The Magical World of Fairies

April 24, 2012

written by Cathy Baker, mom of two amazing girls, from Missouri

I actually wrote this article a couple of years ago, when my girls were still at an age of believing in fairies. They have since ‘figured it out’ they say – the fairies, Santa, leprechauns – and all I can respond is, “So you think you’ve got it all figured out, do you?!”  With Spring in full force, I thought I’d share this fun idea with you! For us, this was a camping activity, but I also think it could be a lot of fun in your own backyard. It kept them busy for hours. Hours, I say. Here you go….

In the magical world of my children’s minds there still exists a place where fairies fly. I love imagining this place with them! When we go camping, there are two staples on my list of items to pack – 1. s’mores fixins’ and 2. Fairy Dust (aka, glitter).

Again this weekend, at Pomme de Terre Lake (or as my girls call it, ‘potato lake’) the girls spent literally hours building fairy houses, which eventually turned into fortresses. As I watch them search our campsite, they turn leaves into fortress walls, rocks into TVs, couches, & beds, moss into carpet, twigs into trees and gardens, bottle caps become bird baths (after all, fairies do love shiny things!), leaves become towels that are left next to the fairies pool (an empty plastic fruit cup).

I love their creativity! I love the magic of it all… of them imagining the fairies visiting the houses they created after they go to bed! I love sprinkling magic fairy dust all over their homes and dropping a few shiny things (dimes) into their fairy worlds. I love their look of sheer delight when they see the fairy dust in the morning and exclaim, “look, they slept in the fairy bed!”

I know they are skeptical and keep trying to ‘figure it out’ – “mom, did you bring glitter?” – “ummm, why would I do that?” I know these days of ‘magic’ are quickly coming to an end, although I hope they will always hold on to a bit of that magic deep within. I hope their creativity never ends and they keep believing in places where fairies fly and visit magical fortresses, made by little girls, in the middle of the woods.

Since, my one picture doesn’t do these magical places justice, here are a few more pictures I’ve found online to show you how fun fairy houses, or fortresses, can be…

{Source: The Magic Onions Blog – She has a 100 other fairy house ideas too!}

{Source: Fairy Houses}

They’ve added some ‘bought’ things to this one, but I like how they made it in a large planter.

{Source: KooKoo in the HooHoo}

Oh, the magic of a child’s imagination…it’s good for all of us!

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Category: Activities, Garden
Tags: Fairy Houses, Outdoor Fun |