How to Make a Magical Fairy House for Your Garden

Do you have fairies at the bottom of your garden?

Do the fairies help clean your house? Pick up after the kids?  Or perhaps hide the odd sock or two? 

Have you ever thought about building a house for the fairies in your garden?

A few weeks back I began to embark on a new project for our garden. Little did I know at the time that it would become a joint project between my husband and myself. He became so excited about my little project that he almost took over and before I knew it, my little magical fairy house was an enormous family project bigger than “Ben Her!”

My advice before you start, plan your strategy wisely. If you want to build something as grand as ours then be my guest and follow my instructions. You can always choose to simplify it and build a fairy house with not quite as much decoration. Whatever you decide, it will still be magical and delight all who set eyes on it. That is, friends, neighbours, and family with imagination. But be warned- be prepared to put in quite a lot of time! It is worth it in the end and we did have a lot of fun and laughs along the way. So worth every minute. It is a great way to spend quality time together and after all, shouldn’t everyone have a little magic at the bottom of their garden?

Note: Most of the materials we used were gathered from around our house. So the fairy house was made at very minimal cost.

Step One: Select a suitable plastic container of a size you would like the basic structure to be. We chose an old bucket that had a split in the bottom, useless for water now, but ideal for a fairy house. Use a felt tip pen to draw a plan on the bucket then cut out the windows and door.

Step Two: Cover the bucket with a collection of flat stones. River stones work well, we collected ours from the beach. (It was a great excuse for a day out at the beach by the way.) They are in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours. You can use craft glue to stick them on however this takes awhile to dry and they tend to slide if you don’t hold them long enough. I found the best tool was a hot glue gun, just be careful not to burn your fingers while manipulating the smaller stones. I admit I had a few blisters!

Step Three: We added an entryway. This is an additional feature of our choice. You can choose to leave off and keep things simple. My husband screwed timber walls to the bucket before adding the roof.

Step Four: Add a roof to your fairy house. Again we used left over timber from the construction of our house. We are lucky to be owner builders so have plenty of material available. We then added packing timber to the roof and spray painted it dark grey to look like shingles.

Step Five: The walls of the entryway are made from paddle pop sticks to resemble timber. I painted them brown.

Step Six: We added a door with a miniature hinge to be able to open and close it.

Step Seven: Cover the windows to help make the inside weather and spider proof with plastic. The plastic is glued on from the inside.

Step Eight: Add any desired additional ornaments. In our case we added a weather vein, spray painted gold. A crooked pipe chimney and a silver satellite dish. To complete the look I added tiny flowers under some of the windows to give the illusion that the fairies had planted their own garden and sprinkled gold fairy dust across the roof. We also found some tiny items from a model ship we had never found the time to construct, so added the lantern, windows and shields. It is amazing what you can find around the house to use to decorate if you have a bit of a rummage. 

Step Nine:  Make sure it is sealed from the weather by spraying completely with a varnish.

Step Ten: Add a couple of fairies, select a position in your garden and enjoy the delight on visitors faces.

Here is the finished magical fairy house in our selected spot under our Chinese Elm near my bird house and emu statues. One day I will have the rest of the garden completed around it and hopefully it will be filled with lots of fairies including some of the blue fairy wrens that currently nest in the garden near my kitchen. Perhaps when there are enough small shrubs in this garden they will feel safe to move across.

Do you have a spot to put a fairy house in your garden?

If you build one, send me a photo and I’ll add it below. Maybe we could start a collection.

I’m thinking about writing a story about an Aussie fairy family. If you would like to hear more or have any ideas, join me in my awesome readers newsletter group. I’d love to discuss any idea you might suggest.

How to Bring Diversity to the Classroom.

As we approach Australia Day, a day where we celebrate all things fabulous about being Australian. It is also a time to reflect on our beginnings. Where have we all come from? Over the years we have grown into a melting pot of so many wonderful cultures from across the globe that we truly are a multicultural society.

I remember back in my university days some 30 odd years ago how the importance of multiculturalism in the classroom was emphasised. Since that time, we have only grown more diverse than ever, making it even more important to celebrate our differences and our similarities.

Over my years as a teacher, I was fortunate to be able to teach in several schools with great diversity. My first being an International school in Thailand, the second, a Primary school here in Canberra. As an ESL/LOTE teacher I have been fortunate to work with some absolutely fantastic kids from all corners of the world and been involved in the planning and preparation of several Multicultural or Harmony Days at school.

