Local Author's New Activity Guide Shares the Magic of the Forest

Where the natural world and fairy tales meet, exists is a magical place like no other. It's the land of fairies and gnomes, of curious woodland creatures and flying insects, of beautiful flowers and teeny-tiny mushrooms with polka-dotted caps. It's this enticing world that has infatuated Susie Spikol, a local author, naturalist and educator, for decades, and it's a place she endeavors to share with explorers and readers of all ages. Spikol's new book, "Forest Magic for Kids: How to Find for Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic," will launch on April 1 and is an activity guide for families seeking to discover and explore the natural world together. "There's an imaginative space that nature gives kids," Spikol explained of her latest book for families with children ages four and up that shares activities to encourage open-ended play and make believe. Story is the primary means through which Spikol herself became enamored with the natural world, she says, adding that even though she grew up in the urban area of Brooklyn in New York City, she was always the kid who wanted to be outside searching for fairies and gnomes. She found her own creative outlet as a child through reading and books, which led to a childhood curiosity about the natural world where fairy tale characters and creatures lived. It was a stepping-stone to her lifelong career as a writer and naturalist who is committed to educating others about the magic of the forest. Also employed as the Community Programs Director at Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, Spikol published her first book, "The Animal Adventurer's Guide: How to Prowl for Owls, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed," in 2022. "I wrote my first book because I love animals," she said. "This new book opens the door wider to more people." It includes 50-plus activities for families and features chapters on topics such as crafting flower and plant crowns; mysterious mushrooms and fairy tales; how to make gnomes, fairies, and their homes and villages; and building secret forts tucked into the nooks and crannies of the woods. "It's a great way to spend time outside," she said. "As an educator of 30-plus years, I don't see kids playing this way as much as they used to and I worry because I think that (type of outdoor play) helps build a deep connection to the world. It's important to imagination and exploration. It's unbounded." The book is full of ideas to guide parents who may not know quite where to start, or who need inspiration for enjoyable family play. Because they are so centered on imagination, the activities are accessible to anyone and can be done anywhere, from a backyard to a public park or wherever there is a little bit of ground or grass. This type of play is crucial to youth development as it is limitless. Nature is full of loose parts, she explained. A stick can be a wand and pine needles can be unicorn fur. "With imaginative play, the sky's the limit," Spikol explained. "It's very freeing and it can be magical to explore the world together." As a follow-up, she will release "Book of Fairies" in the fall of this year she said, calling it a continuation of the ways to find inspiration to create in nature. Both books are published by Gibbs Smith and feature beautiful illustrations by Renia Metallinou. "The artwork is so magical," Spikol expressed. "I cried the first time I saw it because I couldn't believe something I wrote could be so beautiful. As a child, I would have slept with it under my pillow." Inspired by children's literature and mythical beings like gnomes, fairies, and talking mice like Stuart Little, these types of activities are vitally important to aspects of child development, she explained. There are elements of conflict resolution skills, small motor skills like those built through playing with small sticks and stones, and gross motor skill-building from climbing up a rock or jumping. For parents of young children who wish to join with other families in exploration, Spikol encourages them to attend a "Babies in Backpacks and Toddlers in Tow" program through the Harris Center. Additional family programs based on some of the book activities are being planned for the summer and will be announced on the Harris Center website. Spikol can also be contacted directly to arrange hosting a nature program at local libraries or schools. She's eager to provide an antidote to the screen world that kids have become immersed by in their daily lives and says that outdoor play is necessary to fully engage all of the senses. The ability to navigate a complicated future will take out-of-the-box thinkers. "Video games are fun, but they're designed by adults," she said. "They're flat. Before Minecraft, kids built villages outside. Our children need truly imaginative play that's undefined by grown-ups. It helps them to become problem-solving adults and to be more balanced." A living example of her belief in these principles of play, Spikol has carried her own childhood adventures through into adulthood and her career. "I'm still looking for fairies and gnomes," she laughed. "I never gave up." "Forest Magic for Kids: How to Find for Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic," is available now for pre-order at Toadstool Bookshops in Keene and Peterborough, as well as through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A book launch party will be held on Tuesday, April 1, from 5 to 6 p.m., at the Harris Center and a book reading is planned at Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough on Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m., to noon. Additional book readings will be scheduled in the future. Find more information about the book and links to order online at susiespikol.com/books/forest-magic-for-kids.