By Kate Hodges
01st June 2022
EVENT, DO THE WHEEL THING
Cycling is an incredible solution to many challenges; more of us biking can help fix air pollution, lower obesity rates, and ease poor mental health and traffic congestion. Cycling UK aims to help make it easier for more people to ride. Bike Week runs from June 6-12, so make time to get on your two-wheeler and ride! Find fun for families with events, riding pledges and lots of ideas for wheely good indoor and outdoor activities We love the idea of setting up a bike wash, cycling to school, and doing a cycling treasure hunt!
Find pedal powered inspiration at The Green Parent. Discover our favourite woodland cycle routes here, how to choose a bike for a child here and how motherhood inspired writer Laura Cooke to get on her bike here.
DO THE LUNCH BUNCH
The Big Lunch is a yearly event that aims to bring communities together for a sociable gathering. With delicious food! Win, win, win. This is an event in which children can really get involved; they can make decorations, help design menus, make simple food and act as hosts (is there anything cuter than a kid pretending to be a waiter?) There are always a load of ready-set-up lunches across the country to join, or start your own! If you’re celebrating Ramadan, on irregular shifts, or just fancy a candle-powered gathering, why not try a lunar lunch and feast into the night?
EVENT STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER
Cambridge’s most popular event has been filling the town’s Midsummer Common with colour, noise and spectacle for over 40 years, bringing together over 30,000 people, and the free, volunteer-run Strawberry Fair is happening all over again this Saturday. There are little stages and wonder-filled tents dotted around the common; choose from Shady Nasty’s subversive and satirical blend of funk, punk, brass and hip hop, visit the druids circle, sacred space and herbal apothecary at Scarecrow Corner, or hang out in the family friendly Kids Park. The Fair is committed to taking care of the environment with generator-free zones, recycled decor, no plastic bottles and a free online programme. Good times!
EVENT GREEN FEST
The UK’s biggest free celebration of the UK’s wild beasts and plants, Bristol and Bath’s Festival Of Nature takes over the cities for two weekends of exhibitions, music, nature parties, walks, workshops, talks and more. Try tree yoga, wildlife photography, wildlife treasure mapping, or making nature mandalas. As well as family friendly events, there’s a cutting-edge programme designed for adults and those who work, volunteer or take part in activism in the natural sector including a panel discussion with Lawyers for Nature and a debate about what it means to be a working-class nature writer.
Two years of digital-only events means that the gang have got rather good at online happenings, so everyone in the country can enjoy this celebration of our beautiful planet through games, workshops and improv events. Free, some events ticketed, with a maximum charge of £5. June 10–18.
MAKE SCENT-SATIONAL
Sense-stimulating, creative and fun, concocting perfume is one of our favourite activities. Even the youngest child can create scents – this technique includes lots of learning opportunities, while this method uses more natural ingredients found in your garden or fruit bowl. It’s a hobby that will scale up and down age groups – Teen Vogue makes the process incredibly chic, and no adult will be able to resist creating their own, bespoke herbal scent - why not hold a perfume-making party?
WHAT WE’RE READING The dads learning to plait their daughters’ hair: “Annis Waugh, from St Albans-based Braid Maidens, has been plaiting hair since she was a child and began running classes last year.While men were always welcome in her sessions, none had ever booked on one before. So she organised separate men’s and women’s groups as a PTA fundraiser for a local primary school, and was amazed when the men’s one sold out when there were still tickets for the women’s night.”
Read more here
