Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2023 i Creative Steps

As I write this issue, Winter is just starting to bite, with the days getting noticeably shorter, but the first Christmas lights are appearing on houses and the anticipation for the festive season grows. Hopefully you have enjoyed making the Christmas crafts we included in the last issue and your homes and settings are looking the part! We’ve teamed up with 64 Million Artists to highlight the creative opportunities in their January Challenge, whereby each day a new creative challenge is set by some of the country’s leading creative voices; including the likes of poet Michael Rosen and Nigel Clarke, founder of Dadvengers and CBeebies’ presenter. See page 13 in this issue for more details and how to sign up to get involved and explore your creative potential! Also 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. WRITE LIKE AN EGYPTIAN STORE CUPBOARD ■ White paper■ Coffee granules■ Glass of water■ Mixing pot■ Paint brush■ Pencil■ Felt tips■ Hieroglyphics chart 1 Pour your coffee granules into a pot and add water. 2 Take your paint brush, dip into the pot and paint your paper. 3 Tear the edges of the paper to make the paper look old. 4…

A Bad Day for Bear Duncan Beedie RRP £7.99 (PB) www.bonnierbooks.co.uk Bear is in charge of the campfire for the forest party. But as he sets out to collect wood, all sorts of BAD things happen: he gets a splinter in his paw, a big bump on his head and falls into a huge muddy puddle. The logs Beaver gives him are now soaking wet - how is Bear EVER going to make the campfire? It's a good job Bear's friend Frog is there to show him that things are never as bad as they seem… Age 1 years + We say… Children will learn that a problem shared often makes it shrink and friends can give great advice. ZOOM! Sam Usher RRP £7.99 (PB) www.bonnierbooks.co.uk Featuring the much-loved Boy…

Ingredients 2 carrots3 celery sticks1 onion1 garlic clove2 tablespoons olive oil2 large potatoes2 tablespoons tomato purée1 litre vegetable stock400g chopped tomatoes400g cannellini beans100g spaghettiSalt and pepperYou will need a large saucepan. ALLERGIES Gluten, wheat Method 1 First prepare the vegetables. Peel and chop the carrots and celery lengthways, and then into small pieces. Peel the onion. Chop it in half and place flat side down onto the board. Then take your knife and finely chop the onion into small pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic. 2 Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1cm pieces. Add to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. 3 Add the tomato purée, tin…

The King’s Coronation and the Kohinoor Diamond The King’s Coronation and the Kohinoor Diamond is the first title in a brand-new series of children’s stories by Anthea Turner and Wendy Turner, set among the communities of mice living busily below the capital’s bustling Tube stops. The whole world was caught up with the Coronation of King Charles III on May 6 2023, but now they’ll be able to learn the real story of what happened that day... It’s two weeks before the Coronation and the Asian Mice in Hounslow are planning an extravagant celebration. But disaster strikes when a huge glitter ball spins around in the ballroom and fails to shine! Soon, a daring plan is made – to take the Kohinoor Diamond from the Royal Crown and add it…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ White A4 card■ Black A4 paper■ Paints■ Light coloured pencil■ Scissors■ Paintbrushes■ Cotton buds■ Glue 1 Brush paint over A4 card or thick paper to make a colourful sky background. Leave to dry. 2 Draw a tree trunk shape 12-14cm high onto black card with a light coloured pencil. The shape is like a wide bottle. 3 Cut out some black card strips for the tree branches, glue them onto the trunk. It’s easier to make a tree by cutting out the trunk and branches separately then sticking the pieces together. Turn the tree over, so the ends of the branches are on the back. 4 Paint a pattern over the tree with a brush, cotton buds are good for printing small dots. Leave to dry then…

STORE CUPBOARD: ■ White card■ Pencil■ Scissors■ Paints■ Plate or paint mixing tray■ Small pieces of sponge 1 Fold a piece of A4 card in half, then cut it in half, Draw half a heart shape (10cm x 5cm) onto one of the folded pieces. Cut out the heart then open the card, save both card pieces for making a picture. Cut out a smaller-size heart from the second folded card. 2 Place a heart template onto a piece of white A4 card. Lightly sponge paint around the heart, carefully lift it up then re-position and repeat. You can paint around a cutout heart or through the heart-shaped window or use both. Lightly dab paint with a sponge or rub the sponge with a circular movement to make a swirly…

LEARNING ZONES: Design Technology ★ Art & Design STORE CUPBOARD: ■ Scissors■ Wool■ Small elastic band■ Masking tape■ Garden sticks or wooden skewers■ Green tissue paper■ Glue■ Green paper■ Pencil 1 Hold your fingers together then wrap wool over the top to make 25-30 loops. Or, wrap the wool around a strip of card, 7-8cm wide. 2 Slide the wool off your fingers (or card) keeping the loops together. Wrap an elastic band around the middle to hold the loops in a bunch. 3 Cut through the loops on one side of the bunch to make the top of the thistle. To make the bottom of the thistle, push a thin stick or wooden skewer into the looped wool then wrap masking tape over the top. 4 Paste glue over…

STORE CUPBOARD: ■ Red, purple, yellow and white felt■ Wiggly eye■ Strong glue■ Scissors■ Black fine liner pen■ Small gems 1 Cut out the shapes from felt. 2 Draw a ziz-zag line on the white felt to make teeth. Use a fine liner pen. 3 Glue on the purple felt. Glue on the yellow nostril. 4 Glue the horns to the back. Glue on the teeth to the back too. 5 Glue around the edge of the head, leaving a gap for your finger. 6 Stick on a wiggly eye. 7 Add a dot to the nostril with a fine liner pen. 8 Glue on 3 gems to the mane of the dragon. Green Dragon Make the other dragon in the same way, but make him facing left. Don't forget…

