Woodstock Girl Scout Debuting Fairy Trail For Gold Award

WOODSTOCK, GA — A new addition is making its home at Lewis Park in Woodstock thanks to a local Girl Scout.

Analise Black, a junior at Etowah High School, is currently working on her Girl Scout Gold Award which is equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle Scout. For the Gold Award, she is creating a fairy trail for children and their families to hike on using the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency’s trails at Lewis Park, 100-4466 E Bells Ferry Rd, Woodstock, GA 30189.

"When I was younger, my family and I used to visit my great grandma up in Maine where we spent a lot of time outdoors," Black said. "There was a trail that we would hike on where you could build fairy houses along it, and, because I had such a fun time building them, I wanted to create a trail similar to it in Georgia for my local community."

In one section, Black is creating an area where fairy houses can be built out of fallen/dead natural materials and no man-made materials so there is no trash or destruction.

"The children will be able to create miniature fairy houses themselves and use their imaginations," she said. "My project is focusing on the fact that elementary aged children in modern times do not have as many opportunities to use their imaginations as they did in the past."

After researching, Black found two reasons why many children do not use their imaginations as much.

"The first root cause is the fact that the parents of today’s elementary aged children do not know the importance of the imagination and may not have enough resources to help their children use their imaginations," she said. "The second root cause is the prevalence of screen time and technology in elementary aged children’s lives. Technology has taken our world by storm with many positives and negatives. This has caused more children to have access to screens that diminish the use of their imagination and thirst for fun, and instead allows them to spend countless hours simply watching shows."

Black said her goal with the fairy trail is to help increase the physical activity children receive, and to stimulate their imaginations.

She is holding a demonstration day for the public on Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon.

"It is still in the early stage, but so far everyone I have talked to/contacted has been excited about it," Black said. "Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency, the organization I have been working with, is very excited about it. This is important to me because I really enjoyed using my imagination and going outside as a child, so I want to give other children the chance to do the same. I also want to get children away from their phones/screens. I enjoy working with children, and I have volunteered for many years at Girl Scout Camps and events etc. I want to help children in my community."