Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

14th September 2022

Keep our beaches clean, make conker soap, and cutting-edge eco design for kids! Plus how to talk to your children about the death of the Queen, and discover east Yorkshire.

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

14th September 2022

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

14th September 2022

EVENT BEACH PLEASE
Pollution, aggressive fishing and corporate irresponsibility is putting our nation’s sparkling seas at risk. Why not give a little back, and do your bit to help keep our beaches beautiful?
The Marine Conservation Society run The Great British Beach Clean, which starts this weekend and is the UK’s biggest beach clean-up and survey. Not only are beaches spruced and tidies, but all the litter found is categorised, recorded and analysed in order to help come up with solutions for preventing more rubbish appearing, and to tackle the sources of marine trash. Hop along to an event or organise your own; find out more here. Find out more about the day and other sea-based action to get involved in here.

While you’re cleaning the beach, you might spot some beautiful shells. Why not pick them up and use them to create art? Try making a mathematical mandala – a great way to learn about art and maths, or blob crayons on heated shells. Hang these seashell-covered letters on your walls, and be reminded of holidays every time you see them or make this stylish, seashell-encrusted wreath for cool coastal style. Head here for more beautiful and cute ideas - we love their shell necklaces and driftwood weavings.

EVENT CAPITAL COOL
The London Design Festival combines installations, art, talks and workshops to celebrate the capital’s position as the design capital of the world. It’s a great opportunity for creative teens and young people to mix with professionals and learn. The opening and closing William Morris Design Line 2022 events take place in Walthamstow’s new public space Fellowship Square, and will include sensory art, craft, upcycling, street art workshops, dance and circus skills.

Elsewhere in the city, you might wander around open studios, take a walk with a Lomo camera and have your pictures processed for free, explore a nature-inspired off-grid mobile cabin in Kings Cross, make willow baskets at the V and A, find out how to decompose textiles using fungi, create your own crayons using powdered wood, or wander through immersive installations.

EVENT NOW YOU’RE WALKING
Discover the wonderful landscapes of east Yorkshire, from coasts to hills, at this week’s annual Walking East Yorkshire Festival. Choose from ghost walks, seabird cruises, horse riding, lighthouse tours, wild swimming and kayaking. There are free, downloadable or real-life walking tours, and plenty for kids to do, including den building at Danes Dyke Country park, exploring a cave at North Landing, or bouncing on a giant trampoline. Some activities ticketed, many free. Find the full brochure here.

MAKE GOING NUTS
Early autumnal walks to school wouldn’t be complete without kicking around some horse chestnut cases and breaking them open to reveal nut-brown conkers. Did you know that there’s no proof that they repel spiders, but that they might keep moths at bay? Find out more conker facts here and ten things to do with conkers here. Conkers are, of course, great for crafts – we are in love with these cute painted horse chestnut hedgehogs – but did you know you can use conkers for making soap? If you fancy brewing the ultimate in wild detergents, discover how here. Alternatively, gear up for the World Conker Championships in October and practice your gameplay; find tips here (you might like to give passing your conker through a pig a miss).

EVENT ACE VENTURA

The eleventh Design Ventura, the Design Museum’s annual competition aimed at young adults aged 13–16 has launched. This year, architect Setter-Selasi Setufe MBE has set the brief, inviting students to design a product inspired by the theme of ‘Place’. The winning team of students will have their product manufactured and sold in the Design Museum Shop, with the profits gong to a charity of their choice. There’s also a Ventura Mini Challenge themed around ‘wellbeing’,for students in year 7 or 8, with winners announced fortnightly.There’s a deep well of resources and video briefs online or find out more about the competition here.

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING Cucumber & Ginger Smoothie Harvesting a cucumber is one of our greatest garden joys – once you try a freshly picked cucumber, the supermarket ones will never suffice again. The crunch and sweetness of a homegrown cucumber are delightful, but you can also turn these green wonders into a super refreshing and tasty smoothie. Find out more here

WHAT WE’RE READING How to talk to kids about the Queen’s death: “The Queen was part of so many lives since childhood and, while death is never an easy subject to discuss, it’s a little tougher when the passing is of someone who was such a big part of the nation and the world.

With all this happening at such a time of societal change and with many children starting or returning to school it may be a rocky few months. You know your children and how to help them but should you need extra support, here are a few tips on how to deal with it.” Read more here

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