A couple of weeks ago I posted about painting fairy houses and clay pots. The kids really did enjoy that craft and then planting their own flowers for the Fairy Garden. But I also needed a few other supplies for our garden to come together completely. Let me say my motto was “go big or go home” for this project. Knowing that my kids are currently 3, 5, and 7 and LOVE to play outdoors was a huge factor in this. Plus, I LOVE gardening and knew I could always use the box in the future if there was no longer interest in the Fairy Garden itself. Therefore, I ordered a rather large elevated garden for our deck to house the Fairy Garden. Obviously you can use something much smaller or even no “box” at all to create a fairyland environment in your backyard.

We filled our garden with pea gravel, potting soil and topsoil. There was no real method to this other than using what you are comfortable with and what is within your budget. Since my plants ended up being in pots the stuff in the box didn’t matter as much.

Next I placed all of the potted flowers into the box and added some extra leftover pea gravel to the very top. Then the kids were in charge of putting the actual Fairy Houses, furniture and overall “living spaces” together however they wanted. The kids received Fairies and Frogs and Turtles in their Easter baskets this year. (The Easter Bunny stocked up at Michael’s craft store with coupons.) We had brought sand and sea shells home from a couple of vacations and Charlotte decided her part of the Fairy Garden needed a beach. And so Henry copied a beach scene for his frogs and turtles.

We found a cute table and chairs set, a bench, a fence and an arbor at the local Home and Garden show. I’ve seen many options online and your kids can even make their own out of sticks and leaves.

Overall, each of my kids picked their own part of the garden to call their own. Charlotte’s and Henry’s has more of a beach theme and Stella’s is a fenced-in pea gravel area. They had a lot of fun taking ownership of their own spaces.

And now I’m happy to report that even weeks later they are still enjoying the Fairy Garden while we are outside. I love overhearing the fairy (and frog prince) adventures and stories they create. I hope this keeps their interest for a long time.