By Kate Hodges
27th September 2023
DO AND EVENT SENSES WORKING OVERTIME
Every year, October’s Big Draw festival brings hundreds of events to families across the country, encouraging everyone to sharpen up their pencils and get sketching for a whole month. Find our pick of the best events here. This year, the theme is Drawing With Senses, so expect lots of touch, sight, smell, sound and taste themed classes and workshops being held at galleries, museums and public spaces across the country. Perhaps you’ll contribute to a huge communal drawing, learn how to sketch with a real-life illustrator, or try your hand at street art? Find an event near you here.
Sensory art experiences suit the tiniest of children. Find out practical ideas for sensory painting, gloop and aroma ice here, and learn about the importance of sense-stimulating art for kids here.
EVENTS TIME TO SALUTE
October is Black History Month, this year themed around ‘Saluting Our Sisters’, and the #wematter movement, championing the achievements of Black women. Find a resource pack here.
There are, of course, lots of events to celebrate. Find the programme here, which includes the Museum of Liverpool’s Inspirational Black Scousers exhibition, zine-making classes and drumming workshops, the Black British Book Fair, and Birmingham’s Curated Market.
The Guardian has an excellent collection of BHM-related articles here and ideas for teaching here and here. We’ve also curated a list of our favourite books to inspire you and your kids to learn more about the culture and achievements of people of Black and ethnic minority heritage here. Or find different perspectives on the event; young people discuss their feelings about Black History Month. Read Dana Williams’ piece for The Green Parent about how to talk about race at home and find out about Dr Janice Johnson Dias’ thoughts on creating a new generation of changemakers here.
EVENT AND DO SPOT THE REDS
Red Squirrel Awareness Week starts on Monday. Autumn is a great time to see red squirrels as they forage nuts to cache for the winter months. Red squirrels don’t actually hibernate; in autumn they’ll spend time collecting food for the winter when they’ll be less active but they’ll still actually be awake. There are thought to be only about 140,000 red squirrels left in Britain compared to around 2.5 million greys.
Find a red-hot-spot near you, with our list of places to see the little critters. If you’re lucky enough to spy one, log your sighting here. Or craft your very own adorable pine-cone squirrel!
EVENT QUEER NATURE
This October, Kew Gardens celebrates the diversity and beauty of plants and nature with a groundbreaking new festival, Queer Nature. Jeffrey Gibson’s huge artwork, House of Spirits will fill the Temperate House with colour and pattern, while a horticultural installation will explore plants and fungi that challenge traditional expectation, and scientists, gardeners and writers will be on hand to give their perspectives on queerness and nature. The gardens will stay open late on certain dates. Find out more here.
DO FIRED UP
Nowhere celebrates bonfire season quite like Sussex. Lewes’ November 5th celebrations are world-famous, but the fires and fireworks across the county have already started. It’s wild and woolly; sparks fly, skeletons roam and the drums are loud! Find more about the history of the events here, and this year’s dates here.
WHAT WE’RE EATING SEAWEED AND MUSHROOM BROTH All hail soup season. It’s a seriously happy day in our household when the soup tureen comes out of it’s summer hiding place in the depths of the cupboard and starts bubbling away on the stove! You can use any greens you like in this soup. Find the recipe here
WHAT WE’RE READING Say hello to co-housing: the women living together: “As the cost of living in the UK continues to rise and more people are experiencing loneliness than ever before, concepts known as co-housing and homesharing are taking hold in the UK. Adrianne Webster speaks to the women living together in shared communities to find out more.” Read more here
