Hay workshops and a hungry giraffe...

I got a bit carried away and promised someone I'd make a giant giraffe out of loo rolls...
It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Now of course I am sort of regretting it, as I'm not totally sure what I'm doing. Really hadn't thought it through. But that's what happens when you get caught up in a wave excitement - and I was - I was proper surfing that wave, because the toddler-sized giraffe is for the Hay Festival. THE Hay Festival!

I love the Hay Festival, and this year I'm going to be there, not just visiting, but actually doing Make Your Own Zoo workshops, like the one I did before Christmas. Such an amazing opportunity.

We're lucky enough to live fairly close to Hay, so the 2 week Literary Festival has always been an easy option for us, and it's a great way to spend a day. Such a relaxed event; just wander in - you only need tickets for the talks, which you can book in advance online, or on the day, if there are any spaces left. Always such an interesting, diverse range of writers - serious, funny, thought-provoking, informative, quirky, illuminating - a long list and a packed programme. Don't really want to say there's something for everyone; such a cliche, but there probably is. The rest of the time you can amble around the stalls, check out the food hall, do a spot of people/celeb watching and then maybe enjoy a glass of something lovely as you sit in the sun (hopefully) reading a book you've just bought. Or snoozing.

Obviously this would be a perfect... if you managed to go without kids. If that's not possible, during Half Term week they lay on loads of activities - talks by well known kids' authors and all kinds of workshops, like the one I'm doing.

I'm going to be in the Make and Take tent on the 2nd June, and there'll be 4 free sessions throughout the day. My plan is a different animal per session, so now I have to work out which ones and how much prep to do, based on what I learnt from the workshops last year. Need to keep things moving along - definitely learnt that.

But I can't properly think about the workshops until I finish the giant giraffe, which is by no means a quick make...

I've used pieces of cereal box card and newspaper to slot tubes together - it is surprisingly sturdy.

Different sized tubes helped a lot with the head.

I've still not completely sure about the body, or how it's all going to come together, and I keep running out of tubes! I've been on the scrounge for weeks, but it is a bit awkward to keep asking, and this giraffe is just gobbling them up.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Make Your Own Zoo, down on the farm!

I'm holding my first Make Your Own Zoo workshops next week! REALLY excited. A little apprehensive too, but mostly excited.

They're at Kate Humble's farm, Humble By Nature near Monmouth which is a pretty special venue.
Humble By Nature is the place to go to learn rural skills, like running a smallholding and animal husbandry, and there are cooking and craft courses too. Such a varied range of things to do, often with a bit of a twist! And the team are always open to new ideas; ones that share their values. Do have a read about how it all began, here. It's been quite a journey.

I'm doing three, hour long sessions on Monday, and they're all sold out which is brilliant. So, there'll be 10 children + parents coming along to each one, and my goal is to make it fun, and to send everyone home with as many animals as we can possibly squeeze into an hour!

I've done a bit of prep to keep things moving along, mainly painting pieces of cereal box card and cutting up egg boxes. Hopefully we'll manage a lion, giraffe or zebra, a penguin....

and, if there's time, a sheep! Definitely the right place to be making sheep. Might be a little ambitious though. I've been working on a few make your own farm ideas....

I'll let you know how it goes! Hopefully no hitches, because I've been asked to do a workshop at the Hay Festival Winter Weekend at the end of November which I'm so, so thrilled about. Can't believe it really. Another path that started here.