Every school home with children should have an outdoor mud pie kitchen! Some of my clearest memories growing up are of mixing mud, water, sand and leaves to make “food”, “potions” and “medicine”! As an only child I could spend hours on my own concocting and mixing quite content in the sun or rain…

At school I’ve found our mud pie kitchen to be the hub most outdoor days. It’s a hive of activity as the children chat, share, laugh and invent their own recipes. Situated next to the sandpit and dry creek bed it soon turns into a vibrant chaotic sandy stony mess delightful play space!

Items we used: wood to make box table and shelves; bricks; stainless steel hanging hooks; assorted pots, pans, cups, spoons etc.

Our kitchen is SO basic – just proving you don’t need to spend a fortune or have any major building ability to make your own outdoor kitchen. Most often the pots and pans end up in the sandpit or creek bed and thats fine! I’m always popping into second hand shops and browsing the pots and pans, bowls and spoons to add to the mix of equipment available. Great items to include are: tongs, funnels, sieves and measuring spoons. Nearly all the equipments encourages great fine motor development and concentration.

The children spend ages socialising and discussing their actions – I can just sit for ages listening to their animated conversation and delighting in their focused dedication to their task! Water, sand, pebbles, grass and scented herbs all come together in a frenzy of happy cooking!