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About a year ago, I was looking for a way to
entertain my then 9-year-old niece, who would be staying with us for a
week during the summer. I remembered that one of my other nieces had been
fascinated by fairies when she was the same age. I also recalled that
these mythical creatures captivated me when I first learned about them in
grade school. I thought it would be fun to introduce my niece to this
make-believe world.
Unfortunately, my knowledge of fairies was
limited to my recollections. So I went to one of my favorite online
stores, Amazon.com, and did a search
on "fairies." Two books caught my attention:
Fairy Fun
and Finding Fairies.* I eagerly purchased them.
Fairy Fun is a 95-page hardcover
written by Californian Marla Schram Schwartz. In the book’s introduction
she discusses her childhood enchantment with fairies and explains that "throughout
the years, I learned a variety of wonderful arts and crafts projects from
my mom, acted out fairy tales with my siblings, and, of course, fantasized
about flying like a fairy." Those thoughts, experiences and
projects were then compiled for Fairy
Fun.
Schwartz points out that the book is more
than a mere whimsy for a summer afternoon. She briefly discusses the many
benefits your child will derive from the crafts and activities in the
book--including cognitive skill development, fine motor integration and
eye-hand coordination. In addition, she states that the book will help any
child build a better appreciation and understanding of nature.
That’s wonderful, but as any parent will
tell you, the true test comes when you introduce your child to the book.
Will she be intrigued by it, or simply toss it aside?
I’m happy to say that my niece loved it!
On the first day of her visit, we pored through the book and decided which
crafts we would like to try. The book includes directions for making 17
different things, including:
- Fairy dust
- Magic wand
- Wish box
- Fairy boat
- Flower fairy dolls
- Fairy house and furniture
- Fairy crowns and clothes
- Fairy jewelry
- Fairy garden basket
- Fairy stick puppet
- Rainbow glasses
- Fairy food
- Fairy kaleidoscope and telescope
- Magic stones
- A fairy nest
Most of these items can be made from
treasures found in nature or items commonly laying around your home or
even in your recycling bin. We even took a nature hike at a local forest
preserve one morning to collect flowers, seed pods, twigs and leaves
needed for many of the projects.
Each project includes a supply list and step-by-step directions.
Thankfully, the directions aren’t too complicated. In fact, most of the
projects could be easily completed by a grade school student alone, but I
encourage you to take the time to create them with your child. You will be
building lasting memories!
Besides craft projects, the book gives
children a chance to explore science by catching fireflies and raising a
rainbow. For those who enjoy singing and dancing, there are directions for
dancing the "Fairy Two Step" and the lyrics to two fairy songs.
Your child can also learn how to use water to make music!
There’s even a section filled with ideas
for a fairy-themed birthday party picnic. In it, you will find fairy
songs, invitation ideas, recipes for fairy food (like pixie power punch
and fairy cakes) and games such as "Fishing for Fairies."
This is truly a delightful book that will
spark not only your child’s imagination, but also yours! It would make a
great springtime gift because the projects in it will probably keep your
child busy throughout the summer!
For more information or to purchase Fairy
Fun, click
here
.
*Editor’s note: for a review of the other
book mentioned above (Finding Fairies), click here.
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