Fairy Hut Building at the Natural Phenomena Conference in Whangerei, NZ was fantastic! The whole conference took place outdoors and was dedicated to nature education for early childhood in New Zealand.

I led a workshop with about 20 participants, most of whom were early childhood educators, in creating ephemeral, environmental installations, or FAIRY HUTS! The materials that were right at our feet were blossoms from the trees in the remarkable old growth forest, nuts, berries, fabulous mosses, fallen bark, twigs, leaves, grasses and meadow flowers from the clearings, and even clay from down the hill in the creek.

What kind of loose natural materials do you find at your feet when you step outside your door? Building a fairy hut is permission to play, and in doing so, you get familiar with your natural environment on a different scale!