Spring has sprung and you may have already started the yard work. My daughter loves helping in the garden and getting her hands dirty. I remember having a fairy garden when I was little and and naming the fairy Sassafras. My young imagination really believed fairies lived in that garden and it was my job to keep their home beautiful.
Whether or not your child’s imagination is as wild as mine was, making a fairy garden is the perfect activity to teach them all about gardening. Plus, it allows them to get creative and learn how to be responsible. The best part is, you can find fairy garden supplies right at your local Dollar Tree.
Gather Fairy Garden Supplies
Check out your local dollar store this season for gardening supplies. I’ve been to a few that have rows of shelves dedicated to fairy gardens. They have fairy houses, doors, benches, and signs to create the perfect little fairy community. In addition to the fairy garden finds, I also purchased glass gemstones and small pieces of wood to create a path and “chairs” for the fairies. You can also find garden tools for your little one to get their hands dirty this spring.
Encourage your child to pick out their own supplies and see what other creative ideas they come up with. For older children, you may want to buy the small wooden houses (also sold by the Dollar Tree) and have your child paint a fairy house. Popsicle sticks can be built into bridges. The ideas are endless.
Choose Your Fairy Garden Container and Plants
You’ll want to decide where you’re going to plant your garden. I’ve seen many cute fairy garden ideas for outside. I chose to create an indoor fairy garden and found the perfect container. It’s wide enough to add in all of the decorative items and includes a drainage plug. The Dollar Tree also sells plenty of container options.
Deciding what you want to plant can be tricky. To teach young kids about the responsibility of taking care of plants, you may want to choose something that requires less maintenance, like a succulent. Looking for other plant ideas? Check out this list of indoor fairy garden plants. I chose two succulents and purchased cactus, palm and citrus potting mix.
Fill and Decorate
After filling the pot with soil, we placed the plants and some of the props on top to determine our layout. After we had a plan, we continued to fill around the plants and props to create our foundation.
Here is my niece’s fairy garden. She added a path made of gemstones and bordered the outside with little pieces of wood. I can’t wait to do this activity again with my daughter and see what creative touches we add to hers.
Be sure to teach your child all about the importance of tending to their fairy garden! Share your fairy garden pictures in the comment below.
