Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

26th May 2021

Bake garlic biscuits, get superfresh bike riding tips, meet David Walliams online and befriend a unicorn!

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

26th May 2021

Kate Hodges

By Kate Hodges

26th May 2021

National Biscuit Day We never need an excuse to crack open the cookies, but Saturday is National Biscuit Day, a celebration of all things crunchy and sweet. Did you know you can make beer with biscuits? Or that biscuits are why Liverpudlians are called scousers? Find out more incredible biscuit facts here. Why not spend some time in your kitchen making your own? Our recipe for child-baker-friendly cheese and chive biscuits is here or find our super-simple heart biscuits here. Or perhaps try some of the more, um, experimental recipes here? Choose from ultra-violet lavender and plum juice cookies to asparagus or even garlic biscuits!

EVENT Bike Week Cycling is an incredible solution to many challenges. More cycling could help fix air pollution, obesity, poor mental health and traffic congestion and Cycling UK  aims to help  make it easier for more people to cycle.  This week is Bike Week, time to get on your two-wheeler and ride! Take part in the #7dayscycling challenge and wheel it for seven days in a row, find fun for families with events, riding pledges and lots of ideas for wheely good indoor and outdoor activities or join in virtual events including group rides and bike breakfasts at school and – this Sunday – the world’s biggest bike ride!

Brighton and Bath Fringes Arts Festivals are back with a vengeance this month, and with them, come the Fringes. The blending of digital and real-world events means that even if you’re on the other side of the country, you can join in the fun. The Brighton Fringe includes silent disco walking tours, giant balloon shows, a pub quiz for kids and a circus in the Spiegeltent. Westwards, Bath Fringe includes a history of the radical Bath Arts Workshop at the History of Work Museum, a shortened, family-friendly, free version of The Tempest, and a chance to imbue marbles with inspiration that will be sent to world leaders who seem to have lost theirs!

The Hay Festival Bookworms alert! The Hay Festival is one of the biggest literary events of the year. This year, it’s digital, which means families from across the country can enjoy the very best in talks, workshops and sing-alongs. There are some huge flagship events, including Cressida Cowell on location in Kingley Vale Woodland, David Walliams in conversation, Radzi Chinyanganya teaching fun exercises modelled on the natural movements of animals, Julian Clary talking about his brand-new book and HIs Dark Materials stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson in a discussion with screenwriter Jack Thorne. Plus lots more! The online events are free, but sign up swiftly!

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival Edinburgh International Children’s Festival runs for the next couple of weeks. Curated by artists, it brings the best theatre and dance in the world to the city. This year, it’s a hybrid digital and real-world event, with lots of outdoor fun. The free Family Encounters Programme take place in the Royal Botanic Gardens as well as site-specific venues. Enjoy giant swings and aerialists, meet a unicorn or listen to a teeny story played for your ears only!

What We’re Reading
Parent trap: why the cult of the perfect mother has to end​
- “Worldwide, mothers are overworked, underpaid, often lonely and made to feel guilty about everything from epidurals to bottle feeding. Fixing this is the unfinished work of feminism.” Read more here

Don’t Miss!
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 it’s sixth year. Last year, tens of thousands of us signed up to do ‘Random acts of wildness’ that might include ‘eating a wild lunch’, ‘tuning in by switching off’ and ‘tickling toes in the grass’. 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!

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