By Kate Hodges
03rd May 2023
EVENT, DO, MAKE CROWNING GLORY
It’s another long weekend! Some will be marking the coronation; perhaps at a happy and glorious Big Lunch, where you can come together with your community to celebrate, or at a flag-bedecked street party; find one near you here. Or you might like to fly the flag your own way; this alternative party at Chat’s Palace in Hackney features zine making workshops from Queer China, art workshops, and shadow puppet-making sessions.
Or perhaps you might take crafting inspiration from the coronation? Find out how the royal family’s crowns have been inspired by nature, and then make your own. Or create your own, reusable fabric bunting (it doesn’t have to be red, white and blue). Many people are planting container gardens to mark the occasion; why not spend some time outdoors creating colour and wildness that will last beyond the bank holiday?
If you’re not partial to pomp and circumstance, why not turn off the TV and head to a place that’s usually crowded? Try a World Heritage Site; Lulworth Cove, say, the Giant’s Causeway, or Avebury (find some of our favourite ancient sites here). Or head to a sapphire-strewn bluebell woods (we’ve rounded up our favourites here), climb a mountain, visit a cemetery, or go rock pooling (we have some suggestions for wildlife-filled beaches here).
EVENT LEARN AND GROW
Every year, Brighton Festival pushes boundaries a little further. This year, the guest director is Nabihah Iqbal, who hasput together a diverse, fun series of events. This Sunday’s extraordinary Children’s Parade celebrates One World, learning and growing from each other. Elsewhere, feel the earth move beneath your feet in Groundswell, a free, large-scale immersive installation, take a journey through order and chaos at the spectacular Out of Chaos at The Dome, and gasp at the ambitious, outdoor production of Galatea, John Lyly’s play written in the 1580s, a tale of queer love, gods, alchemy and acceptance among mysterious woods. Not in Brighton? Join in online, with a chat with two of our favourite authors, James and Lucy Catchpole, Mainly ticketed, but with plenty of free shows and happenings.
EVENT AND MAKE WELL GOOD
Well dressing season has started in Derbyshire. Most towns and villages in the county Peak District display a natural mosaic creation next to their wells and water features over spring and summer, each dedicated with a carnival or mini festival. It’s a tradition thought to have been started either by the Romans or Celts – find out more about it here. There’s a handy calendar of events across Derbyshire here, but if you’re not in the area, perhaps you could try creating your own mosaic made out of natural materials next to your pond, hosepipe or paddling pool? There are some ideas for methods here and here.
MAKE AND DO SPINE TIME
Feeling prickly? No wonder! It’s Hedgehog Awareness Week, your chance to do something to help our spiny friends. Reports suggest that numbers of the prickly characters have declined by more than half since 2000, and there’s been a 97% fall since the 1950s. So this is a good time to make your garden hedgehog friendly or be a little more pro-active, and contact your local council or tool hire company to ask them to use British Hedgehog Preservation Society stickers on their strimmers. Why not take the opportunity to try some hedgehog crafts too?
DO MONSTER MULCH
Put those food scraps to good use – it’s International Compost Awareness Week! It might not sound like the most glamorous of events, but gardeners are besotted with this rich, frugal stuff, and making it is a satisfying way to recycle scraps and leftovers. Why not use it as a kickstarter for your composting? There’s a great little video about urban composting here – you can break down scraps in even the smallest of flats, or find a family-friendly guide to composting here. Or run through more fun activities to try here – worm composting is a classic! Find more of our ideas for gardening with kids – including making a sunflower tunnel – here.
WHAT WE’RE EATING Butter Bean, Wild Rice, And Garlic-Roasted Carrot Salad This warm salad has a tangy punchy dressing and is packed with goodies - wild rice, for one is wildly nutritious! You can eat it cold if you’d prefer. Takes a while to cook but can be enjoyed as a picnic the following day too! Find the recipe here
WHAT WE’RE READING 6 parenting styles from other countries we can all learn from: “There are no hard and fast rules with parenting, and most of what we know is influenced by our surroundings and the culture we live in. But looking beyond our own small circles can give us interesting parenting ideas we may not have thought of before.” Read more here
