In the Fairy's Night Garden...Small World Play.

We have a whole lot of "boy tailored" activities at my house, but not a lot of "girlie" ones. Now that the baby girls are growing up into little ladies, I thought it might be time to make a small world play bin JUST for them! And what's more girlie than a fairy garden? 

Well, I built this little garden with the girls in mind, but as it turns out...the boys play with it just as much as the girls!! This little fairy world has become our "most played with" bin in the entire dayhome. Ha! Just when you think you've got them all figured out!

"C" likes to play with it first thing in the morning...she gets here first when the sun is not all the way up, so she gets the benefit of the soft twinkly tea lights!

There is a little bed in the corner (we borrowed from our dollhouse) for the fairies to sleep...

A treasure box of "jewels" which the kids like to hide in the flowers so they are kept safe from the "baddies."

We added little terra cotta pots for the silk flowers, and a little fruit basket from the My Little Pony sets.

A little birthday cake (also from the My Little Ponies), and little plastic bugs from the dollar store, as party guests.

Everything is "moveable"...nothing is stuck anywhere. The kids can arrange and rearrange the basket as they please. The bottom of the basket has a folded towel on one end to give the garden another level. The floor is covered with squares of green felt.

The felt "flower vine" is from the scrapbook section of the dollar store. It can be picked up and moved around also. The flower fairies and battery operated tea lights are also from the dollar store.

*Note: the basket makes a perfect setting for the garden, as the stems of the silk flowers can be woven in and out of the basket weave. This makes a border of flowers all around the garden. You could use a plastic bin, but I think you'll find there are so many more possibilities if you use a basket.

Here is a visual list of all the items we used.

All of the supplies came from the dollar store and from toys we already had around the house.

I have no doubt the little ones in your life will appreciate this small world of fairies and twinkle lights...the hours of make-believe play will feed their souls, AND yours. Even our cat likes to visit the fairy garden once in awhile...we find him sleeping right in there with the flowers and night crawlers!

Thanks for stopping by!

Chalk n' Water Centre...

For a long time, I had wanted to add an easel painting space to my house. A place where the kids were free to go and paint on a whim. But the space in my little house is limited and the potential to have paint on my carpets and walls and furniture is at an all time high! I had already put a chalk centre on the outside of my kitchen island and my lovely, and brilliant cousin Krymsen suggested I let the kids paint with water and brushes on the chalkboard.

Well, didn't I love this idea? The children could paint as they pleased, my furniture and carpets would remain safe, AND my chalkboard would get a cleaning! And so I added one more bucket to the wall. The first one contains chalk and brushes. The second one contains brushes, and when the kids want to paint, I unhook it from the wall and fill it with a bit of water and put it on the floor in front of the board.

It is now the "go to" spot for my toddlers when I am preparing meals. They love it! And there are no rules, except for "no sucking the paint brushes!"

And there you have it...6 days of fun water water play activities that you can do inside your home...even on the coldest of days!

Happy painting!
Thanks for stoping by!