Create your own Gnome "Treasure Trees": a How-To Guide
- msoasey
- Mar 9, 2021
- 5 min read
The following information details how my daughter and I created the first "Treasure Trees" in our local park. It is provided purely for inspiration and we encourage you to bring your own personality, ideas, and improvements to your own creations.
• Selecting a Tree:
At least during our experience, we found the most suitable locations to be at the base of large deciduous trees (we found oak and maple), where masses of roots were exposed above ground. These seemed to provide the best opportunity in finding small holes and niches hidden below. I did however discover a perfectly reasonable location at the base of an Douglas fir in Alberta Park, but most of the evergreen trees we looked at had little to no exposed roots.
• Selecting a Niche:
As we intended to add something new to our natural surroundings, we wanted to proceed with care and respect, and thus took into consideration the local wildlife when selecting our locations. We avoided any larger holes that could be used as regular habitat for animals and or for seasonal food caches. Instead we attempted to select recesses only large enough to house our treasure bag and accommodate a custom made door. In most instances I actually dug out some additional soil and debris from otherwise shallow areas, thus helping to ensure they had not previously been used by animals.
• What's the Weather like Today:
The first installations we created were during the dryer conditions of Fall. But, as the rainy season quickly took hold I immediately learned to take weather into account when selecting a location. The treasure holes we assembled directly on the soil or ones where the grade was pitched towards the installation made for much more difficult maintenance during the Winter. Although the treasure contents were placed in zip-lock type bags, they quickly became covered in mud, and some moisture managed to leach in, damaging paper notes and gifts that the explorers had left.
The more successful locations we selected were elevated slightly off the ground on top of and nested inside the roots, and these fared far better than their ground dwelling counterparts.
• The Gnome Doors:
I have a lot of scrap wood and tools laying around in my shop. Because of my experience in woodworking, fashioning the wooden doors with metal knobs was a fun and relatively easy project to work on with my daughter. Obviously most people will not necessarily have the resources, time, or comfort level to construct a door in a similar manor, but that's okay ! There are plenty of other ways to create something equivalent that don't require any special tools or knowledge. Found pieces of bark work great. You might repurpose plastic or other water resistant materials that can easily be shaped. What ever idea you come up with, I definitely encourage including your child in the construction of its design and decoration. Creativity is half the fun !
Tip: When we scouted for new locations, I brought along some cardboard scraps, scissors, and a sharpie to create a template for when we constructed the final doors. This helped ensure a good snug fit without being too tight for little hands to open.
• The Treasure Bags:
I started with standard zip-lock bags. These work fine, however they did eventually start to wear out with the constant opening and closing of the bags. Higher quality ones are recommended. Having it be something as water-tight as possible is key. I eventually tried to resource some more durable bags for better presentation, which are working well so far, but they too have their defects like anything else. Here's a link:
I initially placed my note (from the Gnome) inside the bag, but found that often it got mistakenly removed, overlooked, or got lost inside the bag if other paper treasures were added. Now I laminate the note on the front of the bag to help prevent confusion and make the experience more successful. (Also had to add the disclaimer at the bottom of the bag - see photo).
• Whats inside the Bag? :
The short answer is anything. Whatever you think kids will find to be interesting and entertaining discoveries. My daughter first filled our bags with shells and rocks she painted and decorated. She's made beaded bracelets and necklaces. We have used coins (foreign money was especially interesting). We have written personalized letters to the Gnome and to her fellow explorers. We also try to pass along any small toys or trinkets she no longer has interest in. She also loves stickers !
Tip: I try to keep at least 3 or more objects in the bags minimum, as obviously there may be a larger group of explorers coming to trade items and I wanted everyone to find something.
• Experiences and Lessons Learned:
- Bags and Doors Disappear. Whether it happens because of vandalism or confusion, its going to happen. Often I just found them tossed some distance from the tree. I have definitely had to do some maintenance to keep things intact. I also suspect that the Park's Department will likely remove them if discovered, but I'll hold my tongue and respect their right to do their job.
- Empty Bags. Again, its going to happen. I'd like to think it occurs by mistake when someone doesn't bother to (or can't) read the note about exchanging items, but there may always just be that temptation to "take the lot".
- Inappropriate Treasures. Thankfully we have not yet found anything dangerous placed in the bags. There has however been several instances of what I like to call "teenage mischief". I did on one occasion find an unopened condom and tampon. My daughter didn't know what they were and was much more interested in looking at the other treasures in the bag. I simply pocketed the items without making a big deal about it and discarded them when we got home. Mostly harmless experience.
- Where and Where Not to Install. If you have your own tree on your property or parking strip - Great, have at it ! Otherwise, respect and avoid private property. This should go without saying, but let's only use public spaces (parks) for our general purposes.
- Stay Prepared before Exploring. What works well in our home is to keep a small bag of gifts near the door. That way we're always ready and have something prepared to trade when my daughter wants to go explore the Gnome Trees. It can be really hard to gather up gift items on short notice when a 3 year old is insisting its time to leave. I always bring extra items to stock low or empty bags. I also bring one or two extra bags in case I find one missing.
I hope this How-to Guide has been helpful and informative.
Contact me if you have any questions at all, I'm happy to help!
If you do create your own Treasure Trees or other displays, I'd love to hear more about it and get it placed on the Map. It would also be great to get any photos of your installations, personalized treasures, or discovered items you'd be willing to provide and share on this site.
Thanks again and enjoy !
Mark -
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