Mud Kitchen
What is a Mud Kitchen?
“Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!”
A mud kitchen is just what it says! A kitchen for mud. Also known as an Outdoor Kitchen, Mud Kitchen brings together cooking with life-size utensils and role play from the home and outdoor environment into one sensory experience.
Mud Kitchens offer a great outdoor learning space for children, they are cross-curricular, meaning that they can be used to reach many learning objectives from the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage). Children can enjoy getting hands on mixing up their own mud in a variety of colours, consistencies and textures, using bagged top soil, compost, sand, gravel and water. There is lots of splashing, pouring, squishing, mashing, stirring, patting, splatting and even mud pie making when playing Mud Kitchen!
Benefits of Mud Play:
Outdoor games such as Mud Kitchen help develop important physical, social and emotional skills, as well as enhance confidence and pave the way for role-play, creativity, and communication.
There are many benefits to Mud Play…
- Creates cause and effect.
- Develops eye – hand coordination.
- Encourages creativity and offers opportunities for creative expression.
- Invites children to use their fine and gross motor skills.
- Stimulation of many senses while engaged in play.
- Develops social skills such as sharing, turn-taking and negotiating.
