A mom at Rowan’s school turned us on to Sparkle Stories this week. If you have not checked it out, you really should. The stories are sweet and simple, and harken back to days pre-technology. With audio stories, there is room left in your head images and imagination. There are no colors as bright as those created in your mind, I think. Good storytelling is a bit of a lost art. With everything that we have on offer these days, we forget how satisfying just hearing a good story can be. There was something refreshing (and rare!) about the quiet that settled in our kitchen, as Rowan sat and listened.

The first story we heard was about Martin and Sylvia, a young brother and sister, who along with their parents, create a fairy boat show in their backyard one spring day. Rowan and I were so inspired by this tale that we decided to give fairy boat construction a try. We have dabbled in fairy garden architecture so why not boats?

What was really nice is that my husband happened to be home early and got in on the action too. We went around the backyard collecting leaves and twigs. I scoured our craft closet for paper, glue and leftover crafty bits. The important thing is that we used what we had. Then, with a sense of purpose and a small dose competitive energy, we got to building. I painted craft paper with ocean waves and the imaginary regatta got underway.

Fairy Boat Construction

twigs
sticks
paint
glue
string
leaves
wood
anything you can find

Start with a good foundation like a leaf, pieces of wood or foam. Small sticks and toothpicks make great supports for your sails. Toothpicks are great for keeping pieces of foam together too. Paper and leaves make good sails and shade. Have fun.