I am so excited to share these fairy gardens from a gorgeous birthday party we did recently.  I have tried making fairy gardens for kids multiple times, in multiple ways, and never felt satisfied with the process or the results.  These fairy gardens are totally different.  They rock from beginning to end.  I really recommend you give them a try.  And if your kids aren’t into fairies, just change the theme and you can make whatever kind of small world you want. I hope you like all the great photos courtesy of Love Bucket Photo.  What a treat to have a photographer at the party!

Supplies

You will need…

a terracota planter plate (check your local nursery)

play dough (here’s my recipe)

a toilet paper roll and little planter cups for the fairy house

felt, pom poms and beads

little wood fairy dolls ( or use clothespins or a cork)

glue and glitter (of course, glitter)

pebbles, stones. moss and sticks of varying sizes

other odds and ends

Steps

First, the set up.  We had set out all the terra-cotta plates with a little plastic bag of “fairy dirt,” also know as mixed up homemade play dough. One of the kids suggested we call it unicorn poop so feel free to go with that one.  We also had all the different materials in little bowls spread out over the table.

I’m pretty sure all the tables and chairs for the party are from the party rental company Teak and Lace.  They have so many great things if you’re planning a party in LA.  Don’t they look pretty?

On a side table we had a few extra goodies, including fairy hair and something resembling fish tank rocks.  I can’t say for sure.  We got it at Trash 4 Teaching, one of my favorite places on earth.

Ok, so back to the steps.

The first step is to spread the fairy dirt/unicorn poop all around the plate.  It’s important to keep some extra handy on the side for later too.

Next, begin to decorate different parts of your garden including your fairy house, fairy, fairy lakes and beaded garland.

For the fairy house, we used a toilet paper roll and little cardboard seed planters from the dollar store that just sit right on top of the toilet paper roll.  No glue necessary.  They come in a pack of 12 for a dollar.  The kids glued on little pieces of felt to make them colorful.  Some even added pom poms and we cut little doors upon request.

The beaded garlands were made by stringing a pipe cleaner with beads and wrapping the ends to two skinny sticks.  The sticks were squished into the play dough on either side of the fairy garden.  If they had trouble standing, we added a little more play dough to keep them secure.

For the fairy lakes, we glued some of that whacky fish stuff to cutout cardboard pieces that resembled a lake.  You could use glitter for this part also, or sequins, or even perler beads.  Just brush the cardboard with white glue and sprinkle them on. Place the lake in your garden in any spot you like.

Continue by adding all the details, like little pebbles, colored rice, and green moss in different areas of your fairy garden.

The coolest thing about these fairy gardens is the play dough.  Laying in all the details is so much fun because you just squish it in and if you don’t like it, you can easily remove it.  The sensory aspect is really satisfying.  It also slows the kids down so they feel a sense of purpose as they layout their gardens.

A few details I didn’t mention that worked out great were glitter brushed in shells, little sticks with beads on top for flowers, and little tables and chairs with goblets on top made from beads

All the kids at the party took home a sweet little fairy garden to play with.  The play dough will dry after a day or two but you can still gently take out the fairy to move it around the garden.

Please tag mericherryla on instagram if you make a fairy garden.  I’d love to hear about your experience and see your child’s work.  Have fun and thanks for reading along! Meri