Mud Pie Kitchen

The best play material, in my opinion, is one found right in our own yard--dirt! Last summer we used a few things around the house and thrift store finds to create a wonderful play space for little imaginations to take over. Our mud pie kitchen cost a few dollars to create...and has gotten more play than any other toy we own.
How we did it:
Materials List
- dirt and water
- kitchen tools - bowls, spoons, pots, pans
- nature findings - flower petals, sticks, stones, tree stumps
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To put together our mud pie kitchen, I started with retired kitchen items from around our house. We had quite a few items that we could spare. An old wooden shelf from the garage was the perfect base to hold it all.
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We hit up a few thrift shops and found some more additions to our little backyard kitchen. Things like muffin tins and small pots were very exciting additions for the kids.
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There is plenty of dirt in our yard, but to give the kids a start I grabbed a bag of top soil and used a large party tub to hold it. Along with a few plastic pitchers full of water, this was the perfect recipe for some mud pie inspiration.
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I encouraged the kids to collect things like flower petals, herbs and stones to add to their ingredients. This really got them exploring and creating.
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I think our mud pie kitchen has gotten used almost every day (weather permitting) since we created this last summer. It is a true joy to see my children so content with simple materials and their imaginations.
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Dirt = happiness for these children!