Dot Painted Star STORE CUPBOARD ▝ Black card▝ Gold cord▝ Cotton wool buds▝ Paints▝ Sequins and gold foil stars▝ Paper plate▝ Hole punch▝ Scissors▝ Glue 1 Neatly cut out a large star in black card. Use a hole punch to make a hole in the top point of the star. 2 Now, cut a length of gold cord. Thread it through the newly made hole on the top point of the star. Knot the cord ends together to make a hanging loop. 3 Take the paper plate and add blobs of coloured paint. Let the child have fun dot printing (with the cotton buds) onto the black star. When finished, let the paint dry. 4 Glue on the sequins and gold foil stars as further decoration. Leave the glue to…

Great books for growing minds KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK The Same but Different Molly Potter, illustrated by Sarah Jennings RRP £10.99 (HB) www.bloomsbury.com The Same but Different celebrates everything that makes us unique as well as the similarities we share. No two people on our planet are exactly the same – even identical twins! Isn’t that amazing? From what we look like, to how we live and the languages we speak, we are all different. Diversity makes the world a very exciting place to be! Age 3 years + We say… This brightly illustrated and fascinating book is perfect for sharing and encourages us all to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of being part of one big worldwide family! The Little Things Emma Dodd…

Pretty Sticky Notes Board STORE CUPBOARD ▝ Burgundy plain card▝ Patterned card – in pink and blue▝ Gold edging stickers, flower design▝ Gold letter stickers – to spell out MUM▝ Silver elastic cord▝ Sticky notes pad▝ Scissors▝ Glue 1 Cut out a rectangle of burgundy card to measure 17cm x 24cm. 2 Position the burgundy rectangle with one of the shortest sides at the top. Punch two holes along the top edge. Thread through a length of silver cord. Knot the cord ends together to make a hanging loop. 3 Cut out a rectangle measuring 15cm x 20cm from the sheet of blue patterned card and glue it onto the burgundy rectangle. 4 Cut out a band of pink patterned card to measure 4cm x 17cm. Glue it just below…

EASTER CROSS SQUARES COLLAGE STORE CUPBOARD: A4 white card Selection of coloured tissue paper Black pen Ruler Scissors Glue 1 Use a ruler and black pen to draw a large cross on the sheet of white card. 2 Cut the coloured tissue paper into small squares. Prepare enough to cover the cross shape and surrounding area. 3 Cover the entire cross shape with a thin layer of glue. Let the child have fun sticking on the tissue paper squares to decorate. 4 Now apply a thin layer of glue to the area of card which surrounds the cross. Use the remaining tissue paper squares to decorate the rest of the sheet. When your picture is complete and the glue is dry, hang up your artwork on display. Easter Bunny Hat…

TEMPLATE ON PAGE 67 STORE CUPBOARD ▝ Pink, white, green and yellow card▝ Scissors▝ Glue▝ Pencil 1 Draw around the lily pad template onto green card and cut it out. 2 Draw around the petal shape onto pink card 24 times and cut them out. Draw around the centre template onto pink card three times and cut these out too. 3 Glue ten petals onto one of the circles. Curl the petals by wrapping the ends around a pencil and then unwrapping them. 4 Glue eight petals onto the next circle, curl the petals and glue the circle in the middle of the first flower. 5 Glue six petals onto the last circle, curl and glue into the middle of the water lily. 6 Cut out the circle again from…

KEY: HB HARDBACK ★ PB PAPERBACK ★ BB BOARD BOOK Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest Ole Könnecke RRP £11.99 (HB) www.geckopress.com Dulcinea has known since she was small not to enter the dangerous magic forest where the witch lives in a castle. But her father hasn’t come home from collecting blueberries for her birthday pancakes, and she’s worried that the witch has cast an evil spell on him. She must brave the dark forest and sneak into the witch’s castle to steal the spell book and free him. Age 6 years + We say… A beautifully illustrated comic fairy tale, perfect to engage early independent readers Leonardo Da Vinci’s Life of Invention Jake Williams RRP £12.99 (HB) www.pavilionbooks.com Leonardo da Vinci was a master of art, architecture, engineering, mathematics and…

