Fairy Houses: Making Magic With Nature
While uncertain times can be frightening, it can also be an opportunity to slow down, explore new creative outlets, and connect with nature.
Children often connect with nature through play, so providing crafts that involve natural items is a great way to engage them creatively with the natural world and help them think of different ways that they can interact with the world around them.
One fun craft idea is to make fairy houses from natural materials that you find near your home. Look for different items on your walks or in your yard. Fairy houses are whimsical little homes that you can use for decoration. The idea is that you can put these homes in your yard and fairies will find them and move in. A fairy house doesn’t just have to be for decoration though; it can be used as a tiny playhouse for your kids or perhaps as enrichment for your pets.
To make my fairy house I took a short walk along a back road behind my apartment complex and picked up some sticks, leaves, palm tree cuttings, a rock, and a pine cone that made me happy.
Hopefully, you enjoy taking a walk and making a fairy house with your family. It’s ok if it’s messy and imperfect. What matters is spending some time with your family, getting outside, and being a bit creative. It would be fun to see if any fairies “moved in.” Try leaving little gifts from the fairies like flowers or acorns inside the house overnight and let other family members check in the morning to see if any fairies came. Please share pictures of your fairy houses with us at the Zoo! We would love to see what creative ideas you came up with! Then consider sharing your creation with other members of your community.