What You Need To Be Warm Neil Gaiman RRP £12.99 (HB) www.bloomsbury.com An exploration of displacement and flight from conflict through the objects and memories that represent warmth. It is about our right to feel safe, whoever we are and wherever we are from. It is about holding out a hand to welcome those who find themselves far from home. Age 9 years + We say… A thought-provoking poem, published to support the work of the UNHCR, sure to elicit discussion about the plight of others. Evolution Sarah Darwin and Eva-Maria Sadowski RRP £16.99 (HB) www.whatonearthbooks.com Let real-life scientists Sarah Darwin and Eva Maria Sadowski enlighten you about the fascinating facts of evolution: what it is and how it works. Dive into the history of life on Earth and learn…

STORE CUPBOARD ■ White paper plates■ Paint - black, white, orange■ Paint brushes - various sizes■ Felt tip pens - black, pink■ Pencil■ Chopstick■ Strong glue■ Scissors TIGER 1 Draw the eyes on the paper plate and then with small sharp scissors cut them out. 2 Cut out the ears from a paper plate, make them a little bit pointy. 3 Paint the plate and ears orange and leave to dry. 4 Draw on black stripes a nose and a mouth. 5 Paint around the eyes with white paint. Paint the centre of the ears. Paint the muzzle white and leave to dry. 6 Paint the stripes and nose black and leave to dry. 7 Draw on the muzzle and spots with a black felt tip pen. 8 Glue on…

Photo Flower & Vase STORE CUPBOARD ■ Cardboard kitchen roll tube■ Paint - purple, pink & lilac■ Paintbrushes■ 2 A4 sheets white card■ Three pipe cleaners■ Scissors■ Glue stick■ Pencil & felt pen■ Sticky tape■ Photograph 1 Take your cardboard tube and cut a piece measuring approx. 15cm in length. Paint it in the colour of your choice. 2 On one of the pieces of white card, draw a flower shape freehand with a pencil,(ours measured 21cm across at its widest point). Cut the flower out and put to one side. 3 On the second sheet of card draw a smaller flower (ours was 12cm wide) and cut it out. 4 Put some paint onto some paper plates and encourage the children to print fingerprints all over the large white…

Big Schools’ Birdwatch is back – get counting! Tens of thousands of school children will be watching and counting the UK’s birds for the RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch. The Birdwatch – which takes place during the first half of the Spring term (8 January – 19 February) – is a chance for children to participate in a UK-wide citizen science project and generate real life data. The Birdwatch involves children watching and counting the birds that visit their school grounds or outdoor space, before sending the results to the RSPB. With over a million school children taking part since its launch in 2002, the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch has become a much-loved annual event, that helps give the RSPB a valuable snapshot of how our school birds are doing in…

STORE CUPBOARD: ■ 2 paper plates■ Red paint■ Thick paint brush■ Heart fabric■ Heart buttons■ Heart stickers■ Strong glue■ Wire edged ribbon■ Scissors 1 Fold two paper plates in half. 2 Paint all sides with red paint and leave to dry. 3 Slot the 2 hearts inside each other and cut away the corners to make it even more heart-shaped. 4 Glue the front and back together to make the bag. 5 Decorate the front with a mixture of hearts. 6 Cut the ribbon to 48cm and glue the ends inside the bag. 7 Stuff with tissue and sweets or a small gift. For the Face Bag ■ Make in the same way, but paint the front with pink paint. Cut eyes and a mouth from black felt. Glue to…

Izzy the Inventor and the Curse of Doom Zanna Davidson and Elissa Elwick RRP £5.99 (PB) www.usborne.com Izzy the Inventor is back to rescue the prince in Sleeping Beauty from a wicked fairy's curse. If she fails, he'll vanish! With the help of Henry the unicorn, Izzy needs to work out how to make snow in summer, an exploding volcano and a contraption to help Henry fly. Can Izzy's science skills outwit the wicked fairy before it's too late? Age 5 years + We say… Perfect for early readers, where science meets magic… with real experiments too! Pick a Story – a Superhero + Mermaid + Dragon Adventure Sarah Coyle and Adam Walker-Parker RRP £ 7.99 (PB) www.farshore.co.uk Davy is on his way to school to show his teacher the…

THE ARCTIC The Arctic is a polar region at the northernmost part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, parts of Canada, Greenland, northern Finland, Iceland, northern Norway, Russia, northern Sweden and Alaska. The land has snow and ice cover, with permanently frozen underground ice (permafrost). Arctic seas contain seasonal sea ice in many places. The Arctic region is a unique ecosystem. The people and wildlife that live there have adapted to survive the extreme cold and conditions. Animals that live in the Arctic region include: Arctic hare, Arctic fox, reindeer, lemming, muskox, Grizzly bear, and Arctic wolf. Polar bears are perhaps the most well known of the Arctic animals. There are also many birds and marine species (seals, walruses, baleen whales, narwhals, orcas,…

STORE CUPBOARD: ■ Fimo soft in cherry red, raspberry and white■ Heart shaped cookie cutter■ Plastic modelling knife■ Twine■ Glittery foam letter stickers■ Drinking straw■ Rolling pin "LOVE" IN RASPBERRY PINK Make a heart necklace in the same way. This time use the modelling knife to mark out stitches around the edge of the heart. We used the blue and white twine for the necklace. TO MAKE THE CUTE HEART 1 Take 2 strips of cherry red Fimo soft and knead until its soft. 2 Using a rolling pin, roll out the Fimo to approx. 5mm thick.. 3 Cut out a heart using a cookie cutter. 4 With a modelling knife, cut a zig-zag down the front of the heart. 5 Make 2 flowers, using white Fimo with a raspberry…