Ahhh, to be young again! I remember living in the concrete world of the city. Our Backyard was a tiny area with a little bit of dirt. About the size of your kitchen sink. But I loved to play in that dirt. Play with the bugs and ants that inhabited that space. (I made my little sister eat an ant one time before I would allow her to play with me. Sorry Melissa!) Add water to make mud pies and concoctions. Throw in some dandelions and clover ‘pickles’. Precious memories of childhood.
So naturally, when my grandchildren were big enough to play in the mud without ‘really’ eating it, I jumped at the opportunity to throw a mud kitchen together.
I wasn’t as keen on the idea with my own kids. This meant more messes than I had time to clean up. In those days, I don’t think I ever saw the bottom of my laundry baskets. Of course I wasn’t going to allow an opportunity to add to my chores unless it was unintentional. Now I know that the laundry didn’t matter. That my house would never be clean until they were grown and gone raising families of their own. What I would do to get those days back. Momma’s, take the time to do this with your kids now!
Gather your Supplies
Rob your cabinets of any extras that you were already considering donating anyway. Or you can go to thrift stores and find some great kitchen utensils and pots for next to nothing. Use an old laundry basket to store your mud kitchen supplies in for easy transport and to allow air drying after you rinse toys and kids off. Here is a list of supply ideas for your mud kitchen.
- pots and pans
- small bowls – can be plastic, wooden, or stainless steel
- spoons
- watering cans
- pinecones, grass clippings, flowers, leaves, sticks, rocks, and DIRT
Make some play food out of rocks. Paint food images on rocks and seal with clear fingernail polish. Check out Munchkins and Moms post for the How-to’s.
Mud Kitchen Design Ideas
My mud kitchen was an old hand me down Little Tykes picnic table. I placed it under a shade tree so it was perfect for an afternoon of messy fun. It was an easy clean up with some squirts of water from the hose and bubbles. (For the little guys too!)
There are tons of neat ideas on Pinterest for setting up your own muddy mayhem. Take a look at my Mud Kitchen board while you are there. Below are some nifty pictures of mud kitchens for a few quick ideas.
Your kitchen can be as simple as a tree stump to pat out mud pies. Or an over the top, fully stocked play area including running water. It’s up to you. No matter what you put together your little pigpens will love playing in the mud! Have fun and GET DIRTY! ~ Susie Pea
Here are some more fun things to do with your littles. Easy Animal Habitats to make with Kids, Christmas Camp, & Geocaching with Kids. And check out Fun with Kids at the St. Louis County Libraries. I pack Snackle Boxes when we are going out on the town for playdates too. Check those out here. Amazing Bean Box Fun! is another great fine motor activity.
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
Awesome mud kitchen ideas.