We try our best to spend a part of everyday outside, regardless of weather. Nothing has been as engaging to my kids as our mud kitchen that we put together this year. The great thing about a mud kitchen is that it can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be, or that your space allows. In the past my kids were extremely happy using a large under the bed storage container and some measuring cups and bowls.
First mud kitchen
This year we were lucky enough to be gifted a ‘traditional’ mud kitchen from my Mom which was the starting point for our expansion. This one is from amazon and was pretty easy to put together. It has so far held up really well and the sink basin is great to add different sensory elements to play. I knew that I wanted to add a cauldron to it because my 4 year old loves being a witch. A near by tree that had been taken over by an invasive vine was perfect to make the tri-pod to hold it. It looks awesome and creepy and is perfect for the kids. And makes my four year olds dreams come true.
The next thing that we added was a large bowl sink that was needed because we always have four kids playing at the same time. If I had less kids then we would have been fine with out any more additions but we needed more play stations so that there is plenty of room for every one.
Then for just decor purposes I added a rainbow of flowers above the kitchen and we usually have a table with and under bed storage container to extend play as well. Another practical addition I will mention is that before we built anything we dug up the grass in this area and added gravel so that it doesn’t get flooded and has some drainage.
We have had so many great set ups this summer already, the easiest has just been the obvious, mud, but also foam soap has been super fun. We have done small world set ups as well such as mermaids, and a pond set up. The best part of the mud kitchen is that my 18 month old is just as entertained as my 6 year old! Anything that allows everyone to play together is a win in my book!
