Skip to main content

Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Magical tree trolls

Make your own magical tree trolls using natural materials.

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Natural materials (for example, leaves, twigs, feathers)
  • Non-plastic bags to collect materials in

Before you begin

  • Plan a trip outside as part of this activity. You could turn it into a walk, collecting natural materials as you go, or you could choose one area to explore. You don’t need to go far – you’ll be able to find materials in a local park or even in the space around your meeting place.
  • Choose an appropriate area or route, away from any roads. Remember when conducting a risk assessment that there’ll be extra safety considerations if you’re going anywhere near water.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adults to support the activity.
  • If you’re meeting at a different place to usual, make sure parents and carers know exactly where you’ll be, when to drop people off, and when to collect them again.
  • Make sure everyone knows to come dressed for the weather. Don’t forget to check the forecast and be prepared for it to change.
  • If it’s difficult to get outside, you could do this activity indoors and bring in materials to make the tree trolls.
  • Make an example magical tree troll to show the group. This could be just a face or a full creature, made from found natural materials. Either take a photograph of the creation or practice so you will be confident to make it during the activity.

Story time

  1. Everyone should sit in a circle.
  2. Someone should read The Potter and the Lonely Troll by Chris Allerton. 
  3. Everyone should think about the story – what happened, what it means, and how it made them feel. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect below.

Once upon a time there was a magical troll called Tristan, who lived at the edge of the woods near a town. He lived in a big cave with a wooden door, cosy armchairs, and a large dining table to eat at.

But none of the townspeople would be his friend. They were scared of Tristan’s magical powers.

One day, a potter called Poe had to pass Tristan’s cave on the way home from the market. Usually, Poe would try to pass as quickly as she could. But this time she stopped. She could hear someone crying.

Looking through the keyhole, Poe could see Tristan sitting at the big table, surrounded by empty chairs. Tristan was crying. He was very lonely.

Poe felt sad. But seeing Tristan had given her an idea, so she hurried home.

Poe worked all day and all night, banging and clanging, and pinging and chipping, and smashing and clapping. Finally, Poe was finished.

Standing in front of her was troll, crafted from natural materials. Poe hoped the troll could be a friend for Tristan, to stop him feeling so lonely.

Later that night, Poe dragged the crafted troll to the cave door for Tristan to find. She climbed up into in a tree and waited for Tristan to come out of his cave.

When he did, he jumped back in surprise! He had not expected to find anyone on his doorstep, especially not another troll!

But Tristan was confused. The troll was not moving or making a sound. Tristan could see this new troll was different. It was shiny and cold. It was not alive.

Tristan quickly turned around and scurried into his cave. Poe thought Tristan did not like his new friend, so she started to climb down the tree to collect the crafted troll. Suddenly, Tristan came back out with something in his hand. Poe froze.

She watched as Tristan drew a circle around the crafted troll using bright green goo. Tristan stood in front of the troll, blew some magic dust over it, and boomed: “Whingo, Whango, Bingo, Bango! Make this troll alive to fandango!”

Dust blew up around Tristan and the troll, and from the branches of the tree Poe could not see what was happening. But when the dust cleared, she was amazed. The crafted troll had come alive!

Tristan and the new troll were hugging on the doorstep. And when they parted, Tristan took the new troll’s hand and guided him into his home. Tristan had someone to play, dance and live with now.

Seeing how happy the trolls were, Poe decided to craft a new troll every year, and deliver it to the cave door.

So, with a little kindness, and a little magic, the troll family would grow and Tristan would not be lonely any more.

By Chris Allerton

 

There’s magic in the air

  1. The person leading the activity should explain to everyone that they will be collecting materials to make their own tree troll.
  2. Show everyone your example tree troll and explain that they can create their trolls the same or different, however they would like.
  3. Everyone should be involved in creating a tree troll. This can be on their own, in pairs or in groups.
  4. Everyone should help to collect natural materials.
  1. When everyone has collected their materials, they should start to create their tree troll.
  2. Once all the tree trolls are finished, everyone should show or talk about their tree troll. Consider using them in a story or game.

Back into nature

  1. Everyone should talk about why it is important to put the natural materials back where they came from.
  2. Everyone should think about animals and their habitats: how some items used in the tree trolls could be food for the animals, and how it helps the environment to put everything back as you found it.
  3. Everyone should carefully put all the materials back into the environment, making sure they are spread out and not in big piles.

Reflection

The activity encouraged everyone to value the outdoors by getting out into nature and finding uses for natural materials. It was also about being responsible by putting everything back the way it was found. During the activity everyone had the opportunity to collect the materials for their tree trolls, use their imagination and get creative while making them, and show their creation off to the rest of the group.

The Potter and the Lonely Troll

  • How did Tristan feel when he was by himself? How do you think he feels now that he has someone to live with?
  • How did Poe use her imagination to help?

There’s magic in the air

  • When you collected your materials, what do you remember about the path you took? What sounds could you hear? What could you smell? Did you see any plants or animals?
  • Creating your tree troll allowed you to be creative. What did you enjoy about making your tree troll?

Back into nature

  • Why is it important to leave the environment how you found it?
  • How can you make sure you look after the environment when you are out on another walk?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Gardening and nature

Everyone must wash their hands after the activity has finished. Wear gloves if needed. Explain how to safely use equipment and set clear boundaries so everyone knows what’s allowed.

Visits away from your meeting place

Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts. 

Change the group sizes to make the activity easier or harder.

Make sure the location and route you choose is accessible for everyone. If someone struggles to reach the materials, let them work with someone else to help them collect everything.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

In this activity, everyone learned a bit about how to look after the environment and why it’s important. See what you can learn at home about the environment, why we need to look after it, and how we can do that. When you have found some things out, bring them to a meeting to talk to an adult.

If someone is feeling very confident, let them help by building the example tree troll or helping others who may need it.