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Forest Home Building

We’re back in the woods today with some Stella the Fairy fun, and building a woodland home as part of our storybook summer. Today I’m welcoming Sue from One Time through to share this fun activity for the kids bringing the book alive.

I am thrilled to be here on Rainy Day Mum today to tell you about a really fun activity that I did in a local park recently with my son and his friend.

After reading the hilarious picture book, “Stella: Fairy of the Forest” we got inspired to visit our local plot of the woods and create our own stick “Forest Home” – just like the characters. Check out the awesome fort we made – and learn how you can make a stick forest home with your kids too for an afternoon they’ll never forget!

Get outside this summer and connect books and activities with building a forest home and Stella: Fairy of the Forest

Before venturing out into the woods, you will want to start by reading “Stella: Fairy of the Forest” by Marie-Louise Gay.

Get outside this summer and connect books and activities with building a forest home and Stella: Fairy of the Forest

The story follows an adventurous big sister (Stella) and her curious brother (Sam) who both love to explore the outdoors and use their imaginations.

Sam is full of questions, and Stella always seems to have the answer (even when she really doesn’t). You will join your child laughing as you read along on their journey through a farmyard and field and into the woods on a search for the ever-elusive forest fairies.

At the end of the book, Stella and Sam decide to make a “forest home” out of “branches and ferns” so they can “sleep on a bed of moss.”

It sounds delightful! And my son immediately asked if we could make a forest home too. And so OUR journey began!

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What You Will Need to build a forest home

Our Forest Home Adventure

When we got to our local plot of forest, we were excited to see that others had been building forest homes in this area too. My son decided to check out all the other forts first to get ideas.

We found teepee style homes, lean to’s, and tent-style stick homes.

Get outside this summer and connect books and activities with building a forest home and Stella: Fairy of the Forest
To begin, my son and his friend decided to find the best spot for their home. They ended up choosing a flat area beside a large boulder, with a stream running close by. Their plan was to lean a bunch of big sticks against the trunk of a large tree to make a teepee.

And so the stick-collecting and building began! After finding a particularly large branch, the boys decided they wanted to add a long lean-to extension.

Get outside this summer and connect books and activities with building a forest home and Stella: Fairy of the Forest

After lots more stick hunting and building (and a little help from two moms!), the boys had a fairly large and stable structure. We then began looking for branches with leaves to fill in the cracks. We decided not to use ferns like in Stella, because we didn’t want to pick living plants.

Get outside this summer and connect books and activities with building a forest home and Stella: Fairy of the Forest

After about an hour and a half, the boys were exhilarated and exhausted! We took some time to hang out inside our new “home” and have a snack.

Get outside this summer and connect books and activities with building a forest home and Stella: Fairy of the Forest

My favourite part of this activity was that it allowed the boys to get outside, be active, and get up and close with Mother nature!

It was a wonderful cooperative activity because the boys had to do a lot of negotiating and compromising, and yet they had a TON of FUN! They also learned so much about structures and stability throughout the process of designing and building.

I hope you’ll give this activity a try with your kids!

If you’re looking for other fun and woodsy outdoor activities to do with the kids, check out these posts:

30+ Fun Ways to Prevent Nature Deficit Disorder

Using Nature Patterns to Boost Your Child’s Math Skills

Seed Hunting and Collecting for Kids

Biography: Sue is a mom, teacher and librarian, who is addicted to collecting kids’ picture books. You can find her blogging about hands-on learning activities and positive parenting strategies at One Time Through. She is also on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.


Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

One Comment

  1. Thanks again for having us on your site Cerys! We enjoyed being forest-dwellers for a day!

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