By Kate Hodges
16th August 2023
DO TREASURE HUNTERS
Saturday is World Geocaching Day. This cross between a treasure hunt, a ramble and orienteering was invented in the USA in 2000, but quickly exploded in popularity. Now millions of people use sites such as geocaching.com to track down stashes of goodies or visitor books strapped into Tupperware containers hidden in woods, countryside or parks near them. Add purpose to a family walk, pique teenagers’ into leaving the house, and maybe even leave your own little box of treasure somewhere. Find out more here and here.
EVENT KINGS OF MUSIC
It’s the final week and weekend of the Summer Sounds festival in Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross. Join pianist and entertainer Joe Stilgoe, the London Show Choir, and hip hop circus performers Simple Cypher. Don’t miss Arcade, a joyful, interactive performance with short dance ‘games’ to connect people of all ages with the childlike joy of play and each other! Free, just show up. Find out more here
You’re bound to spot some blackberries on your woodland adventures; they seem to be earlier and bigger than ever this year! If there are any left after eating them straight from the bramble, we’re going to try some recipes that go beyond crumble and standard jam. This chocolate blackberry sauce affair looks incredible, while fermented blackberry soda will see us through warm, late-summer afternoons in fizzy, gut-healthy style. Our love for lemon curd knows no boundaries, but we’re betting it’s even tarter spiked with berries, while blackberry sage sorbet has us drooling. Find many more ideas, including kid-friendly fruit leathers here.
DO LEAFING AROUND
Exploring forests in summer is a dreamy way to spend a sunny afternoon, and the leafy shade provides some relief from the heat. Forest bathing boosts mental and physical health, and children can learn about all kinds of topics through being in the woods. Here are six more of our tips to create a deeper connection to the wild world with your children.
Alternatively, go even crazier and use them to make pinky lipgloss, or they even make a planet-friendly clothes dye.
DO ICE, ICE BABY
Ice play is nice play. Stimulate senses and get creative with these vibrant frozen paints – make a batch of them and get them out on really hot days to help everyone chill out. Or perhaps create this ice and coloured salt sculpture. Use a freezer to create these sculptures, then let them melt on your head. Alternatively, use the warmer weather as an excuse to do our favourite experiment/recipe – quick freezing ice cream – or try use the same trick to make self-freezing slushies!
RECIPE LEAN GREEN MACHINE
Courgettes are well and truly heavily in season and sprouting on allotments, in gardens, and on greengrocers shelves up and down the country. Feeling a bit jaded by the jade-green vegetable? Try some new ideas. A courgette and orange cake or fruity courgette muffins, simple enough for little hands to bake. Spiral them into noodles or get more creative; zing them up into a pickle, chutney, or marmalade. Or try our recipes for courgette chocolate ice-cream, griddled courgettes with mint and lemon or iced courgette soup with yoghurt.
FEELING OVERWHELMED? This summer, many families will struggle financially. Childcare prices eat into budgets, and the rising cost of living is affecting most of us. New research from Family Action shows that over three quarters of parents and carers are worried about activity and entertainment costs this summer, while almost half feel more stressed and anxious about the holidays than excited. Family Action believe that every child and family deserves to make happy memories during the school break. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, FamilyLine can offer free emotional support and practical guidance via telephone, text, email or live chat. Find out more here.
WHAT WE’RE EATING Nettle and Mint Smoothie Mint is such a versatile herb. Pour boiling water onto a handful of leaves to make mint tea, or try this tasty and super nutritious green smoothie recipe from David Hamilton. Find the recipe here
WHAT WE’RE READING I’m doing the Edinburgh fringe at full-term pregnancy – and not just because I’d paid the deposit: Pregnancy is a privilege but is also weird, awkward and difficult. The cathartic nature of standup helps us consider the confusion of imminent parenthood. Read more here