When the classroom is filled with a diverse range of students it is exciting to bring in their backgrounds as part of their education. One of the things you can do to begin a classroom discussion is to start with a take-home survey.

For example: As we live in Canberra I titled this – My Canberra Survey.
1. Name
2. Age group (circle) 18-25 26-40 41-55 56+ (Note: This survey is for an adult to complete, you can alter to include the kids in the class)
3. Where were you born? Country
City
4. What year did you move to Canberra?
5. Why did you and your family move to Canberra?
6. What do you like about living in Canberra?
7. What do you think makes Canberra unique and why?
8. What do you think is special about living in Canberra?

Once the class has collected the information you can –
1. Set up a class graph to see where in the world they have all come from.
2. Graph how long each family has lived here?
3. List all the reasons people like living here.
4. Compare/contrast similarities and differences.

This leads into organising a Multicultural Day.
1. Invite parents into the classroom to read stories from their country of origin.
2. Talk about their favourite places and memories of their birth country.
3. Share information on bulletin boards/project sheets about each country. Maps, climate, population, national dress, customs etc
4. Dress up in National costume.
5. Have a Multicultural Feast!

6. If you would rather spread the classroom diversity throughout the year rather than one special day, I suggest cooking a dish from each country once a week. If this is too difficult, ask a parent to supply a traditional dish to share with the class once a week instead.

I remember my first Multicultural Day Feast in Thailand. It was a magnificent day full of so many special experiences, laughs and wonder. I did learn one important thing about living in Thailand though. I tried to make lamingtons for the Australian tables food selection. They were not so successful. I discovered it was almost impossible to buy desiccated coconut in Pattaya and bought shredded coconut instead. My lamingtons tasted great, but did not look quite as good as I had hoped. Turns out shredded coconut soakes up chocolate. Who would have thought?

A few years later I had the chance to redeem myself while teaching back home in Canberra. As the ESL/LOTE teacher I was teaching Indonesian at the time so wore my Indonesian traditional dress and cooked a wok full of Nasi Goreng, much more successful. Lesson learnt, stick to savoury dishes!

Copyright Sandra Bennett and Dianna Budd

Now if I were still teaching I have the perfect Australian picture book to bring to the table. Emma the Eager Emu is a different kind of bird to all the other birds at flying school. At first she doesn’t like the fact that she is different, but with the help of her friends, Emma learns to embrace those special qualities that make her stand out from the rest. It is a wonderful book to help teach children the importance of their similarities and the uniqueness of their differences. A classroom discussion can follow the reading including the diversity in birds as well as humans and ways in which we can celebrate those special different qualities in us all. Children can then make their own books titled “I am different, I am the same.”

How are you planning on celebrating your cultural diversity in your classroom? Leave a comment below. I’d love to know.

Three Last Minute Children’s Book Ideas for Christmas

It’s that time of year again. Christmas is almost here!

I’ve trimmed the tree and hung the lights, but still have a few Christmas gifts to gather.

If you are anything like me, you had every intention of being organised this year, just this once! Would have been nice, but it never seems to happen. December rolls around too quickly and Christmas day is sneaking up so fast!

So here are my suggestions for that last minute gift to grab for the kids. Based on some fantastic children’s books I have reviewed this year, here are three of my favourites you can download or purchase from Amazon and still have them in time to add to your little ones Christmas stocking.

After all, by giving the gift of reading you are giving a gift that can be opened over and over again. Seems like a winner to me!

My three picks (in no particular order) are :-

Three Little Gnomes and the One Bite Mystery by Rhonda “Grammy Pags” Paglia 

With Christmas being in the middle of the summer holidays here in Australia, this story is a great way to motivate the kids to get outside and start a vegetable patch. I adored this story and the wonderful illustrations that supported it.

5.0 OUT OF 5 STARS Charming and Absolutely Delightful!

By Sandra Bennett on July 22, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition

Loved this little gnome tale! I absolutely adored “Three Little Gnomes and the One Bite Mystery.” The illustrations were simply charming and Nibbles McGibbles was a fabulous character! I could easily see kids really enjoying this story. It helps develop imagination while encouraging healthy eating habits without explicit instruction. Children are also encouraged to share in a meaningful manner. It could be a useful springboard for a school vegetable garden or one at home so that children can learn first hand how to grow and nurture their own food. They also learn the value of patience while waiting for the vegetables to grow and ripen, and that their patience and caring pays off in the end.The extras at the end were fantastic. I always feel an opportunity to learn is so valuable. Rhonda Paglia adds information in a light and entertaining manner that kids are sure to enjoy

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Little-Gnomes-One-Bite-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01HOWCOZA

One Hot Mess by Jeanne E Rogers 

Along with rather cute caricatures of our native fauna, One Hot Mess reminds us all of the importance of looking after our environment. There has been an ad campaign here lately reminding everyone not to “be a tosser” but to place your rubbish in a bin. This short tale demonstrates just how important that message is for people and animals alike. It is a wonderful read aloud story for the whole family.

5.0 OUT OF 5 STARSA must read for children and their adult reading companions!

By AmazonFan on August 12, 2016

Format: Paperback

What a compelling read for children and the adults who read to and/or with them! We learn that our stewardship of the earth begins with how we care for our own space in order to keep our environment free of contamination and pollution. The text flows with lively dialogue and descriptive passages. The illustrations are eye-catching and colorful. In keeping with the educational value of this text, a glossary at the end of the book presents the Australian flora and fauna specific to this story. The author’s photographs are vivid examples of the characters and their outback homeland. This clever, non-preachy fable that teaches the precious lesson of caring for our environment makes a perfect gift for a very lucky child. I think I’ll read it once more before I gift-wrap it for my granddaughter!

https://www.amazon.com/One-Hot-Mess-Environmental-Australian-ebook/dp/B01IDI4EYS/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1481860987&sr=1-6&keywords=one+hot+mess

Amazing Matilda -A Monarch’s Tale by Bette A Stevens 

This award winning picture book presents the life cycle of a butterfly. From the tiniest of eggs to crawling out of a cocoon and becoming a beautiful butterfly. It also teaches the important lesson of persistence and patience, to never give up and follow your dreams. Sound familiar? Emma the Eager Emu teaches a similar significant lesson. It’s no wonder I love this book so much.

5.0 OUT OF 5 STARSThis Story Is A True Gem, And One That Will Inspire Children!

By Children’s Book Reviewer on November 18, 2012

Format: Paperback

Amazing Matilda, A Monarch’s Tale, is a beautiful tale about a monarch butterfly during the stages of her metamorphosis. Catepillar is eager to grow up and fly but the wise words from other animal friends encourages her to be patient, one day it will come. Not knowing what her fate will be, she listens to her friends and hears of their youthful life trials and the lessons they have learned. As time passes her instincts take over and soon she begins to physically change.

Children of all ages will be able to relate to monarchs plight in some way. The tale will also inspire readers to not only follow their dreams, but to encourage others to do the same. Ones dreams are never too big, but with the support of friends and family, as well as with patience and determination, anyone can reach their goal. Ths sky is the limit.

This story is a true gem and one that will inspire children for years to come.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Matilda-Childrens-Literature-Butterfly-ebook/dp/B00AU9ZISA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1481861751&sr=1-1&keywords=Amazing+matilda

A few extras ;- My own books are always available here on my website. If you purchase directly from me I can personally sign any copies before posting. They are also available on Amazon.

Copyright Sandra Bennett and Dianna Budd

Emma the Eager Emu

5.0 OUT OF 5 STARSGreat story!

By Erika on January 18, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This story with colorful, bright illustrations delivers a very important message to children the fun way. Emma, the emu is very eager to fit in and be like other birds, but she can’t fly like others. She believes that it’s her fault and it makes her very sad until Rosie encourages her to run instead of trying to fly. Emma discovers that running, which she can do better than others, gives her the sensation of flying and it makes her happy.
The story prompts children to learn to recognize their limitations as well as their abilities and potentials. Just because we can’t do something, it doesn’t mean we can’t do something else well.

Frazzled Freya

Frazzled Freya faces her fears with the help of her Australian outback friends!

By RL Thom on June 21, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition

Poor Freya, the frill-necked lizard, is so frazzled by the heat, the spooky shadows, and the terrifying (but imaginary) monsters, that she’s too scared to play with her friends. Children’s author, Sandra Bennett has tucked a lot of little lessons into this delightful rhyming story. Illustrator, Dianna Budd has done an outstanding job with her color palette choices. The reds, yellows, oranges, and browns help the reader get a sense of the hot, dry, dusty Australian outback that Freya is feeling. In addition to experiencing the Australian environment, kids meet some of the creatures that live in the outback, and they learn along with Freya, that sometimes, stepping out of your “comfort zone,” will help you overcome fears. Ms. Bennett, who is from Australia, has added extra enrichment pages at the end of the book. Kids will learn more facts about each of the REAL creatures found among the pages of this charming book. I learned a lot too!!

Gingerbread Aliens

Book 1. The beginning of the adventure!

5.0 OUT OF 5 STARSCHEEKY MISCHIEF!

By Lucy on March 22, 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

We gave a hard copy of this delightful book to our 5 year old niece who loved it. I don’t know what it is about snot and exploding slime that intrigues little people so, but Sandra Bennett has managed to capture the secret to bring this delightful story to life from a child’s point of view. We (and our niece) are eagerly awaiting the sequel. Recommended reading.

Aliens Shenanigans

I have never released this one on Amazon as yet, perhaps it should be on my “to do” list for 2017. Consequently I don’t have any reviews. I can say however, that those children that loved the first in the series, loved this one too! So much so, because of their humour and entertaining manner of delivering kitchen and classroom science to kids, they are both now available at Questacon, Ausrtralia’s National Science and Technology Museum.

 My best wishes to everyone for a wonderful Christmas. I hope you are able to spend the season with your loved ones. Don’t forget to Read a aloud a good children’s book (picture, early reader or middle grade) with the family. It will give you all great pleasure and precious memories to share.

Inspire Kids to Read and Write Together.

November is a great month to encourage writing, (as is any month). It is Picture book month and NanoWriMo (National Writing Month). Why not combine the two with your class and enjoy a reading and writing session using your favourite picture books as stimulus.

Reading and writing go hand in hand. One is always helped by achieving the other. Reading is improved when children read something they have written themselves just as writing improves the more they can read. Kids succeed with both these skills when brought together to share ideas, inspire, encourage and work as a team.

There is no need for a child to struggle alone in the classroom. As part of a team, they can develop their strengths as each member brings significant individual qualities to the group. One may have amazing creative ideas as a story starter, while it may take another to bring the story to conclusion. One child may be a great reader but need inspiration for ideas of their own.  Teamwork can supply the support and encouragement for all to succeed. Together they can find the confidence to write and read a story that they may not be able to imagine individually.

This is particularly useful with multi-age groups where younger children have amazing imaginations but need the help of older kids to read and write. In turn, older kids who struggle with the lack of creativity or imagination are stimulated by their younger group members to develop ideas further, therefore together they are able to create a much more interesting story.

When put to work together it is surprising what ideas a group of children will come up with to produce a diverse range of stories taken from the same stimulation.

Take for example a group of children in varying ages from 6 to 12, brought together to write a Fractured Fairy Tale.

We began by reading aloud together the very familiar story of The Three Little Pigs. Everyone loves a fairy tale and all the colourful pictures that go along with the book. As you read together, even those who can’t yet read along, can still participate with the well known repetition. “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down!” 

After the initial story, we discussed the characters and stories of a few more rather familiar fairy tales – Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood. Again, this allows all age groups to participate, it is not necessary to read all the stories as they are so well known.

We discussed the possibilities of what might happen should all these characters come together in one story.  As a guidance I helped structure a beginning and middle of their stories before sending the groups off to work and discuss how they might bring their fractured fairy tale to a conclusion. They drew story boards for their ideas to help reach a satisfactory ending that they all agreed upon. This requires a lot of chatter, but it is busy, happy talking as they draw, read, discuss and write down ideas.

Here is an example of a story that one group worked together to encourage each other to read and write. 

The Wolf Attack.

In a little cottage in the woods lived three bears.

One day they invited Goldilocks and her Grandmother for lunch. Little Red Riding Hood was also on her way to visit.

Meanwhile, the Big Bad Wolf was hungry. He was trying to catch the three little pigs for his dinner. They ran to the house of the three bears for safety.

The big bad wolf found some other evil wolves to join him and they followed everyone to the cottage in the woods.

The wolves banged on the door but they could not get in. So they disguised themselves as pigs and tried again.

But their growly voices gave them away and unknown to them, the pigs also had security cameras  on the outside of the cottage.

The Three Little pigs, the Three Bears, Goldilocks, Grandmother and Red Riding Hood could not be fooled.

The bad wolves gave up and went away leaving everyone to enjoy their lunch.

What picture books would you use to help bring a group of students together to read and write?

6 Tips to Help Get Your Indie Books in Stores.

Struggling to find book shops that will order your books?

