Fairy House Craft
Use your imagination to create magical fairy houses out of cardboard and “loose parts.”
What are loose parts? Loose parts are open-ended and versatile materials that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be found, bought, taken out of your recycling bin, or even taken from other art projects and repurposed. With loose parts children can use their imaginations to create in endless ways. Some examples of loose parts can be found in our materials list below.
Use your imagination to create magical fairy houses out of cardboard and “loose parts.” What are loose parts? Loose parts are open-ended and versatile materials that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be found, bought, taken out of your recycling bin, or even taken from other art projects and repurposed. With loose parts children can use their imaginations to create in endless ways. Some examples of loose parts can be found in our materials list below.
Ages/Grades
Preschool, Early Elementary
Learning Domains
Language, Fine Motor
Materials
• Cardstock or a sturdy piece of cardboard
• 3D item to be used as the fairy house (can be a small cardboard box, compostable planter, or paper/plastic bowls)
• Glue
• Glitter
• Pom poms
• Feathers
• Other collage materials, such as beads, fabric, felt, craft stems
• Super puffs and other building materials (optional)
Ready, Set, Create!
Cover your work surface with a tablecloth or table paper for easy cleanup.
Give each child a piece of cardstock or cardboard, a 3D item, and glue.
Place all the collage materials out on your work surface.
Organize the collage materials in an interesting and enticing way to create an “Invitation to Create.” Try grouping together similar materials in bowls or other containers or arranging them by size or color.
Invite children to glue their 3D item onto the base upside down, creating a house-like structure. They can draw a door and windows onto the house or cut them out with scissors.
Encourage children to decorate their fairy house, as well as the “yard” of the house (the cardstock base), with a variety of collage materials. They can use a craft stick to create a sign welcoming the fairies!
Engage Children in Conversation
Place photographs around the work area of fairy houses or fairy gardens that others have created. Try finding photographs of fairy houses from around the world.
Ask children open ended questions that encourage critical thinking, such as:
Which materials will you use to create your fairy house? Why will you choose these materials?
What kind of fairy will live in your house?
Where will your fairy house be located? Will it be in the woods? A city? The country?
Extensions
Place the completed fairy houses around the school grounds or classroom and encourage children to find each other’s creations.
Set up a fairy village in your classroom and invite caregivers to come visit.
Create fairies out of craft sticks or clothespins to live in the fairy houses.
At your writing center, add words such as “fairy,” “house,” and each child’s name, so that children can practice writing these words.
Take photos of the children and record their words while they are creating. Print these photos and words and create a display on the walls to go along with their fairy houses.
Modifications
Children who have difficulty squeezing glue bottles can dip paint brushes into cups of glue or use glue sticks to adhere the materials to their fairy house.
Try providing large and easier grasped loose parts, as well as smaller pieces so that children have a variety of options depending upon their motor abilities.
When using larger sized loose parts, children can refrain from touching the glue with their fingers when placing objects onto the paper.