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 important…

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 complete and…

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 the eye. FUN FACTS! Although penguins are birds they cannot fly, this is because their 'wings' are more like flippers.…

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 small buttons, sequins, stickers and coloured gems) to fill the gaps. 4…

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 paper strips to look like piped icing. FUN FACTS! The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started…

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. 4 To make the centre piece, draw around a 2p coin on blue card and cut out. 5 Stick a…