Behind One Mother’s Whimsical Fairy Forest
Therese Ojibway wanted to be able to “find things” with her son, who has autism, in their walks on a local forest trail in Millburn, New Jersey. She built and placed tiny fairy homes in the nooks and crannies they could “discover” together. As time went on and she added more and more homes, it became known as the Fairy Trail and loved by locals. “She thought this was a dynamic way of getting little children into nature, getting them to use their imaginations, getting them to tap into their creativity and stimulate both early childhood and special needs children.” The local conservancy thought it was great, too. When Therese and her son moved away, the conservancy recruited Beth Kelly and Julie Gould, called “Keepers and Makers,” to help. Along with volunteers, they continued the tradition and there are now nearly 100 eco-friendly fairy homes. Beth and Julie are among the lucky ones who have seen the fairies “ride the backs of chipmunks” and “swing on leaves.” Some children also report seeing the fairies. While not everyone sees them, what everyone does see is the sparkle in the eyes of the children as they explore the magical wonders of the forest.
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