The former Punky Brewster star will appear in an upcoming reboot of the iconic 1980s TV series

When Soleil Moon Frye first set foot in her rustic farmhouse, in an idyllic enclave where horses clop down the streets and lemonade stands dot the block, she knew she was home.

“The hippie girl in me is back to her roots!” says the actress, who decamped with her family from central L.A. to a 5-bedroom, 7-bathroom abode in Hidden Hills, California, last December.

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“I always dreamed of living in a farmhouse, and I stumbled upon this magical place,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “To be outside the city, we can just be grounded in nature. And that’s really important for the kids.”

That also means her and producer husband Jason Goldberg’s two daughters, Poet, 13, and Jagger, 11, and two sons, Lyric, 5, and Story, 3, have more green time than screen time. “They’re outside all day,” says Frye, 42. “They climb trees and have picnics. I find critters and geckos in little buckets. It’s so fun for them to be able to dig in the dirt and get messy. I love that my kids have space to fulfill their imaginations.”

Image zoom Diana Koenigsberg

Their backyard yields a few natural snacks as well. “I just put in an apple tree,” she says. “And we have apricot and nectarine trees. There’s something about picking and juicing your own fruit.” The family even has a zip line and a yurt (where Frye meditates), and they’re planning an elaborate tree house.

Image zoom Diana Koenigsberg

For the interiors of the 5,000-square-foot home, Frye, who spent eight months painting and installing new panels and flooring, drew inspiration from the house itself. “When I came in, I envisioned farmhouse wood,” she says. “I started on the floors, and then it went on the walls, and then I just kept going!”

Image zoom Diana Koenigsberg

In the kitchen, which features warm wood and white walls that she says give it a “Bali-chic” vibe, the gang gathers around a huge island from Amber Interiors. “Cooking is really big in our house,” says Frye. “Our family loves food!”

Image zoom Diana Koenigsberg

The former child star, whose iconic 1980s television series Punky Brewster spawned an upcoming reboot, says her bohemian roots shine through in one of her favorite features in the house: a Waterworks bathtub that stands in the middle of the master bedroom. “I’m sure not everybody is comfortable taking a bath in their bedroom, but I am!”

Image zoom Diana Koenigsberg