Last Friday we went to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia. This garden trip was a delayed May Day activity. We had not been to Meadowlark in a couple of years, but I remembered the children's tea garden was very fairy-like and I knew it was time to revisit it.
Before we even found the children's garden, Meg and Clare spotted these wooden toadstools and were happy to play there.
As you can see from the pictures, this area is very wooded and the girls found it quite magical. They would have been content if this was the entirety of the trip, but I eventually convinced them that it was worth finding the children's garden. When we did find it, they were quite glad we did.
I must say that when you first arrive at the children's tea garden, it is a little off-putting. There are a lot of "Do Not" signs. "Do Not Climb." "Do Not Play With Tea Set. For Display Purposes Only." Seriously? This is a children's garden. Move your fancy displays elsewhere.
But I am happy to say Meg and Clare still had a blast. They loved the area that they called the treehouse. There was definitely a lot of imaginary play about fairies taking place in this structure.
Inspired by the reading frog and other frog figures at the garden, Meg, Clare and a friend they made at the garden developed a storyline about troublemaking frogs stealing shoes, pushing them into the mud and other such things. These stories, of course, explained why the girls' shoes were off and their socks were covered in mud. It was a fun but very messy outing.
Meg and Clare named this bunny Fred. He was very helpful in fighting off those troublemaking frogs and a tremendous amount of fun to ride.
Clare found a quiet place and I suspect she would like one of these at home for times when she is just tired of dealing with people.
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