A Tiny Home Among the Mosses: Building Fairy Houses With Children

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(Photo from cover of "Fairy Houses...Everywhere!")

You're hiking on a winding path through the trees, taking in all the shades of green and the sounds of birds and squirrels, when something suddenly catches your eye. There, at the base of a giant tree with a little rivulet of water flowing by is a tiny hut made of fir boughs and bark, no more than a foot tall. The little stepping stone path leading up to the entrance is so inviting, and the little leaf cups and bowls look as though they were set up for an afternoon forest luncheon. You can't help but wonder who must live here and call this home. It sets your imagination to wandering.

This is the surprise I imagine people finding when they discover one of the many fairy houses my children and I have built in the woods and along the seashore over the years. I spent countless hours as a child building little houses and villages from sticks, leaves, and bark, and was delighted to rediscover this fun pastime with my own children. We definitely had a turning point of inspiration where they grew more elaborate when we discovered Barry and Tracy Kane's book (first photo is the cover), Fairy Houses...Everywhere and their short, sweet video, Kristen's Fairy House. We have stopped and built them on hikes in the woods alongside the trail out of branches, bark, pinecones and sticks. We have built them on the beach with driftwood, pebbles, dried seaweed, and shells. Half the fun lies in picking a location. A tiny winter rivulet of water or a pool formed by heavy rains make lovely rivers and lakes beside which a house may dwell. We even started an entire fairy village in a flower bed in our yard with little huts, paths, and secret abalone shell pools. We planted little flowering mosses and elfin thyme amongst the houses, and I think one could plant an entire miniature fairy garden with delicate little flowers. At Halloween we always turn one pumpkin into a fairy house with windows, a little door, moss carpet, and stick furniture. In the winter we make one with fir boughs and holly on our front porch and we light a candle in it on long chilly evenings.

It's a fun project to do outside that engages children and adults in the smaller microcosm of nature around them. Instead of looking at the views of far off hills or the forest's edge, you may find yourself scanning the forest floor with keen eyes for just the right stick or bit of moss to add that finishing touch to your creation. Some parents have told me they would love to build fairy houses, but their child doesn't believe in faeries. For that scientific-minded child, may I suggest you build toad, chipmunk or snail houses. They certainly can't deny the existence of these abundant forest creatures, and the project would be equally fun and for all purposes the same. The experience would be equally magical. I was one of those children who had not really heard a lot about faeries, and didn't give them much thought. My little structures were often built with frogs in mind.

Another exciting aspect of building these little houses is coming back later and seeing if they're still there. The seaside fairy house we built one January was still there when we returned a year later, only a little ruffled from winter storms. We went on a hike along the China Creek trail at Washburne State Park last month, and came upon the basic frame of a fairy house we built along the trail three years ago! The kids were so excited to see their handiwork withstanding time and the elements. Backyard fairy houses are fun to spruce up and work on in the spring. Children seem to enjoy the jobs of clearing away leaves and re-arranging little acorn cap bowls on stone tables. They take great pride in their caretaking and small-scale housekeeping.

So, if you should ever find your children bored on a nature hike or camping trip, send them out to round up materials and get them busy with construction. It will keep them occupied and out of mischief. It's good for your inner child too. You may all find yourselves spending hours setting up and imagining an entire little world among the mosses.