A few years ago, my girls were inspired by the film Kristen's Fairy House to build fairy houses of their own. They followed the guidelines that Kristen followed, namely to use only items from nature that are found on the site (no manufactured goods, glue, nails, tape, etc), and to do no harm, i.e. refrain from uprooting or killing plant material.

The first time my children created a fairy house I was certain they would give up. Instead, I was surprised by the precious, inventive wonderland they created from what I had thought were limited resources: twigs, bark, leaves, and rocks. Each item served a specific purpose: door, pond, table, boat, flag, etc. They pointed out the tiny architectural features they had incorporated: staircases, roofs, and windows.





To build a fairy house, children work imaginatively, resourcefully, and in gentle tandem with their natural surroundings. A child may delight in discovering moss--and if she wants to use it as a soft carpet or bed, she will work out the problem of how to build her house *around* the moss rather than tear it from its place. She will note the texture and opacity of leaves, the shape and strength of twigs, the curve and heft of a stone.

A child building a fairy house will fill the gentle depression of a rock with water to create a fairy sized birdbath. An exposed tree root forms a wall. A curved flower petal becomes a tiny slip of a chair.

A fairy house can be built anywhere and requires no more than time, imagination, and a tender heart; that works for me.



For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

For more on fairy houses, visit http://www.fairyhouses.com.