About The
Paper Scissors Squad
Creativity, Confidence & A Place To Belong
Paper Scissors Squad was created from a simple idea: children deserve a place where they can get creative, explore their own ideas and learn without feeling pressured to get everything “right”.
Founded by Carol Gardner, Paper Scissors Squad brings together her love of crafting, her experience working with children and families, and her belief that some of the best learning happens when children are busy making, experimenting and enjoying themselves.
The aim is simple — to create fun, welcoming STEAM-focused art and craft sessions where children can be themselves, try something new and leave feeling proud of what they have achieved.
Meet Carol
A Lifelong Love Of Making Things
If there is glue on her fingers, paint somewhere it probably shouldn’t be and an unfinished project waiting in the craft room, Carol is probably quite happy.
Creativity has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. Over the years she has experimented with many different crafts, studied pottery and more recently taken her own handmade creations to craft fairs.
Away from the craft table, Carol is a mum of two, a very proud grandmother to two granddaughters and “mum” to a rather cheeky 20-year-old tabby cat.
Her working life has included administration, audiology and the charity sector, but there has been a common thread running through it all — working with and helping people.
She has also taught karate to children, an experience that strengthened her understanding of how patience, encouragement and the right balance of structure and fun can help children thrive.
Starting Paper Scissors Squad gave Carol the opportunity to bring those different parts of her life together: her love of creativity, her enjoyment of working with children and her desire to build something meaningful of her own.
“There’s No Such Word As Can’t”
That was something Carol’s own mum used to tell her, and it has stayed with her.
It now sits at the heart of the way she wants children to experience Paper Scissors Squad.
Children are encouraged to have a go, experiment and discover their own way of doing things. A wonky cut, an unexpected result or a project that does not turn out quite as planned is not treated as failure.
It is simply part of learning.
Carol believes children gain confidence when they are given the freedom to try without worrying about being judged or compared with somebody else.
There is no pressure to create something perfect.
Just encouragement to keep going, explore what happens next and enjoy the satisfaction of being able to say:
“I made that.”
Every Child Creates Differently
The goal is for every child to feel seen, valued, included and supported.
Some children walk confidently into a room and cannot wait to get started.
Others need a little time.
Carol’s approach is gentle, patient and unhurried. Children are encouraged to work at a pace that suits them, ask questions and take another attempt whenever they need to.
Nobody is rushed and nobody is expected to create exactly the same thing in exactly the same way.
Carol also holds a Level 2 TQUK Understanding Autism qualification, which has helped shape her approach to recognising that children can experience and respond to the same environment very differently.
Paper Scissors Squad sessions are designed with that in mind.
A quiet area is available for children who may need a little time away from the main activity, whether they want to draw, read, sit quietly or simply take a few minutes before joining back in.
Activities can also be adapted where appropriate so that children of different abilities and confidence levels have the opportunity to participate and enjoy what they are creating.
Learning Through Doing
Carol believes children often understand things best when they can actually get their hands involved.
Cutting, sticking, building, painting, experimenting and working out why something did—or didn’t—work can turn an abstract idea into something a child can see and understand.
That is one reason STEAM-inspired learning plays such an important role within Paper Scissors Squad.
Science, technology, engineering, art and maths can naturally become part of a creative project without turning the session into a conventional lesson.
Children might test an idea, choose between materials, solve a construction problem or change their approach when something does not work first time.
They are creating something enjoyable while also practising curiosity, problem-solving, patience and independent thinking.
Supported By A Structured Creative Curriculum
Creative
Paper Scissors Squad provides a structured curriculum and resources designed around creative, hands-on STEAM activities for children.
Structured
This gives Carol a framework around which she can plan engaging sessions while still giving children plenty of freedom to express their own ideas and creativity.
Education
It also supports the wider Paper Scissors Squad approach: children learning through making, experimenting, questioning and discovering.
A Little Extra Encouragement
The experience does not necessarily finish when the craft table is cleared.
Depending on the activity, children may receive a simple summary of what they explored during the session along with ideas they can try at home.
Each area of STEAM also has its own fun sticker mascot, giving children another way to recognise and remember the different things they have discovered.
Children who attend throughout a complete term can also receive a certificate recognising their commitment, creativity and achievements along the way.
Because sometimes a small bit of recognition can make a child feel ten feet tall.
Reassurance For Parents
Entrusting someone with your child matters, and Carol understands that parents need more than a friendly website before they feel comfortable.
Carol Currently Holds
Enhanced DBS Certificate
Level 3 Safeguarding Children & Young People
Level 2 TQUK Understanding Autism Qualification
Public Liability Insurance
First Aid
Every session follows a structured and supervised format, moving naturally between welcoming children, introducing the activity, hands-on creating, movement breaks where appropriate, reflection and a calm period before children leave.
The intention is to provide enough structure for children to feel secure while allowing enough freedom for creativity to remain exactly what it should be:
FUN!!!
What Carol Hopes To Build
Carol’s ambition for Paper Scissors Squad goes beyond running the occasional craft class.
She hopes to develop regular sessions in schools, halls and community venues, creating an enrichment programme that complements children’s education without feeling anything like another day at school.
A place away from tests, pressure, screens and consoles.
Somewhere children can make new friends, discover new interests, explore what they are capable of and have something genuinely exciting to look forward to.
Most of all, Carol hopes Paper Scissors Squad becomes a name that children and parents associate with creativity, encouragement and possibility.
A place where children are reminded that their ideas matter — and that with a little patience, imagination and encouragement, there is an awful lot they can do.