Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

02nd June 2021

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

02nd June 2021

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

02nd June 2021

EVENT AND DO Camping and Caravanning Week The sun is out, time to air out your canvas and camp it up. Perfect timing, then, for National Camping and Caravanning Week. Organised by the Camping and Caravanning Club, this year’s celebration includes on-site activities and online fun too, with nature chats from Julia Bradbury and nature therapist Holly Barber, mountaineering talks, campsite cookery lessons and activity sessions with Simon McGrath, author of Camping With Kids. Find more tips from Simon for camping with your family here, top tips for canvas holidays with your kids here (best one; take a box!) and, if you’re staying closer to home, ten ideas for garden tent adventures here.



FORAGE AND RECIPE Elderflowers These tiny white flowers (find how to identify them here) are starting to bloom. The fragrant heads are hanging low on trees and in hedges, perfect for flavouring cordial, cakes and fritters with their deep sweetness. This year, we’re making more syrup than ever, ready to make Elderflower Ice Lollies. Find our recipe for Elderflower Sgroppino (slushy!) here and more about beautiful edible flowers here.



EVENT AND DO
30 Days Wild Want to go wild with your family? Spend a month immersing yourselves in nature with the Wildlife Trust’s month of challenges. 30 Days Wild is now in its sixth year. Last year, tens of thousands of us signed up to do a daily ‘random act of wildness’ that included ‘eating a wild lunch’, ‘tuning in by switching off’ and ‘tickling toes in the grass’. We spoke to mum Louise Baker about the joys and benefits 30 Days Wild brought to her young family here. The Wildlife Trusts annual 30 Days Wild event runs throughout June, a challenge to commit a ‘Random Act of Wildness’ every day for a month. Get a free 30 Days Wild pack here now and be inspired!



EVENT The Big Lunch The Big Lunch starts this Saturday, and the good news is that this year the community fun stretches for a whole month. Why not take the opportunity to get to know your neighbours a little better? Share food with people in your ‘hood or beyond, play games in the street, and bring a little cheer to your part of town. Download a free pack and find lots and lots of resources to make the day a breeze to organise here, and find our top fresh ideas for breezy, vegan and veggie summer lunches to share here.

EVENT World Environment Day Saturday is World Environment Day, a chance to reimagine, recreate and restore. They say, “We cannot turn back time. But we can grow trees, green our cities, rewild our gardens, change our diets and clean up rivers and coasts. We are the generation that can make peace with nature. Let’s get active, not anxious. Let’s be bold, not timid.” Thinking about the future of the planet can be pretty scary, but this series of positive, inspiring events and online panels bring together a rainbow of people pulling together for a brighter future. Especially suitable for eco-aware teens. Find out more and search for events near you here

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Springwatch 2021 The gang are back for another three weeks of live wildlife stories from across the UK. How is the late spring affecting animals, ranging from curlews and owls to otters and golden hares? Find live multi-view webcams, mindful moments and every episode here. Watch here


WHAT WE’RE READING
The hidden load: How ‘thinking of everything’ holds mums back. When it comes to household responsibilities, women perform far more cognitive and emotional labour than men. Why is this, and is there anything we can do about it? Read more here

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