Table of contents for Winter 2022 in Creative Steps

Reading books to and with young children is so important, giving them life skills and helping develop their imagination, learning and understanding of the world. I am amazed at the number of new children’s books we receive for reviewing in Creative Steps – each one with a new story or message – and I am pleased to see that these have become far more diverse and inclusive, both the characters in the stories and the authors themselves. This is highlighted in recent research by the BookTrust, which reveals 11.7% of children’s book creators in 2021 were people of colour, compared to just 4% in 2007. Children being able to see themselves in the books they read shapes how they view themselves and the world around them. Books can be an…

Large Letter Collage STORE CUPBOARD: ■ A4 white card ■ Corrugated card ■ Glittery fun foam sheets ■ Decorations – small sequins, buttons, stickers & coloured gems ■ Black pen ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Take a sheet of A4 white card and a black pen. Draw the outline of the initial letter of the child’s name on the sheet - it should be large scale. Write the name caption underneath (as pictured). An example would be ‘S …is for Sophie’. 2 Gather together the collage materials. Cut some scraps of corrugated card and glittery fun foam to use for your picture. 3 The child can now have fun gluing the scraps of card and glittery fun foam onto the large letter. They can then stick on the decorations (including…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Glass jar with straight sides ■ A4 thin white card ■ Scissors ■ Ruler ■ Felt pens ■ Pencil ■ Paints ■ Small brushes ■ Felt or ribbon ■ Sticky tape 1 Measure the height of a glass jar. Cut a white card strip to fit around the jar. Make the strip 30cm in length x the height of the jar plus 1cm extra. (For example, if the jar is 12cm tall, cut the card strip 30cm x 13cm). 2 Mark the position of the rabbit’s eyes and nose in the middle of the strip with pencil then fill in with paint or felt pens. 3 Paint or draw a simple pattern on the card strip below the face. 4 Use gold paint to make dots or…

I Really Want To Share Simon Philip and Lucia Gaggiotti RRP £7.99 (PB) www.bonnierbooks.co.uk One morning, as I lazed in bed, my parents, smiling came and said “Come snuggle up with us instead. We have some news we want to share!” That’s when a little girl learnt that their perfect little family of three was about to become four and she would have to learn to share. Age 3 years + We say… This hilarious book has an important message about acceptance at its heart. Full of humour and vivacity, this joyful story shares an important life lesson in an enduring way. Whisper on the Wind Claire Saxby RRP £11.99 (HB) www.allenandunwin.com With its lyrical, cumulative text and whimsical, richly imagined artwork, Whisper on the Wind is a celebration of…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Thick card cut from a box ■ White A5 card ■ Paint ■ Paint mixing tray or plate ■ Brushes ■ Sponges ■ Scissors ■ Ruler ■ Corrugated card, fabric, collage materials ■ Glue & glue brush 1 Paint 6 pieces of A5 card with different colours. For a textured effect use a dry brush or rub paint over the card with a piece of paper towel or a sponge. Leave to dry. Try printing patterns over the paint with corrugated card strips or construction bricks. Leave to dry. 2 To make a background, use a pencil to divide a piece of thick card 26cm x 26cm into 4 sections, or make it a different size if you prefer. 3 Cut out 4 squares of painted card…

25 January 1759 - 21 July 1796 Robert "Rabbie" Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and has become a cultural icon in Scotland. As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (New Year's Eve). Other poems and songs that remain well known across the world include "A Red,…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Paper cups ■ Pencil ■ Paint ■ Paintbrush ■ Black, orange & white card ■ Scissors ■ Sock ■ Elastic bands or wool ■ Sticky tack (Blu Tack) ■ Dice Each player needs 1 penguin with all their body parts. 1 To make a penguin’s body, turn a paper cup upside down then draw a curve in the middle. Paint the cup black, or use another colour, leaving the middle area white. 2 To make extra parts for a penguin, cut out a card beak, feet, wings and eyes, or use wiggly eyes. 3 To make a hat, cut off a piece from a sock then tie the end with an elastic band or wool. 4 Make more penguins in the same way. HOW TO PLAY ■…

Sustainable Crafting from Big Colour Big Colour Company has everything you need to get creative this Winter and beyond. Brand new for this year is the Bio-Glitter paint collection. The 330ml paints feature vibrant colour and uses the world’s leading eco-craft glitter. There are 8 gorgeous shades to choose from to add sparkle to your artwork. The Bio-Glitter Paint complements the biodegradable BioGlitter. The eco-friendly glitter comes in a wide range of colours and is made from plant-based cellulose material that offers four times more coverage than traditional plastic glitter. There are now refillable BioGlitter bags available too helping parents and carers take a more sustainable approach to arts and crafts. Available from www.Hobbycraft.co.uk We have 2 x sets of mixed Bio-Glitter Paints and Bio-Glitter for you to win! Just…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Brown parcel paper, large brown envelopes ■ Scissors ■ Pencil ■ Card ■ White paper ■ Paints ■ Brushes ■ Glue stick ■ Ribbon or string ■ Sticky Tape 1 Paste a piece of brown paper or an envelope onto thin card using a glue stick. Draw a gingerbread shape onto the card then cut it out. 2 Use the card shape as a guide to cut out white paper pieces with wavy edges for icing. Glue the icing pieces onto the card. 3 Decorate the icing with blobs of coloured paint with a brush or fingerprints. Leave to dry. 4 Tape a loop of ribbon or string on the back of the card. HINTS & TIPS ■ To decorate a gingerbread man, cut out thin wavy…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Chenille pipe cleaners ■ Pony beads ■ Sequin ■ Star sticker ■ Strong glue ■ Scissors ■ Ruler ■ Small bottle Present 1 Make an oblong from a gold pipe cleaner. 2 Cut red pipe cleaners into 3 pieces: 9 cm, 8 cm and 20 cm. 3 Bend the shortest pipe cleaners around the oblong to make a cross. 4 Make a bow from the remainder of the pipe cleaner. 5 Glue the bow into place with strong glue. 6 Add a sequin to the bow with strong glue. Christmas Tree 1 Bend a green pipe cleaner into a tree shape. 2 Thread on pony beads. 3 Wrap the ends of the tree together to secure the beads. 4 Cut a red pipe cleaner to 9 cm.…

BOOKS 6+ YRS BRITISH MUSEUM: THE CURSE OF THE TOMB ROBBERS This puzzle adventure story, written by award-winning author Andy Seed, in consultation with experts at the British Museum, is the perfect book for children who love history and hair-raising adventures. Children will love the fascinating facts, hieroglyphic messages, mazes, logic puzzles, and colour illustrations by James Weston Lewis. “A brilliant educational, fun, interactive book with clues, challenges and activities throughout. A great book with lots of information embedded within the story.” Nosy Crow £8.99 www.nosycrow.com A YEAR OF NATURE CRAFT & PLAY: 52 THINGS TO MAKE & DO Discover the treasures and pleasures of our natural world with 52 fun activities following the seasons. Filled with crafts, gardening, games, art and science activities for children aged 7 years and…

Paper Strips Christmas Tree STORE CUPBOARD ■ Red paper plate ■ Patterned and plain coloured paper ■ Large gold glittery fun foam star ■ Brown card ■ Gold elastic cord ■ Scissors ■ Glue ■ Craft knife and cutting mat ■ Sticky tape 1 An adult will need to carry out this step for safety. Place the paper on the cutting mat. Carefully cut out a triangle in the centre of the plate (for the Christmas tree design). Discard the triangle of card you have just cut out – it is not required for the project. 2 Gather together the plain and patterned paper. Cut it into thin strips. Glue the strips behind the triangular window on the paper plate. 3 Stick a large glittery fun foam star at the…

