BULWELL Forest Garden is putting on a packed programme of summer activities for families over the school holidays.
The garden, in Austin Street, will hold free sessions every Friday from 1pm to 4pm.
The events will be held in partnership with Bulwell Forest Children's Centre and Bulwell Toy Library.
Garden committee chairman Barbara Bates said: "It's brilliant, because this is the first time we're going to have cook-and-eat sessions that the children's centre are going to be putting on at the same time, so there's things for parents as well as for youngsters.
"And we've tried to ensure that there's something for all ages – we've got the den building for some of the older kids and then we have the teddy bear's picnic for the younger kids, making honey sandwiches and going on a bear hunt."
The first session on Friday, July 26, the "Bee Day", will let children see a bee hive in action, carry out planting in the new bee-friendly sensory garden and enjoy facepainting, as well as learn how to make banana and honey pancakes in a cook-and-eat session.
Other sessions include den-making, making windchimes from natural materials, a teddy bears' picnic in the garden's woods, and making scarecrows to scare the birds away from the garden's crops.
Bulwell Community Toy Library will send along playworkers from its Play on the Wild Side project to help with the den building day on Friday, August 2.
Senior project playworker Jane Byrne said: "Den building is fun as adults and it's even more fun when you do it as kids, having your own secret area to play in.
"A lot of kids these days don't get the chance to come out and do stuff like this – I always say a mucky child is a happy child!"
Ms Bates added: "They'll be getting fresh air and sunshine and it's such a safe environment up here – you can run off into the woods. We do safety checks all the time. It's much nicer than just knocking around the house or on the streets."
The summer is rounded off with a family fun day on Saturday, August 31.
Stalls, activities and games will be provided, and families are urged to bring their own picnics.
