All the muddy things
All the muddy things!
It might seem like it’s going to be a hassle, getting dirty, cold, muddy and needing to clean up afterwards. Maybe tracking mud through the house, all of the things that seem like more work for you.
And yet….. hear me out…
It could also be no hassle at all, provide a fabulous amount of enjoyment and require little cleaning up.
How to get prepared for getting super muddy when you want it to be easy and hassle free..
Get an old towel
Have a basin of water and an old flannel (maybe even warm water if the weather is cold)
A few options for dressing you and your kids;
If it’s warm weather - go no shoes and very little clothing
If it’s cold - maybe go for gumboots and some old clothes - or a puddle suit
And, that’s it! Preparation done!
Now, what can you do? So many things!
Keeping it super simple - you can have a few containers filled with water, some old kitchen bits and pieces or even just some sticks that can be used for scratching a path in the soil or stirring muddy water around.
And here’s a few ideas of things you can get up to - once you’ve started showing your child/ren these ideas they’ll be off and going, replicating them, building on them and adding in their own ideas.
Digging in a path for water to travel down is an easy muddy starter. This provides endless fun of filling up water containers, taking it to the top of the ‘river’ tipping it in and watching it travel down.
Making mud faces on trees or on the ground, using flowers, twigs, gumnuts and other natural material to make funny ogre faces.
The old favourite - mud pies, cupcakes, giant birthday cakes, again twigs, and flowers are a great addition here.
Cooking up soups and stews - using a bowl or sauce pan of water, you can add dirt, leaves, stones and dish it out in smaller containers for the family, the cats or dogs :)
Painting with mud, find some old paint brushes and mix up your muddy concoction and paint on paper, the pathway or fence.
Muddy, expressive, sensory play on trees - big handfuls of mud, wiping it over the smooth trunk of a tree and just enjoying the sensory experience, or squelching those feet through the muddy mud mud.
Now’s the time to call in that basin of water and old towel to do a quick rinse and towel dry - and maybe head straight in for a bath or shower!
On top of just having fun, you can tick a few parenting boxes for the day., such as
Played outside
Engaged with the natural world
Encouraged creativity
Growing imagination
Having fun
and so many other things!
Enjoy!
Making a giant muddy puddle to play in - or finding one already made for you somewhere (even less work!)
