Tuesday 31 May 2016

Review and giveaway: Creativity on the go - Pirates book published by Carlton Books

 This terms topic on the curriculum is 'pirates' for my son.  We have borrowed just about every pirate book known to mankind from the library (our favourite was Treasure Island) but if you think any of these wonderful stories helped the drudge of getting my son to enjoy his homework then you can think again.  This was where this wonderful book came in to play...

If I asked my son to write me a story on pirates I would be met with cries of "but that's boring" or the like.  Suddenly this situation was spun on its head when my son was asking me whether he could write a story or draw a pirate picture.  The whole way this book is devised is cleverly enticing from the word go.  Every page is unique and has something to constantly keep the old brain cogs ticking.

If I could show you every page I would because every page offers something truly inspiring.  I will give you a sneak peak to show the pages we have particularly enjoyed completing.  This book has now become part of our bedtime routine and we complete a few pages every night.  My son has been poorly with a chest infection for the last few weeks and so has had to have some time off school but this book was perfect for keeping him in the learning frame of mind.

Imagine you're a pirate

One of the first pages within the book allows children to delve in to what they imagine they would be like if they became a pirate.  This involved drawing a picture, choosing their boat, picking the perfect parrot pet and giving themselves a name.


 Learn to draw
Step-by step pictures helps children to learn ways to achieve an accurate drawing.
 A bit of collage
I have to say this was one of my favourite parts of the book.  There is a whole page of clothes and accessories to cut out and stick on the various pirates.  This took me right back to my childhood.  It also helped my son with his scissor skills and the accuracy which he could cut improved as we went along.  Look how stylish the pirate below is!


 Crafty materials
There are quite a few pages of pirate themed papers within the book which are perfect for creating whatever pirate craft projects you would like.  Bunting, cards, flags etc...  There are lots of ideas for using the papers contained within the book.
 Learn map skills
Just like Long John Silver was excellent at reading maps, children can learn some basic map skills by learning how to understand how grids are plotted (with an added bonus of finding treasure at the end).
 Stickers galore
Who doesn't love stickers??  Lots of gloriously colourful stickers for use in your own projects or to be used within the pages of the book.

 Craft projects 

There are lots of fantastic craft projects within the book.  Door hangers, pirate cookies and make your own pirate hat and sword to name but a few....


 Educational content
Not only does the book contain all that I have mentioned above, but there are some great pages which help children to learn about the world of pirates.
Overall, this is a book that provides constant inspiration and gets children to unleash their imaginations...

Will definitely be purchasing more from the series!

For more info please visit http://www.carltonbooks.co.uk/books

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy but all thoughts are my own.

But wait, there's more!  I have a copy to give away to my readers, so to enter please follow the rafflecopter steps below.  Thanks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

26 comments:

  1. It has craft activities and I love anything arts and crafts related! Love the cookies recipe too!

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  2. The learning to draw looks brilliant.

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  3. The stickers...I love them as much as the kids do

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  4. I love that there are different activities to keep kids entertained - the stickers, etc. x

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  5. I like the idea of making a pirate hat.

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  6. I like how I could get stuck in with my nephew, if my niece lets us.

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  7. I like the variety of things to do.

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  8. That there are so many different ways to be creative

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  9. Some new creative things to do

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  10. The stickers, grandson would love all of it though

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  11. I love that it's educational too!

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  13. Varying craft projects so you can't get bored of doing just one activity x

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  14. My kids would love stickers.

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  15. Stickers as always a win with my eldest

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  16. My son would love the drawing sections of this

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  17. Would love to have at at making the pirate cookies

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