By Kate Hodges
28th July 2017
EVENT Pedal Powered
Saturday’s Prudential RideLondon cycling festival is a great opportunity to get your family together for an adventure on their bikes. An eight-mile loop of streets of central London is closed to motorised traffic, and two (and three, and four), pedal-powered wheelers will reign supreme. The FreeCycle passes some of the most iconic sights in the world – this is an incredibly rare chance to ride hassle-free past Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England. Route-side, you’ll find seven festival zones, all packed with family-friendly bike-based entertainment. You might find pedal-powered smoothie-making machines, cycle polo matches, or bike tune-up stations. Even the tiniest of riders can come on their scooters. Plus don’t miss all the professional races taking place over the weekend!
MAKE and DO Play Out
The summer holidays are a great opportunity to create inspiring and beautiful outdoor play spaces together. There are some gorgeous ideas for inviting play spaces in bigger gardens here (we love the pole bean teepee and super-cool mud kitchen as well as the sensory path). We adore the ideas and ambition of the ideas to create a natural outdoor play space here too! If you’ve got a smaller space, or balcony, there are some great ideas for pack-away fun here
RECIPE Slooooow Tea
Long sunny days are perfect for the slowest of slow food (well, drink), sun tea, best served over ice. This spearmint recipe takes eight bright hours to make, and includes fully caffeinated tea, while these versions are made with herbal alternatives. Martha Stewart’s take uses rooibos leaves. Do ensure your container is clean as there’s a tiny risk of bacterial growth.
EVENT Curious Minds
One of the quirkiest museums in the UK, the Pitt-Rivers in Oxford celebrates Pitt Fest this Saturday. Held inside (no weather worries!) explore the extensive collections of wonders from around the world via performances, tours, workshops, live music, object handling and talks. Try ‘knapping’ soap, hear atmospheric stories, see a bronze age furnace, follow a quiz trail, watch African dances, peep behind the scenes of the museum, and much more. Free, some tours £5.
MAKE and LEARN Bee Here Now
Encourage the buzz in your garden with these incredibly beautiful bee hotels. Make a few different versions, place them around your garden or balcony, and see which attracts the most guests!
