By Kate Hodges
17th March 2017
EVENT AND COOK Top of the Morning
This weekend, all of Ireland (and beyond) celebrates St Patrick’s Day. There’s a huge parade and concert in Belfast today, and a party in London this Sunday. We’re going to be joining in at home by making soda bread, which is a perfect recipe for kids to start their baking career – it’s quick to make and great to eat straight out of the oven. We like the River Cottage recipe, and this one which adds linseeds and yoghurt to the mix.
LEARN Breaking Bard
March 20–26 is Shakespeare Week, the perfect time to introduce your little theatre fans to the works of the great writer. There are a series of events taking place across the country, you’ll find resources for home educators here, and for family activities here. This weekend, we’re going to kick the celebrations off by making our own quill pens and acting out some scenes from our favourite plays (find free kid-friendly scripts here)
COOK What A Pal-laver
The seaweed-picking season starts today. Free, fresh food and the seaside are two of our favourite things, so combining them is about as good as it gets. Our current run of bright, sunny weather is perfect for leaping around rocks. There are some great weed-wangling tips here, you’ll find tide-tables here, and some starter recipes here (how gorgeous does that cannelloni bean salad with marinated alaria look?) and here
EVENT Here Comes the Sun
It’s the spring equinox on Monday, a time to connect to stop and connect to the natural world, as well as celebrate with family and friends. We’ve got some great ideas for marking it here, or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, you could head to the druidic ceremony at Tower Hill in London this Monday. In some parts of the country, it’s traditional to drink dandelion and burdock cordial at this time of the year – they’re thought to cleanse the blood – find a recipe here, or an adult treat of dandelion and burdock beer here
MAKE Sprout and Proud
Parks, gardens and the countryside are all beginning to wake up. We’ve spotted blossom, sticky buds and lots of crocuses this week. Bring some green magic into your house, by making a grass head. They’re really fun to make – even really small children can help stick the face on, and easy to take care of. Perfect for teaching tiny kids about plant-care and growth.
