We LOVE mud. There’s just so much you can do with it! We particularly love mud kitchens, as they are a great way to get children outdoors for long periods of time. We highly encourage educators and caregivers to build a simple mud kitchen in their backyard for children to engage in hours and hours of pretend play.
Here, we invite you specifically to make mud pies. If you do not have access to mud, we invite you to make this with clay, kinetic sand, or any other moldable sensory material that children enjoy.
Set up Time: 5 minutes
Directions
- Venture outside to gather some toppings for your pies (acorns, pebbles, grass, pinecones, etc) and separately gather some dirt along the way.
- Set up your ‘baking’ station outside with whatever baking supplies you have available (pie tins, muffin tins, disposable pie tins, scoops, measuring cups, shovels, etc).
- Create the mud by adding water but engage the child(ren) by asking how mud is created. Have them take part in determining the amount of water to add to create the right consistency.
- Have the child fill their pies with mud then decorate with the toppings.
Tips
Make sure to conduct this under adult supervision as small items can be choking hazards.
Materials
- Dirt
- Water
- Assorted natural collected materials
- Equipment: pie tin/cupcake tin, spoons or ladels
Learning Through Play
Cognitive: Planning – Invite children to reflect and tell you about the recipe for each respective mud pie. Do they make them all the same? Are they all different?
Social-Emotional: Self-Regulation – Mud pies are great for all weather as a way to get children outdoors. Try to work with children and their many moods and offer them activities that help to naturally self-regulate.
School Readiness: Counting – Invite children to count the ingredients that they collect and add to their mud pies, or count the number of final products. For example, you can say “Oh I see you added some clovers as sprinkles…how many did you add? Can we count them together?”
See this activity in the Rayz Kidz app along with the other fun sensory activities. Rayz Kidz is your trusted source for play-based activities featuring over 100 themes and 500+ hands-on activities and clear descriptions of the beautiful learning that is happening through play.