Epiphany Epiphany (or Three Kings Day) is a Christian celebration which falls on 6th January each year. It marks the day the three wise men were believed to first see baby Jesus after following the Star of Bethlehem. It is said that they brought Jesus gifts of gold (to symbolise his royalty), frankincense (to represent divine birth) and myrrh (to recognise his mortality). In Spain and some Latin American countries, this day is particularly important. Many children receive their Christmas presents on this day, believing that they were brought by the three wise men rather than Santa Claus. There are street parades, firework displays and many people have the day off work to celebrate. In France, people celebrate Le Jour des Rois (the Day of Kings). It is customary to…

Valentine's Card STORE CUPBOARD ■ Blank white greeting card ■ Card - in red, light pink & dark pink ■ Small heart stickers ■ Gold dot stickers ■ Scissors ■ Glue 1 Gather together a pair of scissors and the sheets of coloured card (in red, light pink & dark pink). Cut out heart shapes from the coloured card in varying sizes – big, medium and small. 2 Set one or two heart shapes aside which will remain unfolded. Fold the rest of the hearts neatly in half. Arrange all the hearts on the greeting card to create your design. When you are happy, glue everything in position. 3 Decorate the hearts by sticking on gold dot stickers and small heart stickers. 4 Write a special message inside the card…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Newspaper ■ Scissors ■ Masking tape ■ Tissue paper ■ PVA glue ■ Glue brush ■ Ribbon 1 Tightly roll or fold a sheet of newspaper into a long piece then loosely twist it along the length. Wrap masking tape around the newspaper. Make another twisted newspaper strip in the same way. 2 To make the curves at the top of the heart, place the 2 strips next to each other, join the pieces together by wrapping a piece of masking tape around the ends. Bend both strips around into a heart shape then tape the ends together at the bottom. If the heart looks too big, cut off the ends from both strips. Squeeze and press the newspaper to shape the heart. 3 Tear or cut…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ White paper plate ■ Orange, black and blue card ■ Large wiggly eyes ■ Black paint ■ Medium paint brush ■ Fine liner pen ■ Scissors ■ Strong glue Penguin and Egg 1 Fold the paper plate over to make the head. 2 Fold both sides inwards to make the wings. 3 Cut a spikey hairdo from the black card. 4 Paint the folded parts with black paint and leave to dry. 5 Cut a beak and feet from orange card. 6 Cut an egg from blue card and add spots with a black pen. 7 Glue all the pieces together. 8 Add wiggly eyes. Penguin and Fish 1 Make a penguin in the same way but this time add a fish. Glue on a bead for…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ 5 blue straws ■ 6 small white pom poms ■ Sequin ■ Blue card ■ Pencil ■ 2p coin ■ White plastic cord ■ Strong glue ■ Scissors ■ Ruler SMALL SNOWLFLAKE Cut straws to 7.5 cm. Glue together and glue small pom poms to the end of the straws. Finish with a sequin. MEDIUM SNOWFLAKE Cut straws to 10 cm and glue together. Cut the ends of the straws to feather them, so they look frayed. Make a centre piece as before and stick to the centre. LARGE SNOWFLAKE 1 Cut 4 straws to 15 cm. Cut the remaining straws diagonally to 3.5 cm, so you have 8 of them. 2 Pinch the centre of the straws to flatten them. 3 Glue all the pieces together.…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Red paper plate ■ Bright pink wool ■ Heart fabric ■ 2 red straws ■ 3 pony beads ■ 3 white feathers ■ Strong glue ■ Scissors 1 Cut a heart shape out of the centre of a red plate. 2 Snip around the edge of the plate 4 cm apart. 3 Wind wool around the plate, slotting it into the snips. Keep winding until all the snips have wool in them. Knot the ends. 4 Cut out 6 hearts from heart fabric and glue them to the red plate. 5 Cut straws to 7 cm and glue a bead and straw to the edge of the plate 3 times. 6 Push feathers into the ends of the straws. 7 Make a loop of wool and glue…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Scissors ■ Card ■ Big brushes or pieces of sponge ■ Paper towel or pieces of sponge ■ Yellow card ■ Pen ■ Glue ■ Paints ■ Paint mixing tray or a plate 1 Dip a piece of sponge or scrunched up paper towel into brown paint then rub it across a piece of card. Card cut from the side of big cereal box is ideal for this. Rub black paint over the top to make a streaked wooden effect. Leave to dry. 2 To make the decorations, paint stripes, lines, dots and waves onto yellow card in red, green and black. Leave to dry. 3 Draw a big cup shape onto the card then cut it out. Make the cup about 30cm in height. 4 Cut…

