Share Mud Day experiences by leaving a comment below. You may also share and view photos by joining our Flickr Group.
Featured Story:
Report on Mud Day in Nepal
Share Mud Day experiences by leaving a comment below. You may also share and view photos by joining our Flickr Group.
Featured Story:
Report on Mud Day in Nepal
Wow! I’ve just got round to reading these comments and am blown away to find there’s an international group of soil science-early years people! there must be something in that. My daughter spent her childhood making ‘concoctions’ and she’s now an artist who’s fascinated by the natural world. Mud play is clearly deeply important for humans… Janet and Cath, if you’d like to make contact, my work email is jan.white@lineone.net
Mrs. Wishy Washy
(Oh glorious mud!)
Our first annual mud day at It’s A New Day Preschool & Child Care was a huge success. We all appreciate being part of this wonderful event that encourages nature and all its wonders to be placed at the forefront of every early childhood curriculum. We are already making plans for next years activities.
What an enthusiastic response to this great day!! As Head of the Nature Kindergartens in Scotland and an Educational Consultant I am not surprised that this experience was so memorable to all involved and would like to propose that children should have access to mud experiences every day! The high play affordance of such natural materials increases the involvement and creativity of children leading to high levels of well being. Claire Warden has published a number of excellent books on the subject of naturalistic play; “Nurture Through Nature” looking at naturalistic play for children under 3 and “Nature Kindergartens” which defines her philosophy of these nature spaces and includes current research are two I can recommend. Access to water, soil, sticks, rocks, vegetation, fire, etc are vital for the development of young people – and to combat ‘nature deficit disorder’ as defined by Richard Louv!
It was our first time to celebrate International Mud Day at New Fun Land Child Care in Lewisporte, Newfoundland,Canada!We began inside with mud foot and hand print painting for a banner which we added comments of what the children thought. Mud playdough was created and children created sculptures of their interest. As cold as it was June 29th we braved it anyway!!!! Staff and children started digging, making holes, shoveling dirt, making mud pies, pouring water, mixing, dancing, jumping,splashing,and just having a relaxing mud bath if they choose!! We even ended ours with a special edible treat of worms in dirt enjoyed by all!! It is certainly a day we will celebrate annually!!! Thanks for the great ideas!!! Keep it coming!!!
Providence Wee Care Child Development Center in Portland, Oregon, USA has followed the lead of their children and dedicated a space in their playground to mud play. The benefits are developmental, and healthful, as reported in this recent news story:
Children at Claire Warden’s Nature Kindergartens in Perthshire,
Scotland, joined in the fun of International Mud Day. Our children could
not believe that some children do not have access to mud! With the high
rainfall in Scotland; the children are experts at mudplay and soon
created an amazing mudslide at Auchlone Nature Kindergarten and mudpies
for all at Whistlebrae Nature Kindergarten. Rusty Keeler, our visitor
from the USA, and all staff had their faces painted with mud by our
expert face painters aged 2 to 5 years.
KAO Childcare center in Thompson Manitoba Canada held our first Mud Day. And it was a wonderful. And this will not be the last we look forward to many more Mud Days
We were so thrilled that this was given attention! Our center took the children to a local woodsy park where we actually found a mud puddle, not easy to do in The City, and many children stomped to their hearts content. Others dug with the shovels we brought and explored the wet dirt around the trees. Because of this focus it was OK to “get dirty”. The children were delighted!
We prepared by announcing the day to parents and giving them the articles from your web site as handouts. We planned by taking extra clothes and towels and having a nice lavender foot bath when we got back to the center right before lunch and nap. Great nap too! Thank you for the momentum!
Rosario
we had wonderful mud day celebration in Nepal. there were 7 schools participation and more then 5000 thousand people took part in the mud day in Chitwa and there is another place also we organized Mud day in Panchkhal with orphan children. I will update stories and photos but finding difficulties uploading photos.
bishnu
I lecture on early childhood education subjects in a college in Malaysia, and when I learnt about the International Mud Day,I just had to share it with my students. One of them brought packets of mud collected from her neighbourhood to be shared with her coursemates. I took one packet home and my 12 year old daughter got to “mud”. She was a bit squeamish at the start. She found the material unpredictable as it was soft at times and yet sandy too. After a while, I could see that she grew more comfortable with the medium and created some mud sculptures.
I am encouraged that one of my students who works in a kindergarten got to play mud with her children and they had fun.
What a mud day, had 11 children and half a dozen parents enjoying red, grey, and sand mud we set up in our sand box. Wonderful fun, my hands are still stained. Lot’s of laughter and silliness. Will look forward to next year, most people thought I just maid-up mud day, little do they know how this is going to grow!
With less than 24-hours notice, we had seventeen children and ten adults join us for our International Mud Day celebration in the small community of Prairieville, LA. It was joyous to see the many, many smiles that came across the children’s faces as they enjoyed the varied mud experiences.
