Let's talk MUD!

The ice that kicked off the start of the year hasn't returned, but the thaw created sodden ground, and persistent rain has added to the mix. Mud is everywhere! Fighting it is impossible, so we work with it!

Lets start with the obvious: Mud kitchens. 

A staple of Forest Schools and many a playground. They come in all different sizes
and shapes, from a bag of pots taken into a the wood or pans used in a dig pit, to beautiful kitchen replicas with all mod cons. 

I've always found ANY table top works just as well as a kitchen 'design', and pallets stacked on top of each other, tied or nailed together, get as much use... or maybe more.

Our established, slightly battered, and much loved mud kitchen (Top Pic) is well used, a little battered, but sturdy as it was built out of pallets.

There are additions that have given it a prep table to work on, and a serving counter (Middle Pic), for taking orders and handing out McMud Burgers at McParkside, or lattes from cafes, and any sort of cuisine you'd like to attempt with soil and water!

That addition introduced more scope for imagination and a little versatility on the traditional 'Mud Pie'.

Now there is the newest extension (Bottom Pic), basically a large pallet 'table', that aesthetically does very little, but introduces a good size surface for groups of children to work on.

The issue with just having a traditional kitchen for large groups is it can limit how many can use it at once, 2 or 3 children side by side will clash elbows when working there (size/age dependant), and manufactured Mud Kitchens can be expensive, meaning only one or two may be purchased.

Yes this situation can foster sharing and cooperation, but it often means quieter children don't attempt to join in.

Incorporating spaces without a back and/or sides allows more children to work together. This dynamic promotes interaction, cooperation and collaboration, by increasing the side-by-side capacity for Mud Chefs and Mud Cooks to create. It also increases the opportunities for communication, especially face-to-face conversation. 

It allows a solo child to engage in their own activity on the edge of the group, without having to be part of the main 'game' but not in isolation of everyone else.

It opens up another counter top to become whatever they wish it to be, encouraging imagination and wider thinking: Is this just the place to make mud pies? Is a table to mix mud paint on? Is it the place to buy mortar for the dig pit? Can we sit around this table? Is this a work space?

What else could it be..? 

It isn't just Early Years that needs to focus on communication skills. Turn taking in conversation, looking people in the eye, and proper discussion has declined since the rise of humans holding a screen in their hand. The more opportunities we can provide, the better. Especially if children are accessing them independently and not requiring prompts and topics to start them off.

Meanwhile, the counter produced some good Mud Paint mixing, something the children are getting quite adept at! They're working out what texture and consistency they require, what quantities are needed to create something that will stick to paper, not make it too soggy, and allow them the freedom to spread it thin or build it up. Understanding the soil will dissolve in the water, that leaves, twigs, and stones need to be filtered out, has been a problem solving issue that has been solved in a few different ways!

Once experimenting, paint heavy with mud has led to collage style creations, gluing leaves to the picture, whereas thinner solutions have led to more observational art, and exploring with layers and shading.

The source of our mud mainly comes from the Dig Pit, which itself is holding all kinds of soil, dirt, earth, pockets of sand, mulch, and mud, from solid frozen forms that feel like bricks and you have to dig around, through oozing, gooey, sludge that looks like blancmange and acts like quick sand when you stand in it - sucking boots off quite quickly, to brown, watery, puddles, and anything in between!

We've started to build a dam to limit both the spread of the Dig Pit into areas we
want to avoid having random pot holes to trip on, and to prevent the loss of precious mud! 

We're discovering we can divert the flow of sludge, create waterfalls, and thicken the mixture with soil from the upper level to create a dam. We're experiencing the usefulness of a spade and a shovel, and how using the correct tool really can make a specific job easier!

Yes they're getting mucky. Yes it's cold (layer up underneath). Yes it's wet (we have waterproofs ready and waiting). Yes it can carry a mess out of Forest School.

But they are learning basic: 

chemistry (mixing 2 elements), 

physics (the moving of matter, water displacement), 

maths (estimations), 

art (creating in 2D & 3D), 

drama (role play), 

biology (the make up of soil), 

history (the rocks and debris dug up), 

geography (what makes a forest floor), 

and environmental understanding (rubbish doesn't disappear), 

while doing PE (building muscles), 

English (communicating, building narratives, writing for a purpose), 

and covering a huge amount of social skills (cooperation, collaboration, teamwork, sharing, listening), 

all the while planning, designing, and persisting in their own self determined challenge.

And enjoying it!

If we want children to become problem solving, critical thinking, independent learners, we have to give them the freedom to follow their curiosity, discover their interests, get elbow deep into hands on learning, and take those skills with them into the classroom and on into life.

It's worth the clean up!