But as you may recall, playing with mud can get really messy. Containing it in one place is the perfect solution to muddy footprints on your deck or patio…or in the house!
Enter the mud kitchen.
A mud kitchen, as you might imagine, is similar to a playhouse in that it’s a place set aside for your kids to make their muddy creations.
You can make a mud kitchen as simple or as complex as you’d like, depending on your particular situation. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Simple DIY Mud Kitchen
Entangled Harmony blogger Noreen Greimann shares a DIY mud kitchen that can be finished in as little as 10 minutes. She recommends starting small and working up from there.
Items you’ll need
- ⬥ A location for your ‘kitchen’
- ⬥ Some kind of surface for them to work on
- ⬥ Dirt
- ⬥ Water
- ⬥ Scoops
- ⬥ Spoons
- ⬥ Buckets
- ⬥ Pans
- ⬥ Rocks, flowers, grass, pine cones, shells, etc. (for decorating)
- ⬥ Containers
- ⬥ Plastic tub, wooden crate or old cabinet (for storage) (optional)
Find a location for your mud kitchen. Try to use existing boundaries (e.g. fence, wall of the house) to help with setting up the parameters as it’s easy for mud kitchens to expand themselves!
Gather the materials your children will need and put in a location they can easily reach such as a plastic bin or even just a corner of the yard.
Upcycle
Another option when planning to DIY a mud kitchen is to upcycle old furniture you already have (or purchase for cheap) and turn it into a small kitchen.
Here’s a tutorial from Me and B Make Tea blogger Emma showing how she and her husband made a mud kitchen using an old desk.
Let your kids’ imaginations soar with a DIY mud kitchen where they can ‘bake’ away to their hearts’ content…and you can reduce the mess that creativity often leaves in its wake!
If you like this, you may like these:
How to Create a Magical Playground With Your Kids This Summer
Top 5 Ways to Make Your Kid’s Playroom Spectacular