All About Australia Official Name: Commonwealth of AustraliaLocation: Between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern HemisphereArea: 7.7 million sq km (2.9 million sq miles)Population: 25,801,000 (2022 estimate)Capital city: CanberraLargest and most populated city: SydneyCurrency: Australian dollarGovernment: Federal parliamentary democracyClimate: Mostly arid to semi-arid. The south and east are temperate and the north is tropical. Major Mountain Ranges: Great Dividing Range, Macdonnell RangesMajor Rivers: Murray-Darling, MurrumbidgeeFamous Landmarks: Sydney Opera House, Uluru, Great Barrier ReefNative Animals: Include kangaroo, koala, dingo, platypus, wallaby and wombat AUSTRALIAN FLAG The Australian flag has three elements. Firstly, the Union Jack acknowledges the history of British settlement. Underneath this is the large white Commonwealth Star. It has seven points – these represent the unity of the six states and the seventh point indicates the territories…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ Yoghurt drinks bottle ■ Stiff White and Pink Felt ■ Wiggly eyes ■ Strong glue ■ Black marker pen ■ Red ribbon ■ Gold puffy paint ■ Small and Medium sized white pom poms ■ Scissors Rabbit with Scarf 1 Remove the label from the drink bottle, wash and dry the bottle. 2 Cut out ears from white and pink felt. 3 Cut out arms from white felt. 4 Glue on the ears and arms. Draw on little lines with marker pen for paws. 5 Stick on wiggly eyes. 6 Draw on a nose and mouth with a marker pen. Add dots for the whiskers. Draw on lines for the feet. 7 Wrap a red ribbon around the shoulders and cut to the right size, then glue…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ A4 thin white card or thick paper ■ A3 card or cardboard ■ Paints ■ Sponges or big paintbrushes ■ Paint mixing tray ■ Glue ■ Black card ■ Pale coloured pencil ■ Scissors 1 To paint the landscape colours, brush reds, brown, orange and yellow paint across 2 pieces of A4 white card. Paint the brushstrokes horizontally on one piece of card and vertically on the other. Leave to dry. 2 For the sky, brush blue and white paint horizontally over a piece of A4 card. Leave to dry. 3 Tear some strips with uneven edges from the red painted card. 4 Glue the painted sky horizontally onto a piece of A3 card. 5 Glue one of the red torn strips to cover the lower edge…

National Trust: 2023 Nature Month-by-Month Anna Wilson & Elly Jahnz RRP £9.99 (HB) www.nosycrow.com Take an inspirational journey through the seasons with this updated edition of Nature Month-by-Month: A Children's Almanac. Beautifully illustrated, this fantastic, fully illustrated guide to 2023 includes nature spotter guides, indoor and outdoor craft and activity ideas, seasonal recipes and celebrations of religious festivals and special events. Age 7 years + We say… Packed with fun facts, recipes and activities to keep you busy throughout the year. Where? Jordan Collins and Phil Lesnie RRP £6.99 (PB) www.allenandunwin.com A heartfelt picture book that challenges racism that is both a cry of pain and a demonstration of inner strength, which takes us on an intergalactic journey past collapsing stars and glowing nebulae to remind us not of our…