Gnome Garden Activity Jar

I used this jar for a fun and full day of gnome activities, indoors and out. We paired it with storybooks about gnomes and fairies as well as books about walking and talking creatures in nature that the gnomes might encounter. We had plenty of ideas for using these items, and this is still a favorite in our daily play rotation! If you have a little one who is more enamored of fairies, you could easily swap them out for the gnomes – we do both!

Gnome Garden Activity Jar

Supplies:

Quart mason jar with lid and ring
Gnomes
Smooth blue pebbles for water
Assorted gnome and fairy garden items
Books for theme

Here are some ideas for how to use your Gnome Garden Activity Jar

Sensory Bin/ Small World Play– We keep a plastic 24″x 18″ tub on hand for all sorts of sensory bins, or sometimes set up a disposable pan for play when friends come over. On rainy days or when I need to cook dinner without squabbling, I pull it out and they immediately dive into fantasy worlds of whatever theme I have set out. This time it was of course gnomes, then we added rocks from the yard, silk flowers, small twigs and branches, the items in our jar, and a small dish of water for a pond.

Outdoor Gnome Garden – We have a large area around a big shade tree that the kids love to play under. It is already surrounded with large rocks to “fence it in”, but we had not put plants in yet so I tossed on a couple bags of topsoil, added a few herbs, succulents, and other flowers, limbs, and our gnome jar contents. You could also do this in a large tub, wheelbarrow, or wagon.

Storytelling – Use the items in your jar to tell, or let your child tell you, a fantastic story of the gnomes little world. Develop their imaginations with a simple, fun activity. You could also read from a book and have them act it out as you read it.

I think these are some great books to use with your Gnome Garden Activity Jar…

Gnome Pop Up Book

The Littles

Frog and Toad

What are some of your favorite gnome or fairy books and activities?