1 Hour : Make It : Fairy House

image via familyfun.com

One "boring" day last year, I took my daughter out to a corner of our backyard and showed her how to make a fairy house. We used sticks, bark, and leaves to make a simple abode, but she then spent another hour or so collecting all sorts of natural building materials for expanding and decorating. Now that the weather is turning nice again, she's making a variation: leprechaun houses. In fact, I even found pieces of bark in her backpack--she said she needed supplies for leprechaun houses on the school playground.

Get more ideas to help you start a fairy house at FamilyFun.com.

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15 Minutes : Play It : Nature Walk

The perfect weather today encouraged us to take a quick walk around the block. We like to take a small pail to collect treasures such as pinecones, rocks, sticks, leaves, etc. We also try to name things around us--tulips, daffodils, dandelions, apple trees, magpies, robins. I often ask the children questions such as:
What sounds do you hear?
What flower colors do you see?
What does the bark of that tree feel like?
What is your favorite bird?
Do those blossoms have a scent?

Even these little conversations teach them about beauty and variety in their world. I smile when I hear my four-year-old point out quail, or my six-year-old notice hyacinth.

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