Five Things To Do With Your Family This Weekend

DO HARVEST HOME
The Autumn Equinox or Mabon falls on Friday. It’s a gentle opportunity to mark the transition of the seasons? Find some juicy ideas for you and your family here, including planning a harvest party, using Ayurveda to stay healthy, and how to survive and thrive with yoga and affirmations.
Pagan symbols of Mabon include the apple and the horn of plenty; find out how to make an bounteous altar, or bake a buttermilk bread charm and join the fun here. Discover more facts, traditions, folklore and more about the Autumn Equinox here; is it really true that you can only balance an egg on its end on this day? We’re going to try!
We love this piece about Mabon, which includes instructions to craft a hag dolly from corn husks; make one to represent the female spirit of the ancient mother believed to live in the harvest. “That’s what an equinox is – a balance of night and day. It’s a pause between breaths, the liminal space between heartbeats. At Mabon, we are occupying the moment just before the exhale, balanced on the edge of the blade. The light is noticeably turning towards darkness, seeds are falling to the earth to go dormant, and everything is preparing to rest and going inward to build up enough energy to begin the cycle again next year.”

EVENTS WHERE TO PARTY
If it’s Equinox, it must be harvest festival time! Across the UK, farmers are reaping corn, cutting wheat and creating stocks of food for winter. There are celebrations of abundance in even the most concreted of urban areas; head to Brixton Windmill this Sunday to find out about the history and craft of milling, join games and craft workshops and raise a toast to wheat. Free. More here

Or, for those who crave a more dramatic celebration of the turning of the year’s wheel, this Saturday, all roads lead to Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire. To celebrate the end of summer, there’s a celebration straight out of Valhalla; step into a world of valkyries, berserkers and wolves; watch warrior battles sing along with folk music and, at dusk, witness the burning of a Viking longship. More here

Right now, the Festival of Thrift feels timely and much-needed, and makes low-cost living bright and fun. Held in Billingham in County Durham, it’s a riot of workshops; make poetic pennants, hedgerow tea or hand salve, or join a kids hammering and sawing class. Take some unneeded bits to the swap shop, repair a much-loved item at the Fix It Cafe, learn about budgeting and get some make-do-and-mend tips. There’s lots of entertainment, art, storytelling and wild fun on offer too. Entry free, park and ride £2 bus fare, some events ticketed Friday–Sunday. More here

The River Medway flows through Kent, and is alive with maritime history, and remnants of industry. The waterway and its heritage is celebrated this Saturday at the Festival of Chatham Reach. Climb aboard steam tugs for a free ship tour, sail on a barge or take a high-speed rib tour. Landlubbers might prefer a history walk, family art workshop or singing along with a sea shanty or two. Many activities free, rib rides ticketed. Find out more here

And the Totally Thames celebrations continue this week. Events up and down London’s waterway include a mask-making workshop on the Greenwich Peninsula (this week is focussed on Greenwich), kayak taster sessions, mudlarking fun, talks and walks, and online film screenings and games workshops, accessible from anywhere in the world. More here

EVENT AND DO PUT DOWN ROOTS
Trees look beautiful, store carbon, improve our health and are fun to climb! Every year, from the autumn equinox, The Tree Council celebrate Seed Gathering Season; a month-long festival for everyone – no matter how much or little they know about trees – to gather seeds, fruits and nuts ahead of the winter planting season.
The idea is that seeds collected from local trees are adapted to local circumstances – local provenance – and are more likely to thrive. Both rural and urban spaces benefit from new trees; bringing energy, life and beauty to any area. A growing tree is a pretty exciting concept for a youngster too and watching a tree grow alongside the child can make it very special.
Give purpose to an early autumn walk, and find your own, or take part in an organised event near you. Find out more – including how to grow and nurture your own trees – here.
Read more about learning through trees here, bringing children up with a love for trees here, and holiday treehouses to rent here

DO ON THE STREETS

Imagine a world free of roaring engines, fumes and, instead streets filled with children playing, communities growing crops and art.For one day a year (tomorrow, Thursday 22, this time around) that dream comes true; World Car Free Day is a global event when cities and towns close their roads to traffic and let people take priority. Find out more about what is happening this year here, and, longer-term, how to set up a parklet or pop-up park here and find out how to create your own temporarily car-free street here. Want to read more? Find out why Dr Steven Pinker thinks we may be smothering our children here, and get ideas for going car-free in the country here.

DO SPOKEY DOKEY
Cycle To School week starts on Monday. Organised by Sustrans, it’s a celebration of riding and the benefits of travelling actively for children. Cycling as a family is fun at any time, but especially suits autumn; the cooler days still have enough sun to keep things upbeat. Find how to choose a bike for your child here and our top ten family cycle routes here. Or crank up your gears and read how motherhood inspired Laura Cooke to get on her bike, discover how one family cycled 16,500 miles with their eight-year-old daughter, and marvel at the incredible Pasches who have biked around the world for over ten years, even giving birth to a child on the road.

WHAT WE’RE EATING Cheese and Bean Quesidilla Lucinda Miller shares a rainbow of delights for feeding babies, toddlers and the whole family! A real crowd pleaser, this is such an easy lunch or supper to rustle up – plant-based, so it suits everyone, and packed with iron from the black beans. Find the recipe here

WHAT WE’RE READING The ultimate guide to neurodivergent planning and time management: “Neurodivergence can make it difficult to conform to the rules, especially in school. But learn to harness its power, and it suddenly becomes a strength. Neurodivergent people have an exceptional capacity to become organized and to manage their time well, because their neurodivergence gives them a strong incentive to do so.

So how can neurodivergent people better plan their lives and organize their time? Let me tell you—and show you—that, seriously, it can actually be fun, and maybe even become a special interest.” Read more here