The children have been getting messy in the mud kitchen this week.
An article in QA Nursery Magazine explains the many benefits of mud kitchens some of which are listed below:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)
Mud kitchens work incredibly well as part of PSED for learners because they encourage role play, sharing and turn taking. The kitchen style environment promotes role play amongst children and it’s not uncommon to see learners taking on the role of a chef in a restaurant kitchen or mum or dad cooking at home. By taking on these roles, children are developing their social skills and heightening emotional understanding.
Communication and Language Development
Mud kitchens encourage children to talk about what they’re doing, and often the excitement of being outside and involved in messy play gets young learners feeling even more confident about speaking and sharing their thoughts. The kitchen set-up creates a rich language environment that provides opportunities for children to use specific vocabulary related to kitchen utensils and cooking.
Physical Development
Physically, learners need to be able to grip hold of utensils such as spoons and spatulas, as well as lift heavy bowls. This helps to develop the muscles in the hands, which is mainly cartilage at this age, and in turn supports fine motor skill development. Mixing and stirring also boosts hand-eye coordination.
Maths
In terms of the mathematical aspects, teachers can encourage activities which involve measuring water and mixing water in set quantities to see the different outcomes.
Understanding the World
Children are able to explore the outdoor environment as they dig in the mud and encounter plants and maybe even creepy crawlies. Mud kitchens also involve some science based learning as children can get hands dirty and experience the different textures and consistency of mud, seeing how this changes as they add more water. Teachers can prompt learners to explore by asking questions like: ‘How does this feel?’ and ‘What happens when you…?’
Expressive Arts
Mud kitchens are amazing spaces for sparking children’s imagination. It takes a good deal of creative thinking to transform muddy creations into culinary delights. With a bit of creativity, sloppy mud can become a smooth cake batter.