Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

18th May 2018

Make an outdoor weaving frame, try avant-gardening, sleep over in a museum near you and make delicious elderflower recipes!

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

18th May 2018

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

18th May 2018

EXTRA: 30 Days Wild - sign up now!
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. We’re fans, so wanted to give you a heads-up to sign up for your free pack now, in plenty of time. Click here for more details

EVENT Fringe Benefits
The punk rock little sister of the sedate Flower Show, the Chelsea Fringe is London’s incredible annual celebration of alternative planting and nature. An idiosyncratic event that celebrates the best in community and guerrilla gardening, it encourages links between gardens and art, literature, music, cookery, history, crafts and ecology. Whether you learn about foraging in the city on a wild food walk, poke your head into a community garden, create sun prints, or become the centre of a human-powered, floral sundial, the festival is packed with things that make you gasp with pleasure, as well as inspire you to dig out your fork and trowel. This year, we’re particularly looking forward to Saturday’s botanical cocktails, lawn games and veg carving workshops at the Geffrye, workshops at the Floating Meadow in Paddington, and the glorious series of events run under the green canopy of the Urban Tree Festival. Until May 27. Map and line-up here

EVENT Mighty Nighty
Museums at Night is a twice-yearly magical series of art, one-off events and wonderful experiences, as galleries and museums across the country keep their doors open into the evening (and, if you’re lucky, overnight). Expect action-packed sleepovers, parties, and immersive artworks, plus magic lantern shows, storytelling and portrait drawing. Liverpool’s Lightnight series of events will see the city filled with multi-media, immersive experiences around the theme of Transformation, while Newcastle and Gateshead’s Late Shows will thrill all ages Meanwhile, in London, you can find out about mesmerism, or make your visit to the slightly creepy Pollocks Toy Museum more sinister by going in the dark. All weekend.

MAKE Warp and Weft
Weaving using natural materials is a creative, therapeutic activity that is a calming, meaningful way of spending time outside. MotherNatured’s lovely, permanent outdoor frame is inspirational, as she says, “I’ve noticed the girls using it when they need some quiet time away from their sisters or if they’re a little more emotional than normal. They enjoy quietly weaving the strands of grass through the strings using their fingertips and while they do that, I know their mind is in that moment and not anywhere else. It’s been wonderful for their soul.” We also love their mini version (great for rainy days), and this idea for a very simple, little wooden take on the craft

EVENT and LEARN Rainbow Family
We visited the Horniman Museum’s excellent Colour: The Rainbow Revealed at the weekend, and it’s inspired us to learn more about colours and the way they shape our world. This experiment explores how different colours absorb heat at different rates, while these rainbow experiments for young children explore light refraction. Find more light and colour learning ideas here and more in-depth theories about colour, colour perception, camouflage and mixing here.

RECIPE Smells Like Spring
It’s elderflower season! We’ve already made our first batch of cordial – there’s a recipe for citric acid-free version here, as well as our favourite fritter dessert. Bring on the summer with this Elderflower Panna Cotta, or try these Elderflower and Lemon Buns. There are lots more ideas here, including one for this heavenly sounding Elderflower Curd

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