Harvest Festival: A Family Celebration of Plants

The South London Botanical Institute is opening its grounds to families on Thursday 29 October for a hands-on morning called Harvest Festival: A Family Celebration of Plants. It's a session built around seasonal plants, and the whole thing runs for an hour and a half, from 11:00 to 12:30, with doors opening at 10:55. It's best suited to children aged 4 to 14, though it's open to all ages.

There's plenty to get stuck into. You can print with apples, potatoes and leeks, make your own botanical scarecrow, and take an autumn plant hunt around the garden. There's also a microscope for peering at vegetables, and you'll collect seeds to take home and plant when spring rolls around. Along the way, the session covers the basics of seeds, roots, dispersal and dormancy, so the kids pick up how plants actually work while they're doing it.

It's a drop-in event, and children must be supervised at all times. Booking is essential, and you'll need a separate booking for each child attending, though accompanying adults are included. Entry is free, so it's a low-pressure way to spend a half-term morning with the kids. The institute is at 323 Norwood Road, London SE24 9AQ, and it's currently not accessible to wheelchairs.