mud kitchen anyone?

[TNT]

Have been looking for some ideas to enhance my garden and saw lots about mud play. Found a blog that has some lovely ideas for a mud kitchen(link below). I love this idea but wonder about the practcalities. If you have a mud 'area' how does it work in your setting? Do you have any 'rules' involved? Special clothing or did you just go for it? How were parents about it? Am intending to get parents involved by donating old kitchen equipment and the children can help plan it.

Articles « Jan White Natural Play

Any experiences and ideas welcome.

[francinejayne]

We love our mud kitchen. Anything goes, just as long as they don't bring it into the house! The children don't wear anything special for playing with the mud kitchen, but I do warn all parents and they generally dress the children appropriately anyway when they're with me. If a child had something special or new on then I would find something to cover them.

Ours has evolved and been relocated in the garden from when it first arrived - and we now have a microwave in ours (my old broken one!) which is very popular! The link shows the kitchen when it was first put in the garden, it is much different now!

Jumping Beans: Mud Pie Kitchen

[blue bear]

Mine is an old toys kitchen, with a table and some old shelving and a big digging pit next to it. Equipment is mostly my old camping stuff with some empty drink bottle that have water in. I find the wooden cooking intensols rot in the rain but the children love them, also have old spoons and whisk etc. we have old cake tins and baking trays too, I tend to rotate stuff so it stays fresh.

We have always had a mud pit and kitchen since I started minding 16 years ago, already had it for my children. Parents love it, the children get messy at my house and they don't feel the need to do it at home. Old clothes are a must at my house!

[TNT]

Sounds great
I have an old microwave in the shed, thats what gave me the idea. I also have an old plastic toy kitchen already outside which we have been using with the sand pit but may use that too.
Might have to text parents tonight to warn them, no posh clothes (one of them likes to wear ugg boots, dont think that would work )

[hectors house]

Have been looking for some ideas to enhance my garden and saw lots about mud play. Found a blog that has some lovely ideas for a mud kitchen(link below). I love this idea but wonder about the practcalities. If you have a mud 'area' how does it work in your setting? Do you have any 'rules' involved? Special clothing or did you just go for it? How were parents about it? Am intending to get parents involved by donating old kitchen equipment and the children can help plan it.

Articles « Jan White Natural Play

Any experiences and ideas welcome.

Hope your parents are a bit more supportive than my lot - I had a sign up on door asking for donations of old kitchen equipment -cake tins, saucepans, kettles, wooden spoons etc, etc - all I got was 2 wooden spoons and some plastic beakers - I ended up buying new cheap saucepans £2 each in asda, and plastic mashers, jugs, washing up brushes, funnels, plastic salad bowls, serving spoons, etc myself.

I have recently bought a selection of sizes waterproof trousers from lidls and have assorted coats if kids wear a best one - have one child who turns up in a furry coat (like a yeti) without a hood - not practical at all!

[samb]

I am so jealous - I have a communal graden so don't think I would be too popular if I set anything like that up?! I am planning a woodland walk in the half term and 1 of the things I would like to do is to make potions with leaves, berries, petals etc. It's just so hard doing outdoor things when you have to go somewhere else to do it. Maybe one day I will have my own garden...

[TNT]

I now have a mud kitchen
Cant wait to use it tomorrow with mindees, although we have enjoyed it today too. I feel it is a bit 'plasticky' for my liking at the mo so will trawl the charity shops next week for wooden tables etc.
2012-10-28 11.32.35.jpg

Thank you for all the advice

[Rosy Days]

Hiya, would love a mud kitchen myself .... Angel Delight attached a pdf file on here a while ago re: mud kitchens, think that was also written by Jan White, you may have already seen it but well worth a look at if not x

[miffy]

I now have a mud kitchen
Cant wait to use it tomorrow with mindees, although we have enjoyed it today too. I feel it is a bit 'plasticky' for my liking at the mo so will trawl the charity shops next week for wooden tables etc.
2012-10-28 11.32.35.jpg

Thank you for all the advice

That looks great - I like the idea if mud in the sand pit, at least you can cover to over at night.

Hope the mindees appreciate your efforts tomorrow

Miffy xx

[lynnfi]

Thanks for sharing! I am setting to work it out tomorrow! My garden shed is full of stuff left out from old tenants, cups, pans, shelves etc. My children love playing with mud but I will create a nice cornerfor them.
Thank you!

[Dragonfly]

Ha Ha I am the only one that hates the idea mega sorry. MIne can play with mud up the fields but not in my garden sorry they have a sandpit which they make mud pies in ( have beakers, measuring items sieves etc etc and a water table too) but the though of old microwaves in the garden NOooooooooo

[Chimps Childminding]

Ha Ha I am the only one that hates the idea mega sorry. MIne can play with mud up the fields but not in my garden sorry they have a sandpit which they make mud pies in ( have beakers, measuring items sieves etc etc and a water table too) but the though of old microwaves in the garden NOooooooooo

I'm with you Dragonfly - think I mught be in the wrong job DH would have a fit if I said we were making a mud kitchen in the corner of the garden and TBH I have enough trouble with sand never mind mud