Cincinnati Nature Center | Blog | At Home with Nature: Mud Kitchen (Ages 2-5)

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At Home with Nature: Mud Kitchen (Ages 2-5)

You’ll need: Old kitchen utensils, a pile of soil, and a bin of water.

Optional extras: Paper and markers to make your own menu.

Mix the water and soil together, either in the bin or on the ground, and let your child play!

Playing with mud helps children build their immune system, fosters creativity, and triggers chemicals in the body that reduce anxiety.

Children love to pretend to cook and enjoy coming up with café names for their own special place.

Menus are also fun! You can draw your own, cut out magazine food pictures, or print some favorites.

To further extend this activity:

Enjoy listening along to a reading of Stuck in the Mud here with your children, and find more information here for parents on how and why mud is terrific for kids!