Fairy Fun!

About 2 years ago, I took the kids to see the Fairy House Ballet with some dance friends. It was a local performance inspired by the Fairy House book series authored by Tracey Kane. The girls enjoyed it, and the author was there doing book signings, so we bought a copy.

It is a great book, filled with all the things that I love. I almost felt it was written just for our family. And in subsequent editions, the main character's name is Kristin (but she spells it wrong with an e!).

The premise of the book is centered around a little girl who goes on vacation with her family to an island in Maine. During her vacation, she finds a secluded spot in the woods where visitors have built small, almost hidden houses for fairies to come visit. The houses must be out of the way, where few people roam and made of all natural materials. No materials from living things may be used either, they must all be gathered from the ground. If artificial materials or living pieces are used, the fairies won't come.

So this little girl builds a house, and visits it everyday, gradually adding on to it. And each night the house is visited by fairies. The illustrations show the animals visiting each night-their spirit is the fairy magic. One afternoon the girl falls asleep and the "fairies" come to visit her in her dreams.

Since seeing the ballet and reading the books, building fairy houses has become a favorite activity for the family. The girls build them at home. They build them at camp. We even shared the book with the girls' school and they build them at summer camp now too.

So why do I love it so much? The ideals it brings out in children are perfect. Imaginative play. Respect for nature. Unstructured fun. Fresh air. The Maine Coast. Just something magical to believe in that you can touch and feel. What a gift to children everywhere this book is.

So imagine how excited I was when thumbing through a book I have about things to do with kids in Portland, and I see a section on fairy houses! Turns out only a half hour from our camp is Mackworth Island. A tiny island off the coast of Falmouth that houses the Maine school for the deaf and boasts a 1.25 mile hiking trail around the perimeter. There are numerous scenic spots to stop and sit on a bench to enjoy the view, or take the steps down to the rocky shore to look for snails and hermit crabs.

But the highlight of the island is the community village. A spot along the trail where hundreds of fairy houses have been built by believing little boys and girls. And maybe some grown up believers too! We wandered the village for quite some time then picked the perfect spot-way in the back snug against a tree-for our house.

The lead engineer on the project decided on the main structure, and the rest of us built it up, stick by stick. We added bark, and acorn tops for cups in case they get thirsty. There are pieces of bark that make beds and couches inside. Even a tiny bar in front for the faires to belly-up to! That was also added by the lead engineer....

Here are some shots of our contribution to the village. We strictly followed the rules and hope many a fairy enjoy a stay at our 5-star fairy house!

If you have a chance to visit-stop by. It's a great place. Especially if you have little fairy house engineers in your family!

So, do you believe in fairies?

I do.

Kristin