That’s right folks: early spring is the perfect time to plant the willow hut you’ve been dreaming about. If you live in the northern hemisphere this means now! Hooray!
Ready to build? Here is the How to Build a Willow Hut piece from my book Natural Playscapes. : )
The best way to get the “bush willow” varieties is to harvest it from the creeks or wetlands in your region. It’s a fun nature experience in itself: scouting the rivers for bush willow, getting landowner permission to cut, then hanging out in a wild patch of landscape and cutting willow whips for your kids’ willow structure. Awesome! (Bring your kids along of course. You never know what you’ll get into!)
If you can’t locate willow in your area we sell willow. The good stuff, too!
Here is a time lapse video of friends at the Dodge Nature Center Preschool building a living willow hut.
So grab those shovels and pruners and twine and go for it! Building a willow hut is a fun project that soon sprouts into a magical natural play space for your children…
