Tag Archives: woodland activities

Fairy Houses in the Woods.

fairy houseLook I think someone has been building fairy houses in the trees!

Do you believe in fairies? On a quiet walk around Beaver Lake Park, we discovered that they had taken up residence. Had the fairies crafted their own houses or had someone else built them to entice them in? Either option was equally magical to a 3-year-old. Having recently finished our own fairy garden, she was desperate to build a house herself and ran to fetch her sister. We carefully tiptoed around the trees, discovering at least a dozen fairy houses and rooms.

Fairy Hogwarts
Complete with ledges for the fairies to climb on
Complete with ledges for the fairies to climb on
This one had a swing made from blades of grass and a piece of bark.
This was my favourite.
This was my favourite.

fairy bathroom
It took a while to find the perfect tree to build in, untouched but with interesting levels and holes.

This one had a nice hole to make into a cosy home.
This one had a nice hole to make into a cosy home.
fairy steps
Maybe I could build some steps to go up to this room.

Meanwhile on another tree, her sister was building a bridge to reach from one tree stump to the other.  We searched for the right sized piece of wood.

That's perfect.
That’s perfect.

They set to work making tables and benches, carefully scouring the area for the perfect materials.

furniturebuilding a fairy house

fairy house 3

They really wanted to stay but the night was drawing in and mummy was slowly being eaten alive by mosquitos. Every little girl knows that fairies come out at dusk and are afraid of humans. We needed to leave the woods quickly to give the fairies a chance to discover their new home. I wonder what type of fairy will choose to rest there?

Mud Faces for International Mud Day

mud faces on trees for international mud dayOur first week of the school holidays has been rainy. Perfect for our preparation for International Mud day on Saturday.  We have been planting bulbs and sunflowers and finding bugs and worms under the ground.

Today we gave our trees mud faces. This is one of the many fabulous outdoor ideas that can be found in the Woodland Trusts  Woodland Adventure Booklets , free to download from their website.  We used materials from our loose parts station and from around the garden.

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Other ideas for International Mud Day

Make a mud kitchen (Including why playing in the mud is good for you).

Make muddy footprints

Top Mud Ideas from the Woodland Trust

International Mud day on  Pinterest if you’d like to share any of your mud day activities on my Pinterest board contact me and I’ll send an invite.