Sometimes adults can overthink their efforts in trying to lure small children outside, imagining they need fancy mud kitchens or elaborate backyard playgrounds for their children to want to play outdoors and have fun. This couldn’t be further from the truth. All children really need is space where they can explore the outside world. Nature takes care of the rest! However, you can provide the tools that can broaden the possibilities and there is nothing more satisfying for a child than making mud pies.
Supplies
Clean Dirt
Room Temperature Water
Pie Plates / Muffin Tins / Molds
Foraged decorations for toppings
Bowl for Mud Batter
Directions
Choose your mud pie making space. This should be somewhere outside where you don’t mind if dirt gets moved around. Provide two buckets: one for dirt and one for water.
Arrange the “bakery”. Use pie plates, muffin tins, spoons, scoops any number of vessels for creating mud delicacies. I wonder where your child's imaginary oven will be?
A bowl, a bucket or wheel-barrow, anything that holds mud and water will work to make the batter. If you begin to mix up the batter the children will step right in to take over the task! They can use a small spade or a stick. Wearing waterproof mitts, can allow them to get their hands right in there without you worrying about cold fingers. For children with sensitivity to “icky hands” or who aren’t used to getting dirty yet, BMS mitts are amazing because they keep hands clean while still providing dexterity. Plus, children can put their hands right in the water bucket! They are 100% waterproof!
Once they get the mud to the right consistency (this could take awhile), they will be able to pour the mud batter into the molds. This is the very best part!
There are many ways that simple activities like this can turn into imaginative play for your child. Perhaps while the pies are “baking”, they might be set up a bakery shop or imagine who will enjoy receiving these delicious mud pies…Maybe squirrels? Maybe the chipmunks? Who else do we share the backyard with? The key is to let the child lead the way, their imaginations are limitless especially when they are in nature.
When the pies are done, it is time to decorate! This is my daughter’s favourite part. Let them search around the yard and look for delectable toppings! We found a strawberry leaf and sage leaves.
Enjoy!
Blog post by Kate Heming Panchal