Make a Faerie Garden

The fairies are there but they won't stay unless you make it inviting. You can make their wishes come true and spend quality time engaging with your children (or the neighbor's or community's) by building a fairy garden together, filled with their dreams. In the process, they learn about gardening and the beauty of nature.

Steps

 * 1)  Draw a plan on paper with your child's input. Ask your child what shape he or she would like (or simply tell your child the shape if your garden space is limited).  Using this shape, map out the sorts of things your faerie garden will contain.  See ideas under "Tips".
 * 2)  Take a walk in the garden and plot out the area that will make the faerie garden. It should be somewhere child-friendly and less accessible to dogs, puppies and cats who might mess with it.  Fence it off with small garden fences if necessary (little blunt wooden picket fences are cute).
 * 3)  Dig over the garden. Do this together with your child, so that the soil is ready for planting and is easy to place the faerie pieces into.  Fertilize if necessary.
 * 4)  Place a square or circle paver upon which the main feature piece will sit.  A terracotta coloured cement paver is ideal.  Place a statue on this square or circle, such as a mushroom, faerie, animal or other feature item that the child has chosen.
 * 5)  Mark out a larger outer faerie circle which surrounds this feature piece.  Plant a circle of flowers chosen by the child around the inner circle.  Edge this outer circle with upright border blocks (the wavy ones are the most elegant).
 * 6)   Make little faerie circles next to the large circle. Use river stones, pebbles etc. Place plants inside these circles, or little trinkets chosen by the child.  You could also make other shapes with the pebbles, such as cat faces, dogs, triangles, diamonds etc.; imagination is the only limit.
 * 7) Add extra faerie pieces. A faerie table and chairs can be made from various sizes of pavers.  Purchase a small child's tea-set from a dollar store and place on the table for the faeries to have tea.
 * 8)  Follow your child's imagination to include other items in the garden. Listen to their ideas and try to adapt to them with items on hand.
 * 9)  Remind your child to keep the flowers watered regularly. While watering, they can check for faeries.  Encourage them to leave little gifts for the faeries (small pieces of fruit, seeds, whatever they like).  This will ease the transition from stubborn disinterest in gardening to enjoying it!
 * 10)  Have a special tea party to open the faerie garden.  Invite other family members, friends and neighbors over to marvel at the little garden and to provide the child with encouragement to tend it.

Tips

 * Fun things for a faerie garden can be found in garden stores. Ideas include: shiny glass pebbles, river pebbles, pavers, miniature statues, solar lights, terracotta worms, wooden insects, wooden flowers, candle light holders, faerie lights (with adult supervision only), and so on.
 * Dollar stores can be a source of extra features such as: beads, foil, glittery pieces, tiny animal toys, little miniature faeries, wooden pieces, small wooden fences etc. Let your imagination run wild; anything might suit a faerie!
 * Flowers should be colorful and easy to grow. Buy some as seeds and some as seedlings, so that children can see the seeds grow but can also see real flowers from the start.
 * If you are able to string things up over the garden, the children can make art pieces using foil, CDs and other shiny objects. If near a vegetable garden or fruit trees, the glinting objects will help to discourage birds from landing to ravage the produce.
 * Lately some stores have been stocking little statues with in-built solar powered lights. These are a delight to children after dark when they can walk out and see a little glow that attracts moths - and faeries!
 * Use faerie books borrowed from the library to give you more inspiration - children will enjoy looking at the different ideas.
 * For boys who think faeries are not their idea of fun, change to elves, pixies, gnomes etc.; or explain that there are boy faeries too and they used to look after the dinosaurs...
 * Don't forget to pack up the faerie garden if you live in a snow-prone part of the world. None of these items will winter well and may crack, rust etc.

Warnings

 * Be careful the items used are age-suitable - no small pieces where children under 3 or puppies can gain access.
 * If you use potting soil, keep children away from the bag to avoid possible breathing in of Legionella bacteria found in some potting mixes. Do not breathe in over the bag, wear gloves when handling and only use potting soil outdoors in open spaces.
 * Make sure items left outside are weather-resistant; any lights used should be guaranteed outdoors safe.
 * If you use any electricity, make sure it is outdoor use compatible and that all exposed wires etc cannot be reached or pulled by small children and pets.
 * Always wash hands well after gardening.
 * some birds actually like shiny stuff, so remember that sometimes too much glitter is not the way to go.

Things You'll Need

 * Terracotta pavers
 * Terracotta borders
 * Faerie stuff

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make a Fairy House
 * How to Create a Zen Garden
 * How to Landscape With Solar Lighting
 * How to Build a Hydroponic Garden
 * How to Prevent Getting Poison Ivy or Poison Oak
 * How to Grow a TickleMe Plant

Sources and Citations

 * Garden Fairies and How to Attract Them
 * Photo of a Fairy Garden
 * Creating Your Own Fairy Garden
 * www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cottage_gardening/16920 Luring the Garden Fairy
 * HGTV Fairy Garden Ideas
 * How to Make a Fairy Garden for a Child's Party - larger theme for party
 * Make a Fairy Garden for Your Kid's Party
 * Make a Fairy Garden for Your Kids Party - another article