By Kate Hodges
01st January 1970
EVENT WE’RE LAMBING
The sun is on our shoulders, days are stretching out, frogs have spawned, daffodils popped, and lambs are on their way! Many farms, both rural and urban, are starting to hold their annual lambing days; a chance for children to meet, feed and cuddle these little balls of fluff. This weekend, head to London’s Forty Hall to greet newly born sheep. Many other farms, particularly community farms creak open their gates during March and April for everyone to meet the new arrivals. Find our favourites here, head to a City Farm in London, or find a community run place nearer you here or here. If you can’t get to a farm, why not catch up with the tiny fluffs of wool coming into the world via St Fagans Museum of History in Wales’ infamous Lambcam (warning: may cause massed AWWWWWWS).
EVENT EARTH ANGELS
Celebrate your commitment to the planet by marking Saturday’s WWF’s Earth Hour. From 8.30pm–9.30pm office buildings across the world, from cottages to skyscrapers, will turn off their non-essential lights. This year, organisers are asking everyone to spend 60 minutes doing something positive for the planet; perhaps you might watch a documentary, learn about the plants in your neighbourhood, or attend a guided nature walk. Check online for organised events near you.
EVENT AND DO BARD EDUCATION
March 20–26 is Shakespeare Week, the perfect time to introduce smaller theatre fans to the works of the great writer. There are events taking place across the country, see family-friendly productions, try Shakespeare inspired LEGO builds, take part in acting or dance workshops, or join a creative writing class – many are free. This year the theme is Art and Design. If you’d rather stay at home, find plenty of resources for home educators and ideas for families on the website, join online sessions or why not try a poetry challengs, creating a book or a Romeo and Juliet wordsearch; find them here? We’re going to kick the celebrations off by making our own quill pens and acting out some scenes from our favourite plays (find free kid-friendly scripts here)
DO ON THE WING
Birdwatchers’ Christmas is just around the corner – yes, it’s almost spring migration time. Swallows, willow warblers, cuckoos and wheatears are all making their way back to the UK for the summer. The RSPB has an easy-to-understand guide that explains why and how birds migrate, and, of course, the organisation’s reserves across the country give twitchers front row seats for one of nature’s greatest shows. However, you don’t have to travel or make a special day out to enjoy the return; we have clever ideas to making birding fun for kids here, while the RSPB’s bird identifier is an invaluable tool for any ornithologist If you get really keen, this app helps keep your sightings logged and in order.
EVENT BUNS AND FUN
Celebrate Easter early with Moomins, mämmi and marvellously moreish cinnamon buns this weekend at the Finnish church in London. The welcoming venue’s Christmas and Easter fairs are well-known for their tasty treats, handmade crafts and scandinavian-style barbecue. It’s also worth checking out the church’s Finnish-style sauna, which is open for public sessions or private bookings. Fair: Friday-Sunday, free.
WHAT WE’RE EATING Rhubarb Cake With Ginger Syrup This moist cake is made with new-season rhubarb, and topped with a sticky ginger syrup. Serve as a teatime treat or as a pudding with custard. Find the recipe here
WHAT WE’RE READING ‘Ten ways to raise happy teens, according to Danish parents’ “Raising teenagers can be challenging, whichever country you live in. But if you follow the parenting pillars used in one of the happiest countries in the world, you have the building blocks for a less stressful family life.
That’s the claim of Danish psychotherapist Iben Sandahl, who points out her homeland has been voted the happiest country in the world, by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, oecd.org), almost every year since 1973. So, if parents want to raise happy, well-adjusted teenagers, parenting like the Danes seems to be the way to go.” Read more here
WIN! WIN! WIN! A new 180 litre Geared Twin Compost Tumbler worth £219.99 from Great Green Systems. The tumbler is suitable for all garden sizes and transforms leftover food waste and garden refuse into a rich, nutrient-dense compost with next to no effort. Click here to read more
