Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Fairy Gardening for Families

When my children were little, I borrowed a movie called Kristen's Fairy House from the library. Then we borrowed the book, Fairy Houses by Tracy Kane. We were all enchanted by the idea of building our own fairy houses. The rules were simple:

• Use natural materials, like pebbles, sticks, dried grasses, feathers, and pinecones
• Be careful not to use or disturb anything living, like flowers or mosses
• Remember that fairies like their homes small and hidden

The nice thing about this activity is that it lets children be creative and can be done in any season. It also reminds kids they are sharing the earth, and should try to be respectful of the environment and the creatures that live there. Before we had our own home, we would tuck these houses away in parks and on the edges of playgrounds. It can be a wonderful, meditative, solitary activity. Here's one I built in the backyard recently.

If you can't go out, there are indoor alternatives. Bring some found objects indoors and set up your fairy house in a potted plant. Build a miniature garden or design a fairy door. Use your imagination and have fun! Here are some resources to get you started:

From the Library Catalog (note these for when our physical collection is available again!):

From the Cloud Library digital collection:

From Hoopla Digital collection: