mud pie kitchen roundup

Simple Whimsy

I could hardly let a post on digging patches go by without a salute to mud pie kitchens, or outdoor play kitchens now could I?






Mud Pie Kitchens are the perfect accompaniment to digging patches. Cooking mud pies and playing in the dirt and mud go hand in hand. If you have the props on hand to pour, mix, fill, sieve and decorate your kids will have hours of open-ended sensory, creative and imaginative play.

Holy Trinity Preschool via Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning

As I went searching through the blogosphere for new mud pie kitchens to share with you I was impressed by how inventive and creative folks are in reusing old bits and pieces when creating their play spaces.

As Rachelle from the wonderful Tinkerlab shows, just a couple of crates and accouterments and you are good to go:

Tinkerlab

A handy nearby water source will add another element to enhance play.  It could be as simple as a big tin bucket filled with water:

Simple Toys, Simple Living

Or a small water tank with a tap attachment like this one from Repurposed Playground:

Repurposed Playground

I love the ideas for storing the pots and pans and utensils:

Caring Connections Natural Playscape

Or this idea from Amy at the always inspiring Child Central Station (as featured on Ohdeedoh) for hanging shelving and moulds on a wooden fence:

I also talk about Mud Pie or Outdoor Play Kitchens in these posts - clearly, I'm obsessed:

::: Play Heats Up in the Outdoor Kitchen

::: Mud Pie Kitchens Revisited

::: More Mud Pie Kitchen Madness

::: Making Mud Pies

::: A Mud Pie Kitchen for Our Mud Patch

What props to you set out to encourage play in the mud and dirt?

Do you have an outdoor play kitchen image you would like to share?