Long before the pupils were allowed to return to school after the shutdown, the headmaster Derek Nelson had come up with an idea for creative togetherness and small breaks in the Corona time, which was difficult for everyone. On a Friday at the end of March, he challenged the children aged six to eleven years to a special task. The idea was to tinker with natural materials on the theme of "fairyland" and to collect their works. That way, the little hands and their families created tiny apartments and objects for fairies and brought them together to create a small, dreamlike fairytale world.

"About 250 children were called upon," reports Natalie Niklas. How many took part, she could not say exactly. "Sometimes something was added, sometimes something is exchanged, it varies", she described how the children dealt with the challenge. Nelson had set the action in motion at the end of a virtual assembly. "Each assembly ends with a small task for the children. Sometimes they are asked to think about how they can do something for a more environmentally friendly life or how they can help their families," Niklas described.

For the children, especially in these difficult times, it has been a wonderful experience to create something together with their families, to go for a walk and to contribute a part to this magical world, says Niklas. Even though the primary school children are now at school for a day per week and soon for every day again, some of the little artists are still enjoying making fairy houses for the mythical creatures.

Original text: Petra Reuter

Translation: Mareike Graepel