MUDHelpful resources and creative tips from the natural play specialists

This is an interactive PDF that includes clickable content

MUD GLORIOUS MUDAs a result of our experiences, we have put

together this guide of how to develop a mud kitchen in your playground and why mud is

really essential for children’s play.

Working with educators, Infinite Playgrounds have found that mud kitchens are fast becoming more and more popular in

schools - not surprising when you know their many benefits for children. The simple act of mixing soil, water and any other range of natural materials plays a fundamental role in early childhood, supporting well-being, social, physical and mental development.

We are constantly evolving our own mud kitchens as we talk to education professionals and watch how children engage with the natural ingredients. Visiting schools and nurseries around the country, we have seen some wonderfully creative and well developed mud kitchens, however, a mud kitchen can also be

made in the simplest muddy corner from an old bench or table for very little cost.

“Mud kitchens are an excellent way of settling children into their new classes after the summer, providing the security of familiar home role play with the excitement of outdoor mud play; a perfect way to begin

to develop relationships and explore their environment.”- Regent’s Farm Primary School, Newcastle

LEARNING WITH MUD

Playing with mud provides all sorts of different learning experiences for children. Not only do children express themselves creatively, they enhance fine motor skills whilst practicing maths and science and learn to work cooperatively in small groups. Children will explore and consolidate a range of skills such as filling, pouring, stirring, sieving and measuring. Not only will they be developing new skills, children will also

develop language skills as they are guided by an adult who will make suggestions and explain different techniques. During a school year, a mud kitchen develops with the children as they make it their own and add to it over the months. There are so many different learning experiences that a child can gain from a mud kitchen that it soon becomes a year round asset to your outdoor space.

Mud is the perfect stimulus for exploring and experimenting as part of imaginative and cooperative play. Mud is an excellent

material for supporting many aspects of the EYFS curriculum.

5

THE MANY BENEFITS OF MUD

Physical development; fine motor skills are enhanced as children pick out

objects and use a variety of utensils.

Communication and language; children learn new vocabulary

for techniques that they develop, i.e. squashing, crushing, scooping.

Cooperative play playing together in small groups.

Literacy skills reading, following and writing down recipes.

Role play ‘let’s cook dinner”.

Problem solving how to change the consistency of the mud.

Understanding of the world changes over time i.e. freezing and melting,

solidifying, drying-out.

Find us on Facebook /infiniteplaygrounds

Introducing a mud kitchens to your setting.

Over the past few years mud kitchens have been a revolution in schools around the UK and now many Early Years settings have one as standard.

Some parents and teachers are hesitant to the idea of a mud kitchen, but with guidance and after seeing the joy a mud kitchen brings to children, they often embrace it. Mud is messy, we agree, but when you realise the benefits of a mud kitchen - the mess does seem worth it!

Consider including a section about your mud kitchen as part of your pupil information booklet or starters’ meetings, these may also be good places to recommend children bring a change of clothes or waterproofs if appropriate. Remind parents not to send children in wearing their Sunday best, and remind them that if they go home mucky then you know they’ve had fun!

Choosing the space.

A mud kitchen works best in a cosy corner rather than in the middle of a busy playground because smaller, quieter spaces encourage cooperation, imaginative play and language development. If you don’t have an obvious corner then you can create a quieter ‘kitchen like’ space using trellis, planting, tarpaulin or netting to zone the area. Try not to separate the area off completely from the rest of the playground to ensure creative interaction between the kitchen and other areas is easily attainable.

Hopefully the kitchen will be near a good supply of basic materials - sand, pebbles and mud. Position your kitchen near the sand area or a mud patch to contextualise, but even if you don’t have a full kitchen, big pots of these basic materials will work.

Placing a mud kitchen near a den can develop children’s imaginative role play opportunities, for instance, a teddy bears’ picnic or camping in the woods. As a word of warning, when extending mud kitchen play with dens; the mud can spread rapidly and be hard to contain to one area.

A roof is not necessary as children will enjoy engaging with the weather and the seasons, for instance watching the water in the sink fill up after rain or freeze in winter.

Being situated near outdoor taps and drains can be handy - you can hose down the area and water will drain away more easily.

Mud Kitchens in Key Stage One and Beyond.

Mud kitchens are brilliant for Early Years, however, the benefits for Key Stage One and beyond should not be forgotten. Mud kitchens can be a helpful transitional tool for children moving from the Early Years to Year One as they provide a familiar area to play and develop new skills. In these smaller and secure spaces children feel confident in beginning and renewing friendships, sharing conversations and developing cooperative imaginary play.

In Key Stage One, mud kitchens have their roots in familiarity; however they can be developed to meet the requirements of the curriculum. Well thought out enhancements to the mud kitchen through ideas, projects and props can expand the learning opportunities available. Below are some ideas to get you started:

• A pulley system between the water source and sink can encourage problem solving and cooperative play.

• Children can engage in counting, measuring and weighing ingredients using jugs and balance scales.

