The truth is that fairies, just like everyone else, need somewhere to live. If you’re finding your garden to be devoid of fairy inhabitants, it could be that you have not built them anywhere to live. Yet.
Encourage enchantment, wonder and make-believe. Fairies are only unreal if you believe they are.
Whimsy is something adults could all do with a little more of, and building a home for a fairy could be just the place to start.
How to make Fairy Housing
Set-up time low
Clean-up time low
Mess factor low
You will need
Twigs
Leaves
Soil
Shells
Flowers
Imagination
What to do
1. Scope out the best real estate in your garden or patio. Keep in mind elements such as sunshine, shelter, views and access. In a pinch, fairies have been known to happily settle on a sunny window ledge or cosy fireplace mantlepiece, and plenty of urban fairies are quite at home tucked away in an attractive pot plant.
2. With your children, gather the materials you will need and construct your enchanted real estate. Take your time and get creative with your construction. Play should be all about the process rather than the outcome.
3. You could use leaves for doors, twigs for fencing or walnut shells for outdoor seating. As long as it is fairy-sized, it is bound to appeal to any miniature-winged friend looking for a new abode. If your outdoors is not equipped with sufficient housing materials, then a collection trip to your local park could be in order, or you could construct a more modern abode with ice-block sticks, toothpicks and cardboard. As long as it is biodegradable, it is okay by the fairies.
4. Have fun and play.
Reproduced with permission from Recipes for Play by Rachel Sumner and Ruth Mitchener. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $30.00. Copyright © Rachel Sumner and Ruth Mitchener, 2013
Rachel Sumner describes herself as a play-at-home mum of Margaux (four) and Frankie (two and a half ). She has been a children’s book rep for retailer Beattie Forbes and while living in Blenheim, she spent 12 months as the children’s book reviewer for the Marlborough Express. She is currently a book reviewer for the Australian Women’s Weekly.