There were mudpies, mud sculptures, mud prints, mud formed lakes, and mud fighting. As our time came to a close, the children made edible mud pies and enjoyed fruit juices. When our three hours had passed, the children had had an experience of a lifetime. What joy this event brought to so many-worldwide!!! Thank you for promoting such an awesome event.
We’ve already begun plans for June 29, 2012…
Wendy
I am a Lead Teacher at a child care center in Corning and this was our first year participating in Mud Day but it will not be our last. It was fantastic with our youngest babies to our Pre-K children getting down and dirty. Thanks for all the great ideas.
I am the director of a children’s center in Long Beach, CA. We are currently re-evaluating and building a new playground. I am having difficulty convincing parents that “mud” is ok, and that dirt play is necessary. Thanks for all the ideas! Mud Kitchen-yes!
I am teaching an undergraduate course on Special Education for Young Children, at Urban College in Boston. I have been doing more hands-on activities with my students, as part of my efforts to encourage them to offer truly open-ended materials and activities for the children in their own classes. For Mud Day, I brought in potter’s clay, enough so that every student had some to work with, and together we pounded, pushed, squeezed and pinched. Some made baskets, others made pretend food, a rabbit, a tree with bird. Some of us just kept on working the clay. Conversation was lively and there was lots of laughter. After we cleaned up, I asked them if they might try offering clay to their children, and there were a lot of “yes!” answers. I myself had fun, and went home happy.
We are a child care centre in the CBD of Sydney and were very excited about Mud day and the meaning behind it. We set up a special area next to our sand pit where the children could combine, sand, clay and water to create mud. Needless to say it was a huge hit and the children love it. It will now be a permanent fixture in our playground…. we all know how important this kind of play is for children!
Recipe for Friendly Kids Mud Day
200 lbs soil
1 water hose
kiddie pools
pie pans
pots & pans for mixing
spoons, scoops and trays
Add 80 children and mix well.
Place in the sun for a day they’ll never forget!
Friendly Ave Christian Preschool in Greensboro, NC is ready for Mud Day 2011! We are inviting parents to join the marvelous mess! We are planning on mud rolling, mud stomps, mud painting, worm digs, mud castle sculpting and mud writing. Topping it off with “Mudsicles for dessert”. We can’t wait!!!
Mud Day 2011 was a HUGE SUCCESS! 6 months to 12 yrs everyone enjoyed our Marvelous Mud Mess!
Why limit mud day to preschool? Recently my 7 year old daughter and her friends enjoyed a “mud day” in our community garden plot in London, Ontario, Canada. The shoes had to come off, the slurping sounds were plentiful, and the mud was everywhere. The soil has a heavy clay component, so the mud was slippery and great to build with. There were mud pies and mud pinch pots. The children used empty plant pots to make bricks, that they let bake in the sun and have since revisited to build with and break apart (to make more mud on the next rainy day). I saw the note about international mud day and told my daughter about it. She was very excited. On mud day, the last day of school for us, we plan to invite her classmates to our garden plot to share in mud day with us.
We are an early learning centre in a school , based on 100 acres of marshland in Victoria, Australia. We are in the middle of Winter, so there is plenty of mud to be had!
The 29th of June falls in the middle of MAD week, where we work in multi age groups to make a difference.
Once a week the 3-5 years olds head out into nature, dressed in their all weather suits and spend time in the great outdoors. We will think of something wonderful to do with our year 8 buddies and mud next week and document what happens. We look forward to sharing.
As a retired teacher, and the husband of very dedicated Daycare worker I find this absolutely exciting and a wonderful idea. I will pass this on to my wife, whom I can already see rolling in the mud in my mind’s eye, with a group of little ones. Years ago in New York, in a private school I recall a childcare worker who did mud and mudslide activities with my children, and they loved the activity and they loved the teacher who got muddy with them.
We are hosting a Messy Play night for families in honor of International Mud Day, which will (of course) include several varieties of mud to play with.
I am an outdoor learning mentor in the UK for children aged between 4 and 7 and we will definitely be celebrating International Mud Day in my setting. Maybe a bit of mud painting and sculpture, mud pies and potions and whatever the children come up with too. Will let you know!
“Creating Special Places For Children” consultant in early education, Innov in Education, LLC, New Jersey
What a wonderful idea — Mud Glorious Mud (a song years ago)
As the Director of an innovative early childhood program I started a summer program that had as its singular feature a Mud Hole. Children were enrolled from ages four to nine and they all loved to participate in the mud hole which was created every day by digging a big hole in the yard and filling it with water and making mud. The children made mud pies, mud castles and then made rivers and pathways by manipulating the mud banks. The summer program at A Child’s Place, Lincroft NJ is still in tact and so is the Mud Hole — 35 years later. I sometimes think it is one of my best legacies. Despite all the sophisticated toys and entertainments available to these children they are still engaged by mud!