• Recipes can be improvised, developed and elaborated on through discovery of new ingredients or cooking techniques. Children can be encouraged to record their recipes for the next group to follow writing, symbols, photographs, rhymes & clues.

• Phonics treasure hunts can encourage children to search for specific ingredients such as ‘soil, sand, seeds, stones’ or ‘spot the odd ingredient’.

• Recipes can be linked to stories, popular ones might include Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Stone Soup by Jess Stockham, where children can act out and develop the storyline.

• Children can develop art work in the style of artist Andy Goldsworthy when laying out the ingredients and their creations.

• Children can be challenged through ‘mantle of the expert’ type scenarios to encourage children to develop their independent role play and problem solving.

Mud may be messy but the benefits of playing with it are endless. We can’t encourage you enough to get your aprons and wellies on and go outside and start playing!

7Follow us on Twitter @infiniteplay1

CREATE YOUR OWN Creating a mud kitchen can be as simple or as elaborate as you

choose. They don’t need to be fancy, expensive or perfectly finished; soil, water, and some utensils may be all you need.

01. The KitchenYou need very little to start a mud kitchen, however it is essential that there is some structure to it. Albeit open-ended, a mud kitchen is different to a digging area, growing zone or mud trough. Something as simple as planks of wood across two crates or tyres is a start! Parents can be very helpful in donating unwanted offcuts or even tables and cupboards to make a simple mud kitchen structure.

Kitchens with walls, fences or other vertical surfaces on one or two sides have potential for hanging pots and utensils or to install shelving to making it feel more like home.

Pallets are a cheap solution that can also double up as shelves. Hanging the utensils on hooks enables children to select what they are going to use and also encourages them to put items away at the end of their play session.

Workbenches are helpful if built at child height with plenty of space for mud pie making. A recycled cupboard/dresser can be a good choice. Indoor furniture will quickly warp if left outside in the wet, however a thick coat of yacht varnish can help stop this, as can raising wooden items off the ground.

02. Sinks & AppliancesThere are plenty of options for kitting out the kitchen. Old sinks can be added, and butler sinks in particular can be a great addition. Plastic washing up bowls, which can easily be lifted out for emptying and cleaning, are a low-cost and lightweight option. Children love sinks and they will be in constant demand so the more sinks you can include, the better.

Old microwaves, toasters and kettles are excellent for pretend play. Children will love opening and closing the doors and pushing the buttons of microwaves or making the ‘leaf toast’ pop. Keep an eye out on online sites such as eBay, Gumtree, Free-cycle and Pre-loved, for free or cheap items or ask parents to donate old appliances (be specific about what you need).

Old style balance scales can be fascinating for children as they explore the comparative weights of ingredients such as flowers and pebbles and try to make the two sides balance; developing fundamental maths skills and understanding of concepts such as light/heavy.

B&Q have a waste donation scheme for recognised groups and organisations in which

they will donate timber, tiles or paint which they can no longer sell; it is worth contacting your

local store to see if they can help.

Chalkboard Trug Tree

Soil Trough

Oak Sitting Stump

Natural ‘Ingredients’

Outdoor Balance Scales

Larch TableOak Slice Plates

9Join us on Instagram /infiniteplaygrounds

03. IngredientsMud. It may sound obvious, but your kitchen should be in easy reach of mud or soil. This could be from a muddy corner, digging trough or container. We find top soil is best (readily available from garden centres) to replenish an existing muddy corner or fill a trough. Compost can be a good ingredient but doesn’t have the right consistency for mud in a mud kitchen as it can be too granular rather than sticky (for really sticky mud pies!).

Water Access to a water source such as a rainwater butt or water play stream is a must, however it doesn’t need to be too close; children love to transport water. Limiting the size of the containers will reduce the amount of water (and therefore mud) in and around the mud kitchen. You could even set up a pulley system between the water and the kitchen to encourage children to think about how to transport the water, helping them to develop problem-solving skills.

Sand Offering sand as an ingredient provides a contrast in colour, texture, mixing consistency,

and many possibilities for developing imaginations. You may not want to place a mud kitchen in or next to your sand pit as the children will combine the elements with glee and abandon; however, a large container or trough of sand nearby will fast become a staple ingredient.

Other Ingredients. Introduce different ingredients to the area, such as shells, leaves, dried flower petals, pebbles, glass beads, acorns, seeds, conkers and herbs. Have the ingredients laid out for easy access and rather than having everything mixed together, separate them into different containers. Containers with multiple compartments will help you to group certain items together and allow children to sort materials. Wooden boxes, wicker baskets and canvas cubes are great items you may find lying around the house. You can use household items such as recycled egg cartons and yoghurt pots, ice cube or cutlery trays. When everything is laid out in this way children get the chance to think about which ingredient they want to choose.