Need help with ways to make this dream a reality?

It is possible, and my books are the proof that you too, can do it!

1. Produce a quality book. One that any store would be happy to have on display on their shelves among the traditionally published books. The old cliche “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” unfortunately is not true. Your book has to be visually appealing. It has to entice buyers to pick it up off that shelf so that they will browse through it and make a decision. If a shop owner believes your book has this charm, they are more willing to take a chance and place an order. I was once told by the manager of one gift shop that my books were “so beautiful they would sell themselves.” That manager had no hesitation in placing an order.  
   
2. Do your research. Does your book or books fit into a specific niche? Think outside the square, other than book shops, can you think of other places that might be interested? There are many different and selective gift shops you can target. I have two totally different series of books that I am marketing, so they require different scenarios. My Australian picture books are ideal for many tourist gift shops, Information Centres and National Parks, however my Alien short chapter books do better in places like museums of Science and Technology. You may find garden centres more suitable, coffee shops or other places of interest. You are only limited by your imagination.
3. Start local. Look around your local area. Many shops are prepared to support a local author. One of the first questions I am often asked is, “Are you local?” If I answer yes, they are far more interested in considering what I have to offer. Sometimes when I have been further afield they are still willing to take a chance, it all depends on the particular store. You have to gauge what their reaction may be when you look around. Sometimes it is evident that the store stocks local products only. Don’t waist your time even asking. Sometimes it’s more a case of “you never know, unless you give it a go.” I  have been to places where emus are found naturally roaming the streets and thought the gift shop there would be interested for sure. As the area was targeting tourists that come to see the dolphins, their shop consisted only of dolphin and other sea creature products. Not an emu in sight! “Emma the Eager Emu” was evidently not wanted. Yet another gift shop in a similar area was more than pleased to take an order of both ‘Emma” and “Frazzled Freya.”
4. Make a connection. Once you have discovered where your books are a best fit, check out their websites. Plan a visit. I always enter a store and take a good look around to see what they have on offer. If there are books similar to mine, that is Australian picture books, then I’ll usually ask to speak to the manager or whoever is in charge of stock purchases. If I am lucky, they are available, we have a chat, I show them my books and they make a decision. It’s not always that simple, they may have to take the books to a committee and reply to you in a week or two. Other times, if the person is not available, I suggest leaving a complimentary copy for them to peruse at a more suitable time. I always leave an information sheet that includes all my contact details, the Recommended Retail Price and the wholesale price. Be sure to get their contact details before you leave. A business card you can swap is always handy. 
5. Introduce yourself. Either in person or via an email. You can’t get to every store you want to target, sometimes an email is the only option. Some retailers only want to be contacted by email, not in store. Don’t forget the follow up emails also from those contact details you picked up in the stores you left your books in. Always be polite with your introduction and attach a copy of your front cover. Add any links to your website, Facebook author page or Amazon links, anything that might help them gain further information if interested. If I haven’t left a copy of my books in-store, then I also offer to forward a pdf copy for them to see if interested.
6. Never give up. I started out with my first book in 2012, it hasn’t been until this year, 2016, since I have had four books published, that I have begun to have more success with selling my print copies to more stores. Stores often look for more than one book they can sell from you. In fact I have even been asked if I have any others! Naturally I am working on this. For every yes you will receive two or three “no’s.” Don’t let it worry you, move forward and look elsewhere. There is always another opportunity around the corner and another store that will appreciate what you have to offer. It may take time, but persistence does pay off. It took me four months to land an order from Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre here in Canberra. I initially dropped copies of all four books in there back in July after another gift shop that placed an order not only made the suggestion that I try Questacon, but also gave me a contact name. After various emails back and forth an order was placed this week for my Bradberrie Brothers Alien Adventure series. I am so excited and honoured to be given this fantastic opportunity. It isn’t every day you get a couple of your books into one of the busiest and best places for kids visits in our Nation’s Capital city. Questacon is in the heart of Canberra and is a place where school children visit from all over the country. It is known Australia wide as a great hands-on science and technology museum. To have my science based children’s books included in their gift shop is amazing and I am so thankful.

Just like Emma the Eager Emu, I have followed my dreams, set my goals and been persistent. If I can do it, you can too! Good luck and best wishes for your successful journey whatever path you decide to take.

Have you managed to sell your indie books in stores? Drop me a line in the comments section below. I’d love to know how you also achieved it. If this post helps I’d also enjoy hearing how you go.