A Favor for the Faeries

Instructions and materials for setting up a treasure hunt for a child, children, or child-at-heart in your home

I live in an old brick townhouse on a street shaded by oak and maple trees. It is now autumn and the sidewalk is scattered with brown leaves and acorn caps. There are pumpkins arranged on porches and steps, not yet carved into jack-o-lanterns but already nibbled by squirrels.

On my street and on the streets around it, there are also tiny doors. They can be hard to spot but they are everywhere: nestled in tree roots, leaning against retaining walls, or tucked half-hidden in front gardens. Some of the doors have paths made of pebbles or shells leading to them. Some are painted. Some are framed with moss and twigs. Some appeared recently, but many have been where they are for years. They are Fairy Doors, built to house fairies visiting or living in the neighborhood.

I originally composed and printed this project as a gift for neighbors in appreciation for these fairy doors, which have added magic to my walks and to my thoughts during a difficult and distracted summer. The story that frames the treasure hunt is designed to complement a fairy door built outside a home, but the adventure would be easy to modify to suit a household’s unique imaginations.

Here you will find a version that can be printed (or copied by hand) and assembled easily at home. It is my hope that a game of riddles, letters, and a lost faerie shawl might prove useful on an inside day that needs a little magic.

Warm Regards,

Elsa Hart

PDF 1/2 (Read this first): A Favor for the Faeries Instruction Book

PDF 2/2: A Favor fo the Faeries Materials to Copy or Print