04. Equipment Pans, colanders, muffin trays, pestle and mortars... and funnels always create lots of enthusiasm. Ice-cream scoops, jelly moulds and biscuit cutters are favourites too. Charity and pound shops are Aladdin’s Caves when it comes to equipping a mud kitchen; stainless steel, wooden and plastic kitchen utensils are readily available and inexpensive! Silicone moulds are great for outdoor play; they are durable, reusable and come in a rainbow of colours and shapes for mud cupcakes to sand jelly. Tables and Chairs. As your mud kitchen develops it will quickly grow. Tables and chairs are great ways to extend play and provide cooperative and sociable play opportunities. Children often act out familiar family scenes, cooking and serving dinner. Plates are a nice addition on which to serve messy concoctions; at Infinite Playgrounds we like to use slices of oak to give a natural feel to the kitchen.

05. Enhancements There are lots of enhancements that can be added to make extra special potions; powder paint and food colouring can make brightly coloured mud, washing up liquid makes a good foamy substance and bicarbonate of soda will produce a mud eruption! Old cook books that you may have lying around can also provide good inspiration. Kitchens can be enhanced and changed every day by providing different ingredients; mud kitchen recipe books are a fantastic option for challenging the children with something new. The ‘Dish of the Day’ can be displayed for the children to create a mud pie or soil cake from a menu board while fairy soups and magic potions are exciting concoctions to create when you’ve got glitter in your kitchen cupboards. Rose petal perfume is always a popular option for budding scientists in the kitchens!

11

Letters to parents asking for kitchen donations are a good way

to help your kitchen grow.

06. Treasure Hunts If you are looking at creating your own mud kitchen, chances are that you have plenty of little helpers around who will enjoy sourcing some intriguing ingredients for it. Organising a treasure hunt with baskets, buckets and trugs and letting children collect items will ensure you have a wide variety of components for your mud recipes. Children will also want to pick leaves and flowers as ingredients to add to their mud mixes so make sure you discuss beforehand about what they are and aren’t allowed to pick.

07. Keep it Clean(ish)The key to a clean mud kitchen is to set sensible expectations for the children. Like all interesting play areas, mud kitchens need to have some ground rules. In addition to the basics - share, be kind, take turns - a mud kitchen adds: “mud is not for throwing”, “do not eat mud” and “wash your hands after playing in mud”. The rules should be kept to a minimum and explained before opening the kitchen. Children should be encouraged to leave the kitchen in good condition for the next group of chefs and be shown how to replenish the loose parts and “wash” the dishes in a bucket of water—an activity that is almost as fun as the cooking. Depending on what you have planned for the rest of the day, aprons or waterproof clothing might be a good option. Wellies can also help with mess!

Remember, you don’t need to start with a finished product, just like with a kitchen in the

home, you can keep adding to it!

Chalkboard Trug Tree

Larch Table

Oak Slice Plates

Soil Trough

Oak Sitting Stump

Outdoor Balance Scales

13Find us on Pinterest /infiniteplaygrounds

Natural play specialists; a bespoke playground design and build company. Infinite Playgrounds help children to develop a healthy appetite

for education, social growth, and physical development.

We hope we have inspired you to start creating your own mud kitchen, or adding to the one you already have. Mud kitchens can be really simple and added to over time so don’t worry if

you don’t have a big budget to work with; we are sure that you will have lots of fun!

INFINITE MUD KITCHENSFrom basic essentials to everything plus the kitchen sink! We offer a range of specially designed, made to order mud kitchens & accessories.

Design, build, install.At Infinite Playgrounds, as you can probably tell, we are incredibly passionate about mud! So much so that we have an entire range of items that have been designed and developed specifically to supplement this area of play. We have installed hundreds (maybe thousands) of bespoke fitted mud kitchens throughout the UK. Contact us for a free consultation and design.

The Infinite range• The Basic Ingredients: Includes a larch table, four

oak sitting stumps, four oak slice plates, a timber soil trough, topsoil and a selection of natural ‘ingredients’.

• Deluxe Mud: Includes everything above, plus: a set of outdoor balance scales, a chalkboard trug tree, four trug storage containers and a colander

• Super Deluxe: Includes everything above, plus: a kitchen bench with shelves, pots, pans, wooden spoons and a ceramic kitchen sink complete with colourful splash back.

INFINITE EXCLUSIVE STARTER SETUP

Everything you need to get cooking!

• Hand built mud kitchen workbench• Ceramic sink & splash-back screen

• Outdoor balance scales• Digging trough

• Carved oak mixing bowl• Two oak sitting stumps

• Two oak slice plates• Wooden mixing spoons

• Metal colander & saucepan• UK mainland delivery

Search ‘MUD” on our website to find out more

14 Call 0191 266 6508 or visit www.infiniteplaygrounds.co.uk

@InfinitePlay1

/InfinitePlaygrounds

InfinitePlaygrounds

@InfinitePlay

Infinite Playgrounds, 7E Westmorland Road, North Shields, NE29 8TB

Tel: 0191 266 6508Email: info@infiniteplaygrounds.co.ukwww.infiniteplaygrounds.co.uk