A very popular activity at First Steps in Nature, is mixing, mixing, mixing. An adult might call it “making magic potion”, a child might call it “soup” or “dinner”. Whatever it is called, the fun is in the creativity and sensory experience. Like many of our Nature-inspired activities, the joy is in using whatever can be found close by. No need to go out and purchase any special equipment! Use what’s close at hand. This way, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t planned ahead and brought the “right” equipment along with you. If you’re at home, at the park, at the beach or in the bush, you and your child can easily find things to use.

Here are some ideas to consider;

What’s your container?

You will need some sort of vessel, or space that will hold water. This can be a small saucepan, a little cup, a flat tray, a jar or a hole that’s been dug into the ground. Use what you have close by. If you’re at home, you can set up a mud kitchen with old saucepans and pots that can be used over and over again. If you’re out at the park, you can use a small food container or a reusable coffee cup.

Wet and Dry Ingredients

Just like real cooking, mixtures are most magic when there is a mix of wet and dry ingredients. It really doesn’t matter what the consistency is - leave that up to your child. There’s an opportunity to explore colours, smells and textures here.

Wet ingredients

This week I used some purple water that I made by saving the water after cooking red cabbage. The colour was really pretty and some of the children were quite captivated. If your child is really into colours, make some jars of different coloured liquids that they can use in their mixtures.(I try and steer clear of synthetic food dyes for this, as they stain and are not the best option for little ones who may like to have a taste of their mixture!)

You can simply use water, from the river, from a bottle, from the tap or from the ocean.

Make it a bit more “magical” by putting the liquid in AFTER the dry ingredients (which includes bicarbonate of soda) and using vinegar or lemon juice as the liquid. Watch as bubbles of air are formed from the chemical reaction. If your child is very young they might just want to pat the bubbles. If they are a little bit older they might ask questions about what they’re observing and you can both learn some chemistry together!

Dry Ingredients

The list is endless for ingredients you can use, and will depend on where you are and what’s available close by. Many of the children who have come to First Steps in Nature over the years, have not been too bothered by how pretty the ingredients are. I always like to add different coloured leaves, or colourful flowers, but that’s because I like the visual. For the children, sand and dirt can still be wildly captivating, even if they don’t look very pretty to the adults.

Use seed pods, carrot tops, leaves, flowers and blossoms that have fallen to the ground (you choose how to manage picking things from the garden. We normally set up the habit of only taking things found on the ground. This leaves the prettiest flowers on the bushes and allows space for being respectful of the environment we’re playing in). Use pinecones or sticks or pine needles.

Sometimes the older children like to imagine they are adding “blueberries” (little seed pods) or “salt” (sand), “herbs” (grass/weeds) or “spaghetti” (pine needles). The younger children just like the sound of the “plop” when they drop the seed pods into the water, or the feel of grabbing and then letting go of a handful of sand.

Grab a small basket, go and collect some “ingredients” and make space for your child to bring their own creativity to the experience. If you’re feeling something different - go ahead and make your own pretty potion!!

A mixing utensil

This could be a stick, a spoon, a hand, a finger, feet, tongs, or anything that is on hand and can be used to stir, whip and mix.

If you know that this is an activity your child will enjoy doing over and over again, and you’ve set up a mud kitchen outside, some old wooden spoons can be a great addition. A kitchen whisk can also be fun, or little spoons or a spade. We have a few slotted spoons in our kit that work well too.

Again, what matters is your child’s captivated play and enjoyment. If they choose to use something messy or unconventional to stir with, see if you can be ok with this (obviously there’ll be a boundary - a mobile phone or your car keys are clearly not a great idea!).

Extras

Let your imagination be free when you’re with your child and making mixtures. Are they captivated in their imagination and want to be free to make the mixture themselves? Are they a chef, whipping up a meal? Are they a princess making a perfume for their friend? Are they a dinosaur stomping and making a mess? Your role can be to place things near them that you think they might like. Or you could sit back and observe their play.

Are they asking you to join in with their play? Maybe you can be the “sous-chef” and go and source ingredients for them. I know many a creative child who is very capable of directing the game and many an adult who can get drawn into following the instructions of their young child!

Is it a hot day and your child wants to BE the potion? This can be cooling and fun for them. Use a bigger pot and maybe add some bubble bath to the mixture.

Once again, it’s the play that’s most important. It’s the opportunity to explore imaginative ideas and to experience the sensory delights of water, sand, mud and potions! To experience temperature and texture, to enjoy the various smells and colours of leaves and flowers and other plants.

Enjoy watching your child explore, maybe make something of your own and see where the play will take you.