MEET THE 10 TICKERS Give your child a head start in early learning, with this brand new book series, which delivers key educational concepts for young children, by following the thoughts and adventures of the charming Ticker characters in their everyday lives. Suitable for ages 3-5, the eleven books can be used as story, reading and mathematical books. The content of each book contains learning experiences and activities which are broadly in line with the Early Years curriculum. Each book focuses on a specific Ticker and their number, from 0-10. The books aim to ignite individual children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. They can be used as standalone books or part of a blended learning experience which enhances curriculum links to the use of IT. QR codes are used in…

STORE CUPBOARD ▝ A4 sheet of black card▝ Selection of coloured card – including green, red, yellow, blue & orange▝ Gold glitter card▝ Pencil▝ Scissors▝ Glue 1 Begin by gathering together the selection of coloured card. Cut out: a rectangle for the rocket body (in green card), a triangle for the rocket nose (in red card), a circle for the porthole window (in yellow card), a square for the rocket door (in blue card), two triangles for the side fins (in red card), three diamonds for the rocket flames (2 in orange card and 1 in yellow card). 2 Now, cut out a circular moon in gold glitter card. 3 The child can now have fun gluing the shapes onto the sheet of black card to create the rocket picture.…

STORE CUPBOARD Pencil Coloured card Coloured paper Scissors Glue Glue brush Ribbon Sticky tape 1 Fold a piece of A5 (15cm x 21cm) coloured card in half, draw half an egg shape, cut it out then unfold the card. 2 Place the card shape onto a piece of coloured paper, draw around the edge then cut out the paper, so you have 2 matching egg shapes. 3 Fold the paper egg in half, in half again and then again then snip off small pieces along the edges. Carefully unfold the paper. Press the folds as flat as possible. 4 Lightly brush glue over the card egg then press the paper egg on top. Gently press over the folds and holes so the paper sticks flat. It’s easier to apply glue…

Hans Christian Andersen was born on 2nd April 1805 in Odense, Denmark. He was an only child and his family were very poor. His father was a shoemaker and his mother washed laundry to bring in money for the family. His father died when he was 11 years old. Hans was sent to a school for poor children where he had to support himself. He worked as a weaver’s apprentice and then a tailor’s assistant. At the age of 14, Hans moved to Copenhagen with the ambition of becoming a stage artist. He tried himself as a ballet dancer and a singer but did not have much success. He later went on to study at the University of Copenhagen. Hans started writing short stories, novels and plays. In 1835, he…

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's coronation on 20 June 1837. It was the first Diamond Jubilee celebration of any British monarch in history. Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating 70 years as reigning British Monarch on Thursday 2nd June 2022 - this will be a Platinum Jubilee and will be celebrated in Britain and throughout the World. QUEEN VICTORIA CROWN The small diamond crown of Queen Victoria is a miniature imperial and state crown made at the request of Queen Victoria in 1870 - it is only 9cm in diameter. TEMPLATE ON PAGE 64 STORE CUPBOARD ▝ A4 gold thin card▝ Sticky diamond gems▝ Glue▝ Scissors▝ Pencil▝ Stapler 1 Firstly cut a…

“All colours are the friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites”– Marc Chagall Just reading the quote above will give you an insight into the famous modern artist, Marc Chagall. Chagall was born on the 6th July 1887, the eldest of nine siblings in a Jewish family in early Russia. He then went on to spend several years in France and the United States, but his heart always belonged home, which is evident in the way elements of his culture find their way into his work. Chagall lived through many tumultuous times, like the Russian revolution, both World Wars, the German oppression of the Jews and more. Yet, he was an optimist and happy person, and it was easy to see this reflected in his work. Chagall’s…