Introducing… Story Spark Creative Club
Grab a pencil and come on in!
Story Spark is a cosy art and creative writing club for kids aged 8–11, with in-person and online meetups. Together we write stories, draw imaginary places, invent characters, play around with all kinds of ideas, and generally have an amazing time making stuff up.
Perfect for first-time Story Sparkers or kids who want to join us for a single creative adventure.
Enjoy two Story Spark sessions every month and build lasting creative skills and friendships.
Grow your natural talent
Every club meetup is a little different, which keeps your mind on its toes and encourages you to try new ways of doing things, whether it’s coming up with ideas, turning them into stories, or drawing characters and worlds.
Play creative games
Story Spark is all about having the best time ever while practising creative skills, so expect to play lots of games that not only challenge your mind and test your skills – they may also tickle your funny elbow!
Real-world creative tips
The club is led by Sam Hepburn, a professional writer, web syndicated cartoonist and published graphic novel author. She uses creative play to help you pick up real-world skills for making art and writing you can be proud of.
Enjoy club goodies
All new signups get a limited edition Story Spark sketchbook designed by Sam. For in-person meetups, materials including paper, pencils and colours are provided. We often use special surprise materials, too!
A small club for big imaginations
Some kids don’t need much to get started being creative. Some like listening first before they decide to join in. That’s all fine. Story Spark is intentionally small and relaxed (each meetup is limited to 6 places) so there’s space for quieter kids as well as the ones bursting with a million ideas.
Monthly creative packs give young imaginations another way to keep exploring and building their skills between club meetups, at their own pace and in their own way. (Coming soon!)
Drawing is always welcome – especially for kids who prefer doodling ideas before writing them down. The main focus is exploring imagination and enjoying storytelling, without it feeling like schoolwork.
Meet your friendly and experienced creative guide!
Sam Hepburn is a writer, cartoonist, and author of the children’s graphic novel SCHOOLBOT 9000, published by Penguin Kids in July 2025.
Sam has been working in the creative world for almost 20 years, starting her journey as a creative copywriter for advertising agencies like McCann-Erickson and Dentsu, then adding cartoons and comics to her portfolio, and finally turning her hand to books.
Her debut children’s graphic novel SCHOOLBOT 9000 was published by Penguin Kids in 2025, giving her plenty of fresh real-world experience to share with budding young writers and artists. She is currently working on her next big story with her amazing Penguin Kids team!
Sam loves helping kids build confidence in their own ideas, stories, and imagination. She believes creativity grows best when children feel safe, relaxed, and encouraged to be themselves. She is DBS checked and NSPCC safeguarding awareness trained.
Previously, at Story Spark…
Meetup #1: Story Detectives
For our very first Story Spark, we explored art and writing across genres and cracked the case of what makes our favourite stories and characters so compelling 🔎✨
Story structure • Character analysis • Critical thinking • Exploring genres
#2: A Whole World in a Map
We closed our eyes and trusted our partner to help us draw a map. Then we filled it with unique characters, places, and action 🔮🐻🦖 (We also used special paintbrushes and ink!)
Creative collaboration • Listening skills • Worldbuilding • Mixed media art
#3: Fantasy Letter Writing
We created characters, gave them unique personalities, backstories, and plot twists (!) and wrote letters in their voice. We sealed the envelopes with our own handmade stamps.
Creative writing • Perspective-taking • Character development • Craft and design
#4: Someone else for a day
We put our thinking caps on to explore the unique traits of diverse and beloved characters like Totoro, Rapunzel, and the Incredible Hulk. Then we created brand new mini adventures for them🎭🧩
Character exploration • Idea generation • Creative problem-solving
Next time:
Every object has a story…