Mud Kitchen Outdoor Play Renovation

Summer time in Australia means outside play for us, we are lucky to have a large double yard with some big shady trees to play under. 

Over a year ago we made this Magnificent Mud Kitchen which has been well and truly used, enjoyed and utilized in many ways which adds to the outdoor adventures but it was time to update and add some more elements. There are some new storage pots, a few jugs, his own toaster (our old one with cord cut off) and a spice rack with jars among other things. 

Here it is.....

 

I love to encourage Dimples to play outside, although he is such a movie/TV lover, i think if I put the TV or a movie on he would sit in front of the screen all day!  So most days the television stays OFF all day, and to avoid the question of  "can i watch a cartoon?" and encourage some active, imaginative and outdoor play we have been renovating (so to speak) Dimples outdoor Play space; We have been working on a music wall, a large sandpit, A PVC Pipe Water Wall   and   a Dino themed play garden in a tyre. 

its a work in progress and it is coming along nicely. 

We have updated and renewed the Mud Kitchen in many ways....
First I laid down some rubber mats under the mud kitchen, then i dug a dry creek bed that goes under a sweet little bridge (just to add the element of imagination into the play setting) I bordered the entire area off and laid down some plastic, then got a heap of bark chip in so now Dimples Outdoor Balance Stumps are embedded in the bark chip. He still has his Pirate tree house there, hop-scotch and many climbing apparatuses.

 

I added some pots and utensils to the Mud Station and screwed in these cute Orange metal buckets across the front so that Dimples could store his cooking ingredients in them. They make the area more practical and more appealing as everything Dimples needs is within arms length.
He can now tie in some Nature Play by collecting his own seeds, rosemary from the garden, seashells when we are out, gum nuts, dandelions, pebbles and flowers to store in the orange pots and use in his cooking creations.

A favorite meal is still Wombat Stew.
He often cooks meals, chatting away to himself, narrating his own pretend play  "just a table spoon of this, a sprinkle of that, mix it, cook it for 15 minutes, add a handful of this" I love his role playing and listening to his vocabulary develop.
He enjoys pretending to be a Master Chef at the "Dog Club Cafe" and serves up dishes full of things from the garden, add some mud, water and sand to season then he gives it to our 3 dogs.
Get this.... they actually sit and eat it (or sit there and lick the water out but Dimples is convinced he cooks gourmet style).

Another coat on the chalk board renewed its life. Its been a great addition to the mud kitchen, it aids in early literacy by providing a writing surface to practice/pretend writing a menu. I usually write a menu up to read to Dimples of he will ask me to write certain things, like Wombat Stew and watch me.
The soft outdoor rubber Mats underneath mean we don't have grass popping up everywhere any more and if Dimples drops some ingredients they can be scooped right up and reused. They also give it an indoor feel, like its a real kitchen.
I think out of all our outdoor play and DIY projects this has been consistently the most used and enjoyed.

Do you have an Outdoor Kitchen?

What is the most loved ingredient to create with?

Happy Adventures 

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Making a Mud Brick House

Marvellous Mud, it really is an endless resource with endless ways to play. Mud was used back in the day to make mud bricks to build houses with, there are very few still standing but I think its a neat and easy idea for outdoor play, we might do this again when Dimples is older and make a large scale mud brick building. Now that would be an awesome experience.

I have wanted to make mud bricks with Dimples for a long time but was unsure how to approach it & with the birth of Miss Cherub, I've been a bit behind with planning projects for Dimples. Ever since we made the Marvellous Outdoor Mud kitchen I have been planning to do this with Dimples as a different experience to teach him about the formation of materials and how the elements effect materials, like mud.

He just adores construction activities and has lately been questioning how things work. How was that built? How does that spin? He has been fascinated with the mechanics of things and the structure.  So this was a different outdoor play experience still utilising messy sensory play and the fun of playing with dirt but a great lesson in construction and something he is really interested in at the moment.

First we needed to make our mud brick moulds; I collected the bases of milk bottles for a few weeks as they are square and perfect shape and always the same size.
Next we needed to make our Mud "Cement"; This was an interesting lesson on materials and how certain materials are made. As I said before, Dimples has been asking me how things are made like for instance  what is cement, how are houses built, where do drains go? everything really.  He always comments on bricks and relates it to the big bad wolf. So using this story we discussed how bricks are made to be strong.

Now the learning unfolds!
We had a great talk about how mud bricks are made. Too wet and they are sloppy and wont hold together, too dry and they will crumble apart. How can we make them stronger? Dimples came up with the idea to add sand, as I had told him sand was in cement. Great! Then we mixed together our dirt and water. I went on to tell him how mud bricks need to be held together by grass or hay so that they are nice and strong right through the middle once they are dry.  We added some dry grass and mulched it up so they would hold, a little more sand, a little more grass until it was nice and gluggy.

Further, we talked about how they formed into bricks and the drying process, how they would become strong enough to keep out the big bad wolf and how they kept their shape as bricks through completely drying out and cooked in the sun.



