Building Your Own Fairy House

Creating your own fairy house with your children encourages them to use their creativity and imagination. I wish I could say this was my own original idea, but it’s not. Fairy Houses have been around for years. This is the technique I’ve used with my daughters to create these magical dwellings. The activity is fun for all ages. My youngest was just two when we made our first one and I’m excited to see how the activity changes as they grow older. Help your neighborhood homeless fairies by building a fairy house today!

Tell the story

Come up with your own original story about fairies and why you need to build them a house. My girls loved it when I told them that we needed to build a fairy house for all the fairies in our neighborhood. They latched on and would ask questions like, “What do the fairies look like? Where do they live now? Can we see them?” This stirred a magical creativity in their minds which I think is wonderful to foster from an early age.

Nature Walk

Have each of your children carry their own bag and walk around your neighborhood or local hiking trail to collect any item from nature that would be useful in your fairy house. Flowers, leaves, rocks, acorns, twigs, bark, moss, and more are all items that are perfect. I recommend using only items from nature and not incorporating items that would be considered litter. If you don’t have enough from your walk, your personal garden is always a good supplier of flowers and herbs. When you have collected all the items, bring them back to your home and dump the bags out in separate piles in the area you chose to build the house. You can have your children each build their own house to create a fairy neighborhood or you can combine all the materials into one. Either way, I suggest having each child responsible for their own pile and what their collections are used for.

Location, Location, Location

Choosing the ideal spot for your fairy house is important. I prefer to place ours against the house so it has one solid support and can withstand the elements better. You’ll also want to make sure that it is in an area that won’t be trampled by pets or your children. Consider placing it in a spot where they can see it from their bedroom window so they can spy on the house whenever they want. Where ever you choose keep in mind, different locations attract different fairies. If it’s close to a water source you will get more water fairies. If it’s in a garden surrounded by flowers expect more flower fairies. A house up against a tree will bring in more tree fairies. Explain this to your children and allow them to choose which area they like best.

Can we build yet?

When we built ours we started with some little logs from our wood pile so we would have a couple solid walls. Whatever you use, I suggest using a sturdy material for the walls so it can withstand the weather. Your children can help with the size and shape of the house. If you are creating more than one, challenge your children to make their structure look unique.

Adding Furnishings

This part is my favorite part of the activity. Using the items you collected from nature it is now time to go through the piles and have your children use their imaginations on what function each item will have in their home. I asked my girls questions like, “What will the fairy sit on? Where will they eat? What will they cook on?” my girls would then go through their items and hand me things for each furnishing. We had a leaf couch, acorn chairs and toilet, a stone stove, etc. The possibilities are only limited to you and your child’s imagination!

The Waiting Game

After completion, the most important part of this activity is to leave it alone for a few days or overnight if your child is filled with that excited impatience. The fairies need the time to find and settle into their new home. Check back in a day or so and if things have been moved around than you know that fairies have been there!

My girls loved this activity. They loved checking on their fairy house, adding new items, leaving gifts for their fairies, and discussing how many fairies they have and when they think the fairies come to visit. As different items can be found in nature at different times this is also an activity that can be done in all seasons. Keep up with your fairy house by adding new items every season. This activity will encourage creativity and foster imagination while at the same time building memories and traditions that your children are sure to remember!

Reference:

• Fairy House Book Series: www.fairyhouses.com/