Five Things To Do With Your Family This Weekend

DO AND EVENT IT’S A SLING THING

It’s International Babywearing Week! To celebrate, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite Green Parent articles!

• Not sure where to get started with baby wearing? Find your nearest sling library, to find people who’ll set you up and let you trial lots of different types of styles.
• Read about the benefits of babywearing to you as a parent:
• - five mothers talk about how it’s made them more present.
• What’s the best sling for newborns? How can I carry my older child? Get answers to your questions here.
• Have a baby and another on the way? Find out about how to babywear when you’re pregnant.
• We love this collection of books for babies and toddlers with carried babies featured in the illustrations: .
• Keen crafter? Find step by step instructions on making your own mei-tai here.
• Love baby wearing and want to know how to turn your passion into a business? Read our piece on baby wearing as a business.
• Check out this historical and cultural look at carrying babies drawing on traditions from around the world.

EVENT AND MAKE KNIT WITS
It’s Wool Month, a celebration of the planet-friendly, warm, versatile materia l!Why not celebrate by trying some yarn-based crafts? Knitting with your family is fun and rewarding, find our eight reasons why we love it here or get political with your needles! There’s a hint of a chill in the air; time, perhaps, to make this mushroom-patterned hot water bottle cover from an old woollen sweater?
Our you might start at the beginning and with the most basic craft; find some sheep’s wool on a walk (perhaps when you’re out on your mushroom hunt) and make a mini drop spindle to turn it into thread. Now to turn that into something more beautiful. This branch loom not only teaches kids the art of weaving, but also makes a lovely, cosy decoration when it’s finished. Find lots more inspiring wooly wonder ideas here

EVENT AND DO GRAVE ON
Spooky season is getting into full swing. London’s Month of the Dead is an annual festival of death, symbolism, magic and the dark. Best for older children, teenagers and parents: take spooky guided tours of cemeteries, ossuraries and the city, make pagan poppets, Victorian gravestone-style pottery or learn about candle magic. Find out more here.
Want to soak up some more dramatic gothic vibes? Take a walk with your family around a burial ground or cemetery. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites across the UK here.

EVENT HOUSES OF FUN
The Fun Palaces campaign was dreamt up in the ‘60s by radical theatre director Joan Littlewood, to create a community-based ‘laboratory of fun’, places for people of all ages and backgrounds to get creative with art and science.This is the tenth anniversary of this incarnation of the Fun Palace project, with thousands of makers creating community-led events across the country.
This weekend, you’ll find a ‘creative riot’ in Blackburn, a choir-led rumpus in Gateshead, a magic garden in Medway, and Hoxton Hall in London will be opening up its doors for a day of arty fun. There are hundreds of events taking place across the country in libraries, arts centres and cinemas; find a palace near you and have an incredible weekend!

RECIPE QUINCEY JAMS
In ancient Greece, the golden, sweet-smelling quince was a symbol of love, marriage and fertility. As we wheel into October, find these seasonal fruits at farm shops and markets across the UK. They smell delicious, but you can’t eat them raw. Try using them in jams and jellies – they are the main ingredient in Spanish Membrillo which complements Manchego cheese perfectly. Alternatively, Nigel Slater’s Quince and Panettone pudding makes a warming dessert (we’ve already seen panettone stocked in Lidl and Aldi), while Yotam Ottolenghi’s Stilton and Butternut Squash Quiche makes for a lighter dinner treat.

WHAT WE’RE EATING: Scrumped Apples If you can salvage any apples for cooking with there are so many great ways to include them in desserts and sauces. Most of ours get eaten straight off the tree and if they make it to the fruit bowl we’re lucky. But if you’ve a large harvest, there are some great ways to make the most of this truly seasonal fruit. From simple baked apples to a more involved tasty pie recipe, enjoy the diversity! Find the recipes here

WHAT WE’RE READING The Norwegian secret: how friluftsliv boosts health and happiness: “The term was coined by the playwright Henrik Ibsen in his 1859 poem On the Heights, although the concept is much older. Its literal translation is “free-air life”, but Ibsen used it to convey a spiritual connection with nature. To modern Norwegians, it means participating in outdoor activities, but also has a deeper sense of de-stressing in nature and sharing in a common culture. Could this outdoor life hold the key to Norwegians’ health and happiness?” Read more here