Outdoor Texture Kitchen

 'Tis the season for mud pies, soups, and plates of slop and goo! 

Mud puddles and dirt ~ are must-have ingredients in any mud kitchen recipe. Mix in a handful of pebbles, leaves, and flower petals to add texture to any dish! And voila, a texture kitchen play experience has begun!

You may ask what exactly is a texture kitchen?! A texture kitchen is a mud kitchen, but it goes beyond mud. It provides chefs with the addition of different textures to explore! For example, sand, grass, shells, leaves, and even outdated pantry items.

At our outdoor programs, I have sampled many pastries in our texture mud kitchen as expectant muddy chefs offer me plates of cakes and pies made just for me - often followed by the whispered phrase: 'Don't really eat it!'

Are you considering adding a mud/texture kitchen to your backyard? I highly recommend it! I have observed the experiences and skills children have learned through texture kitchen play, its many benefits, and how it allows for curiosity and experimentation in an open-ended way!

Messy? They sure are, but they provide children with such wonderful experiences.

So, what are the benefits of providing this type of play in your backyard?

 * Children develop early math skills such as measuring, filling, emptying, and capacity.

* Language development through expressive language, storytelling, and descriptive words (boiling, sizzling, steaming).

* Provides children with the opportunity for rich, messy, sensory play experiences with the combination of natural treasures.

 * Children develop fine motor skills through the use of real tools.

So how can you provide texture kitchen play opportunities for your child?

*Provide "texture" for your child to work with - such as sand, soil, leaf, bark, rose petals, and herbs. Anything you can find that is safe and has some texture.

*Next, you will need some tools and containers for your child to work with, such as pots, pans, muffin tins, mortar and pestle, measuring cups, and plates.

 * Provide access to water! Water is essential in a texture kitchen! You can use watering cans, jugs, and recycled pop bottles.

 You can also provide recipe cards! I have provided two playful recipes below. The inspiration behind these texture kitchen recipes was from the fantastic mud kitchen recipe "muddy chocolate soup" concocted at our outdoor playgroup: Wild Child.

 I invite you to celebrate Earth Day with these playful sand muffin and sand cake recipes! 

Written by Lorena Arauz, OCT, RECE, CIMI, Parent Support Coach

Source: Ranson, A. (2017, August 2017). The benefits of mud kitchens. The Imagination Tree.