I am a teacher aide at Aldersgate Center for Child Development in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, and I am planning a few of the mud activities for 3 & 4 to 5 yr. olds in my group. I have never heard of the song, Mud Glorious Mud, but I would love to hear it and get the words so we could possibly sing it on International Mud Day. I am sure the children would really enjoy that! Any idea where I might find them? Thank you & Happy Mucking!
HI Kathy,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFUQasY3stA
Lots of other versions on YouTube. This is a firm favourite of our family (especially Grandad singing it to the little kids) and MUST be sung when playing in the mud :)
Playing for Keeps & Aging in Place, Newtonville, MA
Mud Day really made me recall my days as a member of a Team working in Afghanistan way back before any of you were born in 1958! (I was then working with a Team of “Experts” from Teachers College, Columbia University, in developing teacher education programs). While as a child I loved water and mud…but right next door to our house in Kabul, I learned to work alongside of youth making mud bricks to build walls and other enclosures as well as houses. Later I learned that our forefathers in the US used to make bricks mixed with straw so that the bricks were binding. I am sure we have members in the World Forum who have great experiences to share like mine. The use of indigenous materials is an area we need to rediscover with children through the play environment in which they find themselves globally. Let’s compile our many mud stories and “create a new movement.”
Early Childhood Outreach, Marshfield, MA, USA
“The Mud Family” by Betsy James!
Stepping Stones Children’s Services, Australia
We have started to promote Mud Day. My memories of the mud was my Nan setting me up in the back yard with tin cups and pots and heaps of garden to get mud. I can remember as a child thinking about the nursery rhyme of black birds in a pie. Well I used to dig up my Pop’s worms and I had worms in A PIE. JUST THINK WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE MISSING.
Consultant for Outdoor Provision in the Early Years, UK
I see that Mud Day is taking root. It was a major part of my childhood – and I ended up studying Soil Science for my degree.
My best book for mud play is ‘Mud Pies and other recipes’ by Marjorie Winslow – new hard back version available from Amazon. It was written in USA the 1960′s and reprinted in 1990s due to popular demand. I use it all the time in my ongoing national campaign for mud kitchens in every preschool setting (and beyond) in the UK.
‘Mud Pie Annie’ is also a lovely mud book. In my own book (Playing and Learning Outdoors, Routledge 2008) I have a list for a ‘pies, potions and perfumes’ resource box – pretty well received here in the UK. Also try the fantastic blog ‘Let the children play’ (Sydney Aus) for lots on mud kitchens around the world.
Just to let you all know as well that the setting I mentor (Sandfield Natural Play Centre in Merseyside) will be celebrating Mud Day with a mud party – from all aspects of the mud kitchen (soups, stews, buns, picnics, witches’ spell potions, swamps, slop-dosh painting etc etc) to working on our soil mountain (resulting from the creation of our enormous 80 tonne sandpit) to body painting with mud and so on…. The documentation will eventually be on Sandfield’s website – I’ll let you know when it’s there. Happy Mud Day!
Dear Jan,
I work for the University of New Mexico as an early childhood trainer- But my degree is in soil science. I grew up on a farm and mud was a major part of that! I ended up in early childhood afeter I became a mom, but I worked as a soil conservationist for several years for the Department of Agriculture. It sounds like our backgrounds and loves are similar. Nice to know you’re out there!
Janet
Hi Jan and Janet,
I studied soil science too, here in Australia. Like everyone else here I am a strong believer in the mucking about with nature and what is more fun then some quelchy mud to play with?
Where I live now is very sandy so I am considering what clays I can use to get a bit of squelch happening. I will have to visit the landscaping suppliers I think!
Executive Director, Child Educational Center, La Canada, CA
The Outdoor Classroom Project will be promoting Mud Day to an extensive mailing list in California and we discussed possibilities in our Demonstration Site Network Steering Committee meeting yesterday. I heard a fun mud song that I’ll forward once I get my hands on the information to share. We will also compile a list of books to share.
From: Winnipeg, Canada
Mud day plans are moving forward. Check out what my friends at the Military Family Resource Child Care program (here in Winnipeg, Canada) are up to.
“Schools and childcare centres have begun realizing that there is a growing need for more outdoor nature play for children. Children are healthier and happier when they spend time outside and many children today have limited opportunities to really “get into” nature. In support of this, the school-age, preschool and toddler sections have installed a “mud pit” in our playground. Tuesday afternoons will be designated for mud play. We will be making mud pies, mud castles, mud roads, mud mountains and many more mud creations.
We are asking parents to send in a specific set of “mud clothes”. These clothes will get dirty and stained so please make sure to label the bag as “mud clothes”. We are also asking for an old towel so that your child can dry off. The children will be rinsed off outside with the hose, but please be aware that they will still have mud somewhere……….We will start our Magnificent Mud Tuesdays June 21st and will have a special mud day on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 in celebration of International Mud Day.”