Five Things To Do With Your Family This Weekend

DO AND MAKE HARVEST HOME
Happy Lammas! Lammas is the traditional Celtic Harvest Festival, beginning at sundown on 31st July. It celebrates the wheat harvest, the power of the sun and light and skills and crafts. Find our four ways to celebrate Lammas with kids here.
Traditionally, this is the time of year that corn dollies were made from the last few stems of wheat, twisted and bound together to form a safe haven for the spirit of the harvest. Find out more about making them here, even more at the Straw Craftsmen site here and lots of projects to try here.
It’s also a time to bake loaves: find out more about the festival’s connection to wheat and milling here. Find recipes for Lemon, Courgette and Rosemary Bread here, and Chickpea Flatbread here. Or why not bake a golden, showstopper, flower-decked celebration focaccia?

DO RAINY PLAY
The weather hasn’t been great so far this summer, and we’re spending a lot of time indoors and making the most of the opportunity to attempt some longer-form art and indoor and rain-friendly outdoor play projects. Why not try the following?

Get out your stash of cardboard boxes and let your imagination run wild! We adore this baby maze made from card and bulldog clips while this stair-slide is great for older kids Find creative and magical ideas for cardboard houses here and lots more ideas here and here.
Natural vegetable dyeing combines the fun of fire (although you can do it just as easily in your kitchen), crazy experimentation, and customising your clothes. Colours come from natural materials – onion skins, blackberries, beetroot, spinach, bark and oats – and fixed using a ‘mordant’ – a salt or vinegar solution. Find full instructions here. Why not try using the method to create some crazy, all-natural, tie-dye effects – find ideas for patterns here, or to dye wool for knitting or weaving?
Create a cosy light-spangled space indoors, perfect for reading, plotting and dreaming. Find great tips here
Make some instruments from natural bits and pieces. Try creating a percussion stick, shaker, a pine cone mbira, driftwood xylophone (you can also use forest wood), or even a branch flute. Be inspired by more incredible natural instruments here.
Why not revamp your family bedrooms? You might choose a big project – building a fairy tale or cosy customised bed. Or perhaps try out some cunning new clutter-clearing ideas or storage solutions. More simply, try making your own cute boxes to encourage tidy rooms – we love these crystal-topped designs or repurpose ancient plastic toys to make these super-cool animal-topped jars

EVENT MILKY GOODNESS
It’s World Breastfeeding Week, a chance to celebrate the free, totally portable, nutrient-packed baby food; find our ideas of how to celebrate it here. The week is a global campaign to raise awareness and galvanise action on themes related to breastfeeding. We have a wealth of breastfeeding information at The Green Parent including ways to overcome common issues experienced by many women, breastfeeding beyond babyhood and breastfeeding advice for dads.

EVENT BARD ATTITUDE
This year’s Eisteddfod takes place in Boduan. Celebrating the very best of Welsh culture and language, as well as shows that include Welsh music, queer folk dancing and a dramatic finale with fire, music and poetry symbolising peace, there are the famous competitions that seek to unearth the best dancers, musicians, folk singers and poets in Wales. Enjoy the colourful pageantry of the druidic crowning of the bards, science shows, children’s village events and a sports area. Ticketed. More here

DO FREE DAYS
In the middle of the long summer holiday, and worried about having to fork out for expensive days out? We are rabid fans of making the most of our local museums and galleries events programmes. Search the events pages of your favourite local venue – there are usually free workshops, mini-festivals, storytelling and arts classes happening throughout the summer. Our favourites include London’s Museum of Childhood’s design, storytelling and family days, the Museum of London’ Dockland’s walks, trails and workshops that uncover London’s family-friendly and history-soaked spaces (don’t miss this Saturday’s silent disco), Gateshead’s Baltic Gallery’s tours, creative groups and comic book club Left Bank in Leeds sports days, toddler takeovers and breakin’ classes, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s family raves, wax workshops and sound walks.

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 Vitamin-Packed Salad Marie Laforet shares a super easy jam packed summery salad recipe for a light family lunch. It’s vegan and full of nutrients and colour. Great for a picnic too! Find the recipe here

WHAT WE’RE READING Mum, dad, other: intimate photographs of parents – in pictures: “Through costume, humour and even a bout of arm-wrestling, these photographers examine the most important relationship of all” Read more here