Mud kitchens are messy, dirty and one of the most creative places in which children can play. The majority of adults can probably remember fondly the hours they spent making mud pies, sieving soil and the smell of dandelion perfume. Mud kitchens provide an environment that allows communication, creativity and imagination to exist in natural harmony. Children can use their observations and experience of cooking and baking to produce amazing earthy recipes of their own.
Without prior knowledge of restaurant cooking, children will instinctively take on the roles of head chef, sous chef and kitchen assistant. These roles will change depending on who has the most ideas at any given time. Mud kitchens benefit from being totally adaptable and children can become paleontologists making dinosaur eggs, if baking mud pies doesn’t quite appeal to them. There are many blogs and websites dedicated to being creative with mud and schools are now incorporating them into their playground designs.
Apart from having great fun and terrifying house proud mothers, mud kitchens provide the perfect ingredients for many learning opportunities. In nursery schools, teachers can introduce the concept of simple measuring and weighing through supported play. Children can also act out the routine of making and eating a meal together by collecting ingredients and laying the table. Play can either be teacher lead or child lead, depending on the learning objectives of the session.
The greatest fun to be had in mud kitchens is when children are left entirely to their own devices. Just watching children imitate the family conversations that occur in their kitchens at home provides a great insight into how children perceive the world around them. Mud kitchens allow children to turn their imagination into some form of reality, encouraging communication skills and planning. Mud kitchens can either consist of just cooking utensils or a complete kitchen set up. It doesn’t really matter what is available because your child’s imagination and innovation will fill in all of the gaps.
In the school and nursery environment, mud kitchens have to incorporate safety features and allow a number of children to have the opportunity to play at any given time. School mud kitchens need to be able to store the utensils tidily and safely. Children also need to be able to participate in semi supervised play without the fear of sharp edges and rough wood causing them harm.
At Playdale Playgrounds we have four wonderful mud kitchens designed to suit the space and budget available. Each mud kitchen is constructed of; compact grade laminate worktop with realistic rings and dials, integrated utensil holders, sawn timber legs and shelf. We are also including a free gift of a wooden kitchen utensil set. All you need is a group of children with fantastic imaginations and the mud kitchen will become the most popular activity in the playground.
If you would like to find out more about our mud kitchens please contact us and we will be delighted to discuss all of your options.
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