Connecting children with nature is important to us at Bream Bay Kindergarten...hands on, deeply engaging experiences where children and teachers revel in the joy of being immersed in nature together.
Under the protective shade of an old tree, dirt beckons...just enough water is added and the fun begins!
10 reasons why we should let children play in mud...
1· Playing in mud is good for reconnecting children back to nature and developing an appreciation and love of nature.
"No one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced"
David Attenborough
2· Playing in mud is a whole body experience and develops small and large motor skills.
3· Anyone can play in mud...it’s a very inclusive game.
4· Playing in mud is a hands on sensory experience that helps children develop their working theories of the world around them.
5· Playing in mud helps children develop positive dispositions such as sharing and playing co-operatively.
6· Mud is a wonderful art medium and children love to get creative.
7· Playing in mud develops creative thinking and sparks the imagination.
8· Playing in mud can make you healthier by building up the immune system.
9· Playing in mud is just good fun...lets face it, playing in mud makes you feel happy! Regular doses of smiling, laughing and having fun is well recognized as having a positive impact on overall health and well being.
10· Mud covers a wide range of curriculum areas such as science, language, social competency and physical education...so much to learn!
What does mud feel like?
The language of mud...
Slippery, slimy, gooey, wet, soggy, damp, moist, waterlogged, squelchy, clammy, cold, chilly, mucky, squishy, sticky, mushy, runny, gluey, gummy, thick, tacky, messy, smooth, velvety, bumpy, course, jagged, rough, soft, soggy, squashy squidgy, spongy, springy, pliable, pulpy, yielding, elastic, stretchy, soaking, dripping, saturated, drenched, glorious, wonderful, splendid, superb, magnificent, brilliant, superlative, marvellous mud!
Revisiting the experience...
"Playing in the deep hole, it was so deep and so muddy. I was happy cause I love the mud" said Carter.
"You get dirty in the mud. Sand and water makes mud" said Neo.
"The mud is dirty" said Emma.
"I sat in the mud and it was mucky" said Harvey.
"It was fun when we were covering our feet" said Bodhi.
"It was fun when we were squishing in the big hole. We were stamping and stomping and jumping around" said Lockie.
"I was jumping in the mud" said Tahu.
The mud was cold" said Tangaroa.
"I made some mud with the water, a spoon and dirt. You splash the water over the dