I recently discovered, or at least saw with new eyes, a small area next to our garage that had been covered in ivy and largely ignored for some years. As city dwellers, dirt and trees (even dead or cut ones) on your property are treasures. I raked out the space and threw some mulch down to have a little moment of country living in our primarily concrete yard.

There is something enchanting about small, defined spaces. For a young child, these areas can be entire worlds.  

We took a walk on the on the crispy shoreline of a Lake Erie beach last weekend and collected items that we could use to make woodland creatures and furniture to play with in this area.

The use of natural materials and the imaginative play possibilities motivate me to endure the small burns from the hot glue gun that ensue along the way.

From the first moment I had picked up the rake, images from the book Nature's Art Box were in my mind.  

We only made a few items, like a small house and a pinecone figure.  I glued a piece of wood over the other figure I had made, as I needed the creepy face I drew with permanent marker to go away.  

My son said, "Mommy, you made me an airplane?"