I've been so inspired by the play trees I've seen recently. Well, thanks to a near disaster at my home, I finally built one!

Sunday evening my two youngest kids were riding their bikes in the driveway ... on a whim they took to the street to visit a neighbor. Just then the earth shook as a giant section of our neighbor's willow tree slammed into our driveway, right where the kids were riding in circles around my minivan. I am so grateful to God that no one was hurt. (My Ford Windstar is another story.)

Anyway, Monday morning my 6-year-old and I gathered some willow branches and went to work. Tucker seems really pleased with the end result! Thanks for all the great ideas that made this project so easy.

Now for the pics ... First, the downed willow:



My van's in there somewhere!



Ta-daaa! Tucker's new tree:






HOW WE MADE IT:
First, we pruned, cleaned and dried some branches. Then we bunched them together, bound them tightly with sisal rope, and stuck them in my BATHROOM GARBAGE CAN (ha ha, Hubby wondered where it went!) with some quick dry cement. Fleece leaves and toys came next. Then we concealed the top of the cement with Spanish moss. I still need to confirm that the moss is safe -- anyone know?

That's it! Not only was it a fun project, but it also was a great lesson to the kids about turning lemons into lemonade.

Jen

Oh, and here's my baby girl -- no match for that big tree which could have hurt her so terribly:



The whole thing was really frightening, and making the tree was actually therapeutic for all of us.

Jen

Looks great Jen, how clever of you to take a tragic accident and turn it into something possitive..How shaken you must have been and so relieved that the kids were not injured...No sure about the moss but I wouldn`t let Tucker into it any way ..if he seems to want to get into it I would just cut up some of that felt into strips and use it to cover the cememt..once again..GREAT JOB....Tucker looks like he is King of the castle up there.. WOW !! was your car badly damaged ...??

What a brilliant idea Jen....but poor van---I guess you really don't know what it looks like yet...sorry to hear that...

And yes, Mr. Tucker looks like the king of the castle as Majj put it.... I know he thanks mommy very much and will really enjoy his new play tree....and by the way, you did a great job on that....

Wow! I'm so glad no one was hurt! That must have been very scary for you and the kids.

Tucker's tree looks fantastic!! What a great idea to help the kids think more positively about the whole situation! ... and Tucker looks pretty happy up there too!

(I love your pink walls! )

Not too bad, Majj. Some big scuffs and scratches and one big dent. The tree is gone already, thanks to good neighbors who ensured a quick cleanup. I found some information on Spanish moss -- birds use it for nesting material. I'm going to check though to make sure it's not chemically treated. The felt may be a better way to go, though. Why worry.

As for the pink walls, Casey's Mom, THANKS. Before we got used to it, we referred to our family room (privately) as the "bordello"!

And the tree situation was truly scary. My neighbor directly across the street was outside relaxing with a glass of wine. She saw my youngest one minute circling my van, and the next thing she knew the tree was down. She never saw the kids take off, which they had. So she ran over screaming and trying to get under the tree calling for my kids. That's how my husband found her, so he was screaming and searching for them as well. (My neighbor was so frightened she wet her pants!) That's the scene the (safe) little ones and I came upon when we returned from down the street together moments later. (I was at another neighbor's visiting, and that's where the kids followed.) I didn't go into this in the original story, because it still upsets me and is kind of a long story!)

Jen

What a great job you did Jen. Glad no one was hurt

Fortunately no one was hurt in the disaster near your home. And too much moisture will cause the growth of fungi and bacteria, Spanish Moss can help you solve this problem and it is safe.

WoW Jenn, I am glad your kids were ok. I am sorry about your Van! Glad a nice tree for the little green Angel came out of it.

I'm glad no one was hurt! We had a willow fall on our house when I was a kid. Everyone was ok, but I remember being so sad, because I loved that tree. It was my 'princess playhouse' haha.
Tucker's tree is great! My husband and I are planning to make Ava one this afternoon...Like we need ONE MORE bird accessory in the house, haha. Our vet recommended that Quakers have a 'foraging tree' to promote exercise and combat birdy boredom. It's really satisfying to make bird toys yourself rather than buying every cheap plastic trinket from Petsmart.
I had Ava watch Tucker's youtube video, and she really enjoyed it! She started dancing and said 'Shake your bootie!' Haha.
Great tree, thanks for the inspiration!

wow thats a great idea...we only have ficus and pecan trees around the house...but i will have to scope them out for pieces to thieve (after i make sure ficus is safe?)

i LURV crafty ideas that benefit my birds..,