With winter behind us, it will soon be that time of year when magical creatures reappear in New England’s fields and woods. In order to accommodate the local elf and fairy community, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting their fifth annual Fairy House Building family event on Thursday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Schoolmaster Hill in Franklin Park.
Local children and families are invited to help by building tiny homes for them. Spring is the best time to build fairy houses, experts say, providing the magical creatures with shelter for the coming summer months and the flitting season that begins in late May.
This free family event will include outdoor nature play, storytelling, books from ReadBoston, plant education from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, scavenger hunts with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Outdoors Rx program, a visit from New England Aquarium, and face painting. Children are encouraged to wear their favorite fairy and elf costumes to encourage their tiny guests to alight in Franklin Park. Natural materials will be provided, and youngsters are welcome to explore their surroundings to find natural elements such as sticks, stones, and leaves to adorn their fairy houses. There will also be a fairy puppet show at 11:30 a.m.
Located in Franklin Park’s historic 220-acre forest among oak and pine trees overlooking the William Devine Golf Course, Schoolmaster Hill provides the perfect location for fairy and elf habitat that recognizes their connection to the earth by utilizing building materials from the woods around them.
Schoolmaster Hill is located on Circuit Drive between the William Devine Golf Course Clubhouse and Shattuck Hospital. For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at (617) 961-3047, or visit online at www.boston.gov/parks or www.facebook.com/bostonparksdepartment.
