Fairies are making toys come to life.
My Fairy Garden kits, from PlayMonster, allow kids to grow their own garden while also acting as a fun play set for their fairy friends. With three different gardens to choose from, there is plenty of magical fun in store.
Freya’s Magical Cottage set comes with a flowerpot cottage and a tray that has a terrace and opening doors, furniture, and gardening tools. Each set comes with a cute little friend for the fairy; my cottage included Hazel the chipmunk to go with Freya the fairy.
Once the cottage is assembled, let the gardening begin. Each garden comes with discs of compact soil that kind of look like overcooked burger patties. Kids simply add the disc to a bowl with water and watch as it bloats up into fluffy soil. The instructions say to do this in a separate bowl, but I chose to do it in the cottage so my cereal doesn’t taste like soil.
Once the soil absorbed all the water, I used the tiny gardening tools to fluff the soil and then scoop it into the tray and cottage. I’m sure these tiny tools are great for young and aspiring gardeners, but they made my hands cramp a bit. I also suggest putting the gardens together outside or in the garage because I’m still finding soil and seeds on my desk.
Unfortunately the fairies can’t magically make the seeds start blossoming immediately, but these are quick-germinating seed so it only took a couple days for my garden to sprout. In the meantime, however, each garden is a play set so kids can still have fun as they wait for everything to grow.
Watering the plants is also made to be more entertaining. With the Magical Cottage, you can use the watering can, or you can pour water into the toadstool in the top section and watch as it dribbles over the plants. Then you can pour water into the trim on the roof and it will stream over the tray. In the Lily Pond garden set, there is a tower of lily pads that streams the water onto the soil. I suggest using the watering can in addition to this so no spot gets neglected.
The instructions are very helpful for kids, as they are filled with tips along the way to explain how to best plant seeds or water the garden. There is also a diagram that explains plant growth in a simple way to help kids make the most of their gardens.
The Magical Cottage set seems to give the most space for gardening, while the Lily Pond set has a fun bridge and stream included. The Tree Hollow set would be best for kids who want a more compact fairy garden on their windowsill.
If kids want to start a new garden, it would be easy to replant with their own seeds and they could add their own accessories to personalize their gardens. Then the fairies can take over from there.
