The Nature Table and a Fairy Ring

"But one lovely day, Spring came driving through in her airy carriage drawn by white butterflies. Then Ollie saw Mrs. Thaw, as she stood by the side of the ditch, wearing a brand new apron. She curtsied to Spring, beaming with delight."
-Ollie's Ski Trip by Elsa Beskow

Mrs. Thaw is having her way here in central Pennsylvania. To usher in the changing of seasons, we are reading Ollie's New Skis and The Sun Egg by Elsa Beskow. Just as the transformation from winter to spring is a slow process, so is our transformation of our nature table.

Every few days, the boys will see changes in our winter nature table as we embrace the warmth and beauty awaiting us in Spring. Today, our snow child left the nature table as did our snowmen. Our elf stepped forward to a new fairy ring.

To make the fairy ring, I purchased dowel rod buttons. (Mine are the 3/8 size and can be found at your local Home Depot, Lowes, or craft store.) I left the stem unpainted and used red watercolor, which spread evenly and dried in less than a minute, to paint the tops. For the white dots, I used a tiny brush and acryllic paint. In less than 5 minutes, I had several tiny mushrooms setting on the nature table awaiting discovery by two little boys and a fairy who surely is coming soon...