Here are lots of exciting and interesting activities for you to try with your family or at your school, and to share with your friends. From this week we will be sending out the Healthy Lives newsletter three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There's something for everyone.

If you're in a school, please share this newsletter using your social media or website using the following share button, or you can click the hyperlink in the top right corner of this email:

Just to let you know, you're receiving this because you have either opted in to get emails from the council relating to children and education, or you are one of the Healthy Lives team's regular contacts, or you may also have been forwarded this email from your school.

If you know anyone who would like to sign up to this newsletter, please send them the following link. They will need to close the initial pop-up subscription box and complete the one on the main webpage.  They will then need to choose Children and Education as their preferred topic:

www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/signup

Take care,

The Healthy Lives team at London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Here's a selection of fun activities for you and your family...

Gardening tips from School Gardener of the Year winners 🌱

Gardening is a great skill to learn, it can keep you busy, help you relax and connect with nature. BBC's Newsround asked winners of the Royal Horticultural Society School Gardener of the Year competition for their gardening tips.

There are plenty of things you can grow at home, so don’t worry if you do not have access to a garden. Some top tips include:

• Start a windowsill garden in a sunny spot.
• You can easily grow items like herbs, tomatoes and salad leaves indoors.
• You can even use empty toilet rolls to grow peas in 

Gardening tips >

Scavenger hunt for different coloured flowers 🌺

How many coloured flowers can you find on your next walk? Chelsea Physic Garden (founded in 1673) has challenged you to find as many different coloured flowers on your next walk. The supporting worksheet encourages you to tick off flowers as you see them and provides a guide on which colours insects and birds are attracted to.

Start your adventure >

Virtual Kew

Kew Gardens enables you to travel to the tropics, the desert and the mountains without leaving your house, via their virtual tour and seasonal footage. You can also watch conservation in action at Wakehurst - where the Millennium Seed bank stores seeds from all over the world to safeguard wild plant diversity.

Kew Gardens virtual tour >

Plant photography tips from Kew Gardens

Nature photography is a great way to explore the great outdoors and the following tips could apply to taking photos in a garden, on your balcony or of indoor plants. You could even photograph plants and trees that you can see from a window.

Tips include:

• Focus on seasonal highlights - for example wildlife, colours or flowers blooming.
• Colours and mood - play around with harmonious and contrasting colours, texture and beauty.
• Select the best time of the day - early morning and late afternoons usually offer the best natural light.
• Get closer - practice your macro skills to capture those smaller details, like water droplets on leaves which look magical.

Plant photography >

And remember...

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."

David Attenborough

The Healthy Lives Team want to support you with all aspects of health and wellbeing. We will be sending you regular newsletters that will be relevant whether you are at home with your children, working from home or at school.  Please feel free to share this email.

Coronavirus updates and advice

The council is supporting the nation's efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus, while running our most critical services and supporting our residents, including those that are vulnerable.  

We are regularly publishing advice for residents, local businesses and more at www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/coronavirus 

We are also sharing updates with our subscribers in regular emails, and publishing stories on social media using #TowerHamletsTogether.

Sign up to our 'health and wellbeing - coronavirus' newsletter to get regular updates delivered to your inbox.

 Sign up for updates >

More on staying healthy, happy and entertained at home

In addition to the highlights featured here, the council has put together a whole host of resources to help families and individuals stay happy, healthy and entertained while they spend more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

From online Idea Store materials to educational activities, learning a new skill or hobby, taking a virtual museum or zoo tour, keeping fit or just having pure fun, we've got it all in one place.

More activities and resources >

Did you know that Tower Hamlets offers other email newsletters to keep you up to date on a variety of topics?

  See the list and sign up!