To allow the children the freedom of play and exploration within the mud kitchen it is important that children are encouraged to feel textures with their fingers and use their imaginations to create sticky mud and ‘mud pies!’

This means the children may become dirty but more importantly mud kitchens are great fun!!!

If you would like more information about Mud kitchens please look at - making a mud kitchen.

Did you know that dirt makes you happy!! Yes it’s true! Recent studies have revealed that dirt contains microscopic bacteria called Mycobacterium Vaccae which increases the levels of serotonin in our brains, helping to relax, soothe and calm. Basically soil makes us feel happy!

“Young Children are endlessly interested in – and biologically programmed to explore – the stuff of the earth, how materials behave and what they do.”(White, J. 2012).

Personal Social and Emotional Development:
  • To make friends
  • Play with and alongside others
  • Watch and listen to other children
  • To turn take
  • To share
  • To consider others feelings
/ Communication and Language:
  • Children can talk about what they are doing or what is happening and ask questions such as ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘who’
  • Extend their knowledge of words such as ‘clumpy’, ‘rough’, ‘smooth’, ‘dry’ and ‘wet’.
  • Encourage children to talk about the mixtures they make, textures, consistency and smells.
/ Expressive Arts and Design:
  • Imaginative Play:
  • Role play
  • Mud could become hot chocolate / tea/ coffee / soups / sugar / cakes with grass sprinkles, mud pies or even potions!!
  • Exploring and using media and materials: explore the different sounds the kitchen pots, pans and utensils make and explore what happens when mixing mud with water, grass, twigs and other objects

Understanding the World:
  • Explore mud, grass and leaves!
  • Provide dried food such as pasta and rice.
  • Explore the various seasons throughout the year.
/ Literacy:
  • Mark make by writing recipes, making signs and labels and to talk about the different marks they make with writing tools
/ Mathematics:
  • Weigh, measure, add, compare, sort, share.
  • Explore ‘empty’, ‘full’, ‘more’, ‘a lot’ ‘heavy’ and ‘light’.
  • Counting items as children play.
/ Physical Development:
  • Hand-eye co-ordination: Pour, scoop, use sieves, mix and chop!
  • To understand to wash their hands after playing in the mud.