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One day, while a few children were exploring clay, the notion of building house emerged.  Several children pulled out some of the log blocks.
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Pieces of clay were placed in the log “forest” as one child called it.  The piece with the hole in this photo was created for “lady bugs to crawl through.”

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Another child created an umbrella to protect the creatures from rain.  He poked a wooden dowel on top of the clay “pancake” to make raindrop markings.  (It is the piece laid on top of the log in this photo.)  Pieces of clay became homes for bugs and butterflies.

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One child decided to make a wee bird to sit on the tree.  Another made a place for spiders to walk.

The next day,  two girls gathered at the clay table.  They chattered about the forest and the fairies.  “Fairies live in trees.”  (I am so sad I do not have photos of the next phase.  But little clay fairies were formed and added to the landscape.)

It was amazing to let the story unfold as each piece of clay revealed a new layer of the plot.   It was extraordinary to be a witness as simple organic shapes of clay became something so magic.