Thanksgiving and McFly Blue Peter

Coming up... We find out what life is like for a 13-year-old who lives

with the circus. For this is what I wear for the stage show. We got

some payback art which will value and give you great ideas for

Christmas. Plus the guys from McFly answer your message board questions

I really want to one of those pianos. Welcome to Blue Peter.

Let's talk about children in Need last week. It was an incredible

night. It was. The aim of the game is to raise money for a fantastic

charity. On the night, you raised a So many people have been involved,

it was an amazing night. Not only that, but dancing, comedy,

entertainment. One Direction kick the evening off. My favourite part

of the evening, look at him, the Doctor. I was lucky enough to be

there on the night and so Girls Aloud perform. They were brilliant.

I was singing that song all night long. And there were loads of pre-

recorded sketches including this, where Lord Sugar popped along to

Albert Square to see the cast of EastEnders, to try to find a new

apprentice. But it's not just the celebrities or yourselves wearing

pyjamas, for the appeal for Blue Peter which had helped bump the

total up, because we got some people here at media city in

Salford who also wanted to put their pyjamas on and have a bit of

a dance. There was only one song to I'm proud to say that a lot of the

people you so they do belong to the Blue Peter office. It isn't just

those guys who've been out and about in their pyjamas, you've been

getting involved, too. We've been blown away by the amount of you

who've supported this appeal. Loads of you across the country have been

going pyjamas for Children in Need. We kicked it off with some after-

school clubs in the studio, and that led U2 don your pyjamas in all

sorts of ways. Jack went to his local bird park, and these guys in

Glasgow held a big sale. Amy went scuba-diving. Grace went to the

local library. Dancing for almost an hour meant Jade raised �358.70.

Toby and Bronte created scarecrows in their pyjamas. Rebecca went

shopping in the pyjamas. It really has been amazing. Helen wasn't

joking when we said we'd been blown away with how you've got involved

with this. So many photographs have been coming in. Burgess Hill School

for girls said they had a fantastic day wearing pyjamas and holding a

Topshop. They hope to raise up at �300. James went to his panto

rehearsal at his amateur dramatics society in his pyjamas. He was a

little bit embarrassed but he raised soup -- �76. Laurie, Rowan

and Arnel went for a sponsored walk on Winchester Hill and raised

almost �100. Let's draw our attention to Christmas, five weeks

away. What are you looking forward to? Everything. The crackers, but

presents, the family, the dancing, the tinsel. What are you looking

forward to about Christmas? We will read as many e-mails as the can.

love Christmas but I missed it last year. I will make up for its Bisset.

One thing I will be glued to is the Christmas version of Top Of the

Pops. We know you guys love McFly. They've been around for a decade,

which is a relatively long time. They are as good now as they've

ever been. They have turned out seven number one singles, they had

Smash Hits like this one... What not the most classic pop songs ever

written. Let's not forget this one as well. A bit of air guitar.

sometimes pretend they are singing to me! They've got a new single out

in the charts, a greatest hits album out as well, so they've got a

busy schedule, but they agreed to answer your message board questions.

We have lots of questions here from the lovely Blue Peter viewers. Are

you ready? Yes. This one is from Scarlet clarinet Angel. She said,

who came up for the idea for love is easy? You went to a shop and

bought a ukulele and wrote the song. Part of it. You took it to the boys

and said, what do you think of this? It got finished up. And we

made it a mega-hit. Recorded and done within a matter of days.

silky dingo. These on the real names! She says, who has the

smelliest feet? BlueBeat by far. am a budding songwriter, what are

your tips for inspiration? Movies. Life in general. The outdoors.

question is, are you friends with any bands such as One Direction or

The Wanted, or do you look at them as your rivals on people you never

want to speak to? We are friends with One Direction, we wrote a few

songs for them for their album. They came over, Danny produced one

of the songs for their album as well. They are lovely guys. A bit

of trivia. Andy and Max from The Wanted were once in a boy band

together which supported us on tour. They were called Avenue. This is

posted by Diamond I think. My question is, what pose would you do

to represent yourself? Like Mo Farah has his, what would all of

I haven't quite perfected mind yet. Mine is that, because a street

dancer taught me a move but it was for the peak of my cab and I had it

gone backwards. Mine is this want. I can't really do it that well.

McFly are going to be performing an acoustic version of their new

single at the end of the show. are now changing direction. We know

that lots of you like to go to the circus. The high-wire artists, the

trapeze acrobats, it's an amazing night. But have you ever wondered

what it would be like to be part of a family who travel with a circus?

Carina is 13 years old and that is what life is for her every day.

I'm Carina, and 13 and this is what it's like being me. My family have

performed with the circus since I was born. For the last three years

I have joined them in the show. The most famous thing about any circus

is the big top. Let me show you around the backstage. I'm going to

show you where we change now, the dressing room. Sorry about the

poster. My step dad thought it would be a joke. We are not

actually toxic. It smells nice in there! This is what I'll be wearing

for tonight's show. We share this dressing room at seven people. This

is my jacket or when the people come in. And in here is my costume

This is a massive globe where there are three motorbikes spinning all

This is my caravan, this is where I live. I never live in a permanent

house. This is the kitchen, that's the dining room and that's the

living room. I will show you the favourite bit, that's my room.

After the show I like to lay in bed and watch TV or go on my computer

or listen to music. Sometimes my friends come over and we have

sleepers. We have fun. Before I get ready for the show, I've just got

time to answer some of your questions from the Blue Peter

message board. What is the best part of living in the circus? The

travelling around and I like performing and meeting new people.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a

circus? Going to a circus school, they are good. You go there for a

few years. Have you ever messed up while performing at the circus? Yes.

I messed up and... I messed up a few days ago. I fell down bet that

happens quite a lot. Everyone does mistakes. I'd better start getting

This is my auntie and this is my ankle. We are back excited today,

it's going to be a good crowd and Every circus has a ringmaster who

introduces the other acts and keep things running on time. Norman is

ours and has worked in the circus Thank you for spending the day with

me. I hope you enjoyed seeing what it's like being me.

I know she said she makes a few mistakes sometimes but look at what

they are digging in the circus - they are incredible. Thank you for

showing us what it was like to be you. Let's talk about the past year.

It feels like only two minutes ago when we were taking pictures for

the Blue Peter calendar, but here we are at the end of it. We will

reveal to you the picture that is going to be for the month of

December in the Blue Peter calendar. This ties in with a bit of a secret

and a sneak peek for you. Helen and I have just returned from Lapland

in Finland. We've recorded two Christmas Special shows for you. It

was freezing. It was absolutely beautiful. One way to take

photographs is to take them of scenery or landscapes. I thought

because Lapland was so cold, it might be an idea to take it in

black and white. Taking a picture of an apple on a table, it would be

green and it would be quite boring. But if you were to take it in black

and white, the Apple would be grey and have a shadow on it, a bit more

atmosphere. That is what I tried to With black and white photography,

because of the way it is contrasted, you can tell how freezing it was.

But I'm a bit of a geek and I like to hang around a bit after the

shoots. I spend a bit of time on my own and took another picture of

this same landscape but at land - that night-time. It really is good

fun to do. I'm so glad you got involved with this. If you'd like

to print out your own version of the Blue Peter Callander, which has

now completed, you can go to the The one thing I've loved about this

is seeing all of your photographs as well. There's nothing better for

a Blue Peter presenter than to come in on a Monday morning and to be

handed photographs that you've taken over the weekend. Thank you

for getting involved. Stay tuned in January, we got a special animation

package for you as well. He's not a geek, he just disappears. He just

disappeared with his camera. It's definitely worth it. If you have

printed off at Callander and know any Americans, you probably have

today marked on their because it is the fourth Thursday in November,

which means it's Thanksgiving. Or a lot of Americans, it's a bigger

deal than Christmas. If you've ever wondered what it's all about then

you are in luck. We have all- American girl and Disney star Laura

I am your Ram Elano -- Laura Merano. On the show I like nothing more

than singing and playing the piano with my friend. But I am here to

talk about my favourite day of the year, Thanksgiving! Come on, a

scream with me! In America, Thanksgiving is a national holiday

and is celebrated in style. It is a time when families meet up, and

even start their Christmas shopping. My family absolutely love getting

together on Thanksgiving but where did the Thanksgiving Straw restart?

This American tradition has its roots in the UK, in Plymouth! The

admirable McBride may be a pub but nearly 400 years ago, a group of

English people known as the Pilgrim Fathers set sail on the Mayflower

right here. They were unsatisfied with their life in England and

decided to set sail to a relatively unknown continent to make a new

life. This shows the direction they set sail, a don't know why they

chose a prawn! This monument to the Mayflower is dedicated to the 102

pilgrims who are crucial in creating the America we know today.

I cannot believe American history started here! A year later, the

Pilgrim Fathers gathered for his huge ceased to celebrate their

first successful harvest and to thank God. -- a huge meal. I am now

at a primary school in Plymouth where they are about to get a taste

of this American tradition. What's This looks good. Does anybody want

any pumpkin pie. Is it good? It is really nice? Some new pumpkin pie

The do We have some fans of pumpkin It just remains for me to say...

Happy Thanksgiving!! Happy Thanksgiving to everybody

celebrates. I know a lot of people who just like to party. If you like

party food, look no further than the Blue Peter website. Last week I

should you have to make meringues with John, the champion of the

Great British bake off. Lots of you said you had a go. Rihanna said she

made little meringues, with pink icing in the middle, and she had a

He got messy making them but they were delicious! Rabeeah said her

mixture was a bit runny so she invented meringue cupcakes. That's

what we like to see. Creativity. Matilda and Ella created turquoise

meringues. We are glad you had a go. The recipe is still on the Blue

Peter website. Have a look at what Barney is standing next to us. It

is absolutely incredible. Before we talk about them, take a close look.

Can you tell why they are unique? They are made entirely from PayPal.

They Arpad of an exhibition called The First Cut in Manchester -- they

are made entirely from the paper and they are part of an exhibition.

They have used maps, A4 paper, atlases... This is Susan

Stockwell's colonial dress. She has used maps to tell the story of

Britain's colonial past. It took her three months to make. Look at

the detail. That would have taken me nine days just to do that Rose.

I know I am not supposed to have a favourite, but look at what Chris

Jones has done. This is amazing. It is a motorbike made out a glossy

magazine pages. He has also use some vintage encyclopaedias and

given it varnished over the top to make it shiny, and it took him two

months. It is just paper! You have to get close to this, it is what I

like about art, it is quite personal. It is a single piece of

paper and Peter Callesen has designed it to look like a mountain

with the little man climbing over the top. Isn't it amazing! This is

Nicola Dale's book, it took her 18 months to make it. One single book,

that she has cut into different shapes. 31 artists from all over

the world have been involved and one of them, Claire Brewster, is in

the studio today. She has made these birds. Who better to teach me

how to do this? Welcome to his studio. Let's talk about these

How did you start? I have always worked with paper and one day I had

a flash of inspiration, like a light bulb in the cartoons, and I

started cutting out birds and then everybody loved them and the rest

is history. That was ten years ago. I like the shadow, it brings it to

life. It creates movement, that is the idea. You will be showing me

how to make a more simple version of one of your birds with a

Christmas twist. We are going to make a Christmas robins. The first

thing you need to do is print out the template, which you can do on

the Blue Peter website. You can print it onto any paper that will

go through your home printer, obviously. This is just brown paper.

The first thing you need to do is cut roughly around the bird. Why?

It makes it easier to hold it while you are cutting. You do it on the

inside. Yes, it makes it easier to cut the detail out. Once you have

done that, you get your bird like this. I have one like this. You are

so organised! The next thing to do is to start cutting the shapes out

in the middle. The easiest way to do that is to take the scissors...

Which we have lost... If we are doing this on the dining-table, mum

will not be happy. You need to make sure there is something underneath.

A bit of protection between you and your mum's pride and joy. It is

quite fiddly. Do it slowly and carefully. I am able in a China

shop. If once you have done that, it looks like this. That was easy!

The next job is to cut carefully around the edges. Just like this. I

can already see the reason why you have waited until the last minute

to do this because it is quite fiddly. If you don't have any paper

around the bird when you cut the inside out, it gets really

difficult. And then you end up with a bird like this. To make it more

Christmas see, we can attach a little red breast to him. You could

use red paper and card and place it underneath. Yes. But you need to

make sure the shape is slightly bigger than the bit you want to

cover, otherwise you will not be able to stick it on. You might want

to put some paper underneath. There it is. Own Robin repressed!

If you want to make it more sparkly, you can add glitter -- 8 Robin ate

I'll it is that simple. 8 Claire Where am keeping my fingers crossed

that that big present is for me as well! Let us know what you are

looking forward to for Christmas. We have lots of the e-mails. Best

says, Dr Who. Helen from Hertfordshire says, I am excited

about Christmas parties. George says Christmas dinner. Lauren is

looking forward to spending time with her family. The Edel is

looking forward to all her family coming out for dinner and

decorating the Christmas tree. Ronan from Dublin says he loves

going downstairs on Christmas Day and seeing all the presence. I hate

that be because you are so nervous! Don't you do a Jumper competition

at your house? Yes! So if you have any ideas of what I can put on my

Christmas jumper, let me know. few weeks ago we told you about a

competition where you get the chance to take over Blue Peter.

Next week you can find out what these fall were picked for the show.

Tune in to see what they decided we should do -- these four were picked

for the show. We will be so insecure! It is now time for

McFly's fantastic performance. We told you about it earlier. They

have agreed to do an acoustic performance just for us. If you

been out the show, keep an eye on the bottom of the screen because

people be showing them along the # Do do dodo do do.

# Do do do dodo do. # Do do dodo do do.

# Today. # Laughing the clouds away.

# I hear what the flowers say. # And I see.

# Places that I have been. # In ways that I've never seen.

# My side of the grass is green. # Ooh I can't believe that it's so

simple. # It feels so natural to me.

# If this is love. # Then love is easy.

# It's the easiest thing to do. # If this is love.

# Then love completes me. # Cause it feels like I've been

missing you. # A simple equation.

# With no complications. # To leave you confused.

# If this is love, love, love. # Hmm it's the easiest thing to do.

# Do do do do do do do. # Do do do do do do you.

# Feel the way that I do? # And make dirty streets look new?

# Hmm and the birds sing. # Tweeheeheeheeheeheeheet.

# Tweedleheeheeheehee. # Now I know exactly what they mean.

# Ooh I can't believe that it's so simple.

# It feels so natural to me. # If this is love.

# Then love is easy. # It's the easiest thing to do.

# If this is love. # Then love completes me.

# Cause it feels like I've been missing you.

# A simple equation. # With no complications.