Then, Dimples as cheeky as always decided it was a good idea to splat mud on my leg. I warned him that if he was going to splat mud at me I would have to get him back. With a big Dimpled Grin he splatted me again! I was still heavily pregnant when we made the Mud bricks and didn't really feel like chasing him around but alas he was after a mud fight so that's what he got.  I got a handful and splatted his legs before he could run away, then he came back for more. He thought it was hilarious throwing mud at Mummy and then trying to escape my mud covered hands.

The mud bricks took about 3-4 days to completely  "bake" in a dry Sunny covered spot in the yard.
After I had been home for a couple of days with the new arrival, Dimples little sister Miss Cherub, I thought it would be nice to do something special with Dimples and spend some quality time with him as I always did. I didn't want our relationship to change so I put Miss Cherub in her Sling and headed up the yard.
Dimples cracked them all out - Mud Bricks, they worked well. He was straight into building mode

Mud Brick Huts and Houses.

Dimples made a flight of stairs, he stacked them up, he made a real house with a stick roof.
We collected some bits and pieces from around the yard from nature to make the mud brick houses real natural pieces of art. He loved it, once he had made a building, he unbuilt it and asked to make a different one.

Dimples balanced them on their sides and experimented with different shaped bricks at different angles then he build a cool house and had to cover it over with the box, and leave it there so he could show Adventures Dad, he was very pleased with his creations. Not only did he made the bricks but he made the house, the roof and the path and decorated them.

Happy Adventures 

If you are looking for Mud Play ideas have a look at these:

MUD Painting - Process Art

Mud Rally Sensory Box

8 Benefits to Playing in the Mud

8 Benefits of Playing in the MUD

The Benefits of playing in the Mud truly outweighs the mess of it by far.
Have you seen our Marvellous Outdoor Mud Kitchen???

The importance of messy out door play is drifting away in many households, especially now in a technology savvy world where children seem submerged in television, Ipads, mobiles, computers and game consoles rather than sprinklers, dirt, sand, bikes, trees and dandelions.

So why is playing in the mud important?  Many parents see their young child heading for a mud puddle and see potential mess, dirt stained clothes and hazardous germs so they stop.  When I see a mud patch I see potential sensory fun and giggles, splashing and opportunities to explore and enjoy the outdoors, avenues for imagination and creativity.

Did you know that studies have found a good bacteria in soil that has been linked to improved quality of life and happiness?  There is an abundance of information on how playing in the mud boosts a child immune system so it is not only healthy for you but makes you happy.

 

Open ended play

This gives opportunity for creativity and imagination. Mud kitchens and Mud stations are child led activities and allow self soothing that becomes a some what therapeutic relaxing event where the child can connect to the outdoors with the freedom to let their mind wander wherever it wishes to.
Open ended play leaves doors open so a child can develop the independence and confidence to play within their own limits, the way they feel comfortable.

Stimulation of many senses while engaged in play

Sensory stimulation is a necessary part of brain development.  Children can listen to nature sounds of the outdoors, mud/water/slopping sounds, birds and so on.  Tactile stimulation through touch and the different feelings of dirt, pebbles, sticks, water, mud, and the different textures. Seeing how materials mix, mash, pour, transform, squish and so on through different methods of play.

Eye - hand coordination

Mud kitchens provide good practise  of eye hand coordination and help further develop the neural pathways responsible for these movements. So while scooping, mixing, pouring, carrying pots full or mud, transferring materials and serving up mud children are increasing their eye hand coordination and through moving around the different weighted materials, balancing them and having steady control of them, they are strengthening all those important muscles that are still growing.

Cause and effect

Something that is often overlooked in outdoor free play is how a child learns through experimentation and observation.  For example, The mud blocks the sink, the large pebbles don't fit through the funnel, dirt and water makes mud, mud settles at the bottom of the pot, bark chips float to the surface and so forth.

Pretending Real life Play

Mud stations allow children to develop real skills using real life instruments, working in a real kitchen, working with real resources (even though its done in a pretend way they're not plastic right!?) this leads to learning real consequences and learning through exploration.  Whether they are role playing being a chef, making a mud pie or just enjoying splatting mud like an erupting volcano they are utilising natural materials.

Imagination and Creativity

Open ended mud play leads to creativity. After all Mud is an art medium. We've all heard of mud pies but have you ever tried mud painting? Through the freedom of open ended play and utilising rich coloured mud a child's imagination develops as they role play, story tell, chat away in their own fantasy world, create things and make things, pretend real life scenarios and so on.

Gross motor skills

As with all forms of out door play, mud play enhances gross motor skills. As the child handles materials and work around the mud station, carry full shovels of mud or balance full pots of water, lift and pour containers, stir and scoop with utensils, squat, stand, sit and physically move around doing their thing they are being active and using important gross motor actions.

Self care knowledge

This is broad but also very important.
Self care knowledge can be expanding on as the child plays with mud in many ways. To begin with if it is an outside area like ours, you can first inspect the area for creepy crawlies or spiders, ask them to tell a parent or grown up if they see any and remove sticks from the play area.
If it is a mud kitchen they are playing with it gives a good opportunity to practise cooking skills and self care skills in the kitchen by pretending with them. For example cooking with the handles facing away, holding the handle of the pot as they stir it, pretending to always turn of the stove or oven, hot surfaces, packing away the dishes etc.
This can also extend to after play tidy up by making sure they tidy and pack away, washing the things ready for next time, washing their hands after and putting dirty clothes in the wash when they're done etc.


Why not give it a go?
If you score low on the mess-o-meter and are still hesitant about letting your kids roam in mud. Keep the above in mind, put them in old worn clothes that aren't important, gumboots and have a change of clothes.

To get you started here are some objects you can use with Mud.

Kitchen play: Pots, pans, spoons, ladles, containers, muffin trays, bowls.

Dumping: Toy cars, mud, Dump trucks and diggers, small shovels.

Pretend cooking: Cooking utensils, a bowl, dirt, gum nuts, daisies, clovers, dandelions, seeds, water can.

Animal tracks: Mud, a flat surface, plastic animals with feet able to do foot prints with.

Mud pie's: Cake dish or pan, sand, sift, spoon, mixing bowl, dirt, mud, water, a pretend oven.

Mud painting: Mud, water, brushed and sponges, a large paper or wall.

If you havent already check out this previous post "Mud is good for you right?" & of course Our Outdoor Mud kitchen.

Happy Adventures :)

The Mud Kitchen - A Recipe for marvellous Outdoor play

Hello lovely blog visitors. Welcome!

I am sharing the newest edition to Dimples out door play area today. The awesome and totally messy mud kitchen. The best recipe for engaging children in messy, active, outdoor learning is with mud.

The complete Mud station

Here is the DIY mud kitchen that we built for Dimples in a few hours using recycled materials. It is much better than any store bought plastic kids kitchen and it is a outdoor hardy and durable one that is able to get messy and muddy time after time.



Marvellous Mud

The mud kitchen is built from off cuts of wood that I painted with chalk board paint, they're butted in to a old sink that came from a wrecked caravan, you could grab one from the wreckers or the buy back at the tip. That's it really! They're screwed together onto the side of Dimples tree house: click here to check out the tree house.  Then we added a plastic tub as another sink and an old plastic shelf unit as a storage/pretend stove.  We added some nails at the top, out of the way in order to hang the utensils and pots from and then it was ready for action.

Helping to build the mud kitchen.

We hadn't even finished building it before dimples decided he would start mixing his mud together.
Dimples enjoyed his mud kitchen for the rest of the afternoon.
He has some old pots hanging up, some measuring cups, sifts, ladles, spoons and scoops, a tray full of small bowls, plates and tongs, some old muffin trays and of course a water can.

Happily Making & creating   - Role Playing a Host & Serving it up for me   - Pretending to eat imaginary desert

Nearby I have up cycled an old sand pit as a mud pit.

How awesome, an endless supply of mud on hand for hours and hours of messy outdoor play.
If you are wondering about the germs, bugs or spiders that may house themselves in the mud I have been told that a majority aren't necessarily attracted to mud. If you do a little research, you will see that mud actually houses good bacteria and the benefits outweigh the mess of it by far. Here is a previous post on why Mud is good for you.

Making Master Peices

If you're still worried, wash your dirt first and run a pick or spade through it to break it all up, dose it in vinegar to rid it of germs, mix in some sand and add clean top soil from the garden centre.
Also apparently creepy crawlies hate cinnamon, so mix through some of this. Be careful not to use any chemicals because they will be released into your child's skin when handling and watering the dirt. To maintain a clean mud station just remember to check it regularly, tose it around and stir it up regularly, add vinegar or cinnamon once in a while and remove natures debri.

Mud Muffins Freshly made

Playing in the Mud as a child is often a fond memory held by every one whether you were allowed to freely or just did after a big down fall of rain.
Playing in the Mud makes kids happy.
I really am starting to see this now since Dimples has his mud kitchen. He can peacefully and independently play in his mud kitchen chatting away to himself for hours. I reckon if I left him, he would entertain himself there all day.

The process of Mud making can be messy, but the entire mud kitchen can be easily hosed down.

 Happy, content, peaceful, outside in the fresh air, actively exploring nature and playing independently with a natural sensory resource is one of the best forms of play in my eyes. It is so open ended and evokes a sense of freedom.
Playing outside in the dirt or the mud encompasses all the senses while the child is learning and is a fulfilling hands on activity that not only has been said to be good for you but is connecting the child's spirit, soul, imagination and physical self to the outdoors. Absolute bliss.

For more outdoor play ideas you may like

Outdoor Balance Stumps

Our Magical Gnome Garden

Our Outdoor Real Life Family Tree Painting

An Outdoor Spider Cave

Outdoor Obsticle Course Fun

Happy Outdoor Adventures.