Leaflets

Fairy Villages

Fairy villages are homes for elves, fairies, and other beings of children’s imagination. They provide enchanted places that stimulate creative, dramatic play in make believe settings. Creating a fairy village represents a unique form of natural building. They can be any scale, created inside a hollow log, on top of a tree stump, in a planter, on a patio or in a miniature woodland in a quiet corner of the outdoor area.

​Setting:

Construction Area

Focus:

Creative Expression   

Curricular Areas:

    • Cognitive Development (Creative expression)
    • Approaches to Learning (imagination, creativity, invention, aesthetic sensibility)

Suggestions:

  1. Place a basket of miniature figurines, etc. near an inviting place for a fairy village (e.g., tree stump, planter, hollow log, rock with a concave bowl, etc.).
  2. Invite children to create a special place for tiny fairies or other imaginary creatures.
  3. Listen and respond to children’s descriptions and stories about their fairy villages.
  4. As children share their “stories,” record some of their ideas in the form of an “experience story” (i.e., a form of documentation – usually written by the teacher — representing children’s ideas and actions).

Engaging Parents:

  1. Call attention to the fairy villages created by the children by way of photos or experience stories.
  2. Encourage children to show their fairy villages to their parents and talk about their “stories.”

Materials & Tools

  • Small furniture
  • Figurines
  • Marbles
  • Shells
  • Other tiny items