Did you know there are magical beings that inhabit every inch of our world? We can’t see them, but they live among us in the leaves, flowers, trees, rocks, and bushes. To support these creatures, we must construct houses for them, so today’s activity is building Fairy Houses. The origins of this camp activity are as mystical as the creatures themselves. Lodgers have been playing with fairies for years, but recently our Outdoor Living Skills classes have started building fairy houses during the activity hour as a way to explore the natural world.
Materials Required: Outdoor space
How to Build a Fairy House: Take your kids to any outdoor space you have available to you (while still following CDC and local guidelines). Explain to them that the fairies have asked for some help building new houses. It’s more than likely that your children already know about fairies, so it’s best to just let them take the lead on this. Their imaginations will guide them in directions you might not think to consider. All you need to do is plant the seed and tell them to use elements of the natural world around them to build a home for the fairies. Fairy houses can become very intricate with detailed interior design and amazing architectural features.
*Counselor Hack: Use this opportunity to talk to your kids about what at Wawenock we call Love of the Natural World. Respecting nature and its living things is an integral part of a summer at Camp, and it’s an idea we hope translates to life at home for our campers. In this activity that means not hurting things that are alive (ie. no breaking or pulling pieces of nature off of live trees, bushes, or plants). If you want to take the fairy house activity a step further and you are feeling creative, the day after the houses are built the fairies might leave a thank you note…and maybe a back and forth letter system develops!
Enjoy the magic!