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Tulip
10-03-2015, 09:08 PM
Today's very pleasant weather has made me think about doing a mud kitchen. So should I use plastic containers and accessories or metal one's? What type of things does everyone have in their mud kitchen?

FloraDora
10-03-2015, 09:32 PM
I have an 'outdoor kitchen' - just an outside area at children's height with woks, sieves and pots and pans. I provide soil, shingle, shells, leaves...any loose material we collect on our walks and water ...they just discover, experiment and play.
It isn't a mud kitchen like mud everywhere, it's quite a cleanish area, we have a digging area where the children add water and splosh and stir in mud.

This afternoon my LO's played for 2 hours in the garden, making soup, stirring, adding stones and other things to see if they float or sink, back and forth to the outdoor kitchen inbetween planting out our potatoes, sowing seeds, digging, filling bird seed, topping the water fountain up, running with wheelbarrows etc...

I am a big fan but wouldn't cope with mud everywhere on it!

Personally I go with more natural theme in my garden so plastic a big no no.

The range has great small woks, balti dishes but my parents and the children's grandparents provided pots pans, straw baskets, stirring spoons etc...

loocyloo
10-03-2015, 09:42 PM
I have 3 small low wooden tables, one with a plastic washing up bowl set into it and a selection of old metal saucepans/bakingtrays/implements etc, as well as wooden spoons, plastic colanders/jugs/implements/cups/plates etc. I have plastic tubs on the fence to put things in ... currently spoons, but I'm aiming to put herbs etc in them! DS is planning to find/locate/build a wooden box to become an 'oven'.
I then have a big 'self serve' water bottle with a turn handle thing to let the water out of the tap.

I don't have a digging patch ( currently ) so I put the soil in the sandpit. available around the garden are lots of stones and shells.

it was the first time of using today ... I forgot to take any photos before use or after, and any during have children in - so I can't show! but basically the whole thing was covered in a mass of very wet mud by the end of the day! I'm hoping that as they get used to it, they make less mess ( or I remove the water !!!! )

Maza
10-03-2015, 10:16 PM
I love real metal pans. I got most of mine from a jumble sale and I can honestly say that the kids gravitate towards the real pans. Got some balti dishes, muffin trays, colander, metal and wooden utensils etc from the £1 shop and I pick up little baskets everywhere - jumble sales, charity shops. I do have the odd bit of plastic - such as jugs for the guttering/water wall. I have never introduced it as a 'mud' kitchen and for some reason they have never used mud in it. They use stones, pine cones, herbs, sand, water etc. It is relatively clean. When we go to our weekly Forest School they get literally coated in mud and we often 'cook' with the mud there but for some reason they haven't thought about doing it in my garden...yet...

Tulip
11-03-2015, 08:34 PM
Thanks for some great idea's and top tips

mama2three
11-03-2015, 09:17 PM
Im intending to make an outdoor kitchen this spring. Im toying between these two ideas.

I love the first one as its so versatile , depending on what resources they add it could be a kitchen , a theatre , a shop , whatever they decide it is ...

The other one I love the idea of growing herbs in the drawers and insetting a metal bowl in the top as a sink , its so much prettier.....

Opinions welcome!

loocyloo
11-03-2015, 09:35 PM
Oooo I love them both!

I can't decide! I think I like the dresser best...But then I love the versatility of the other!

Tulip
11-03-2015, 10:39 PM
The're fab can't you just have both :)

miffy
11-03-2015, 10:46 PM
I love the dresser - it's so colourful and pretty but I think children would be drawn more to the other one.

Why don't you ask the children which they like or show them the pics and ask them to come up with their own design?

Miffy xx

mama2three
11-03-2015, 11:26 PM
I love the dresser - it's so colourful and pretty but I think children would be drawn more to the other one.

Why don't you ask the children which they like or show them the pics and ask them to come up with their own design?

Miffy xx

Ah miffy , if I was a great childminder I would probably do exactly that.
But then its my garden as much as its their playspace !
Much as I love the dresser I think the other one will 'go' better in the space .

natlou82
12-03-2015, 06:35 AM
The pics are great I think the dresser is really pretty but I think the other one will be a winner with the children.

FloraDora
12-03-2015, 08:16 AM
I think the blue ex dressing table thingy is lovely - but just for a staged photo shoot. In reality the drawers will over balance and fall out- if the children use the top -they will want to add the herbs to their stone soup and more than one will be stirring so they will push the drawer back in in their efforts to get to the making area. I would however see this idea in a secret corner of a garden, the mirror reflecting the rest of the garden - set up with summer bedding and herbs etc ..as a feature.
The natural wigwam thing - whilst designed for an outdoor kitchen will be more used as a den I think.

Have them both - then put a plank on two stumps, give them a selection of bowls, pans and scooping and stirring utensils and you will be there!

NightOwl
12-03-2015, 10:13 AM
Lots of lovely ideas but in my garden I end up with with everything rotting, rusting or being blown sound the garden (sorry to hijack).

NightOwl
12-03-2015, 10:23 AM
round the garden - whoops. However im off to b&q for large gravel/stones for lo to use and some replacement turf to go round senses garden I started last year. I'm looking out for a sage plant which has seed heads that rattle when dried out.

Maza
12-03-2015, 12:25 PM
The blue dresser won't look that pretty once the children are let loose on it. If they use the top then it will be just like any regular bench/surface. I wouldn't be able to relax with all those drawers - I know we have to teach children how to use things safely and sensibly but I would still be on high alert for trapped fingers or the little ones pulling them out too far and the drawers landing on their toes. That area doesn't call out to me to 'come and cook/concoct'. I prefer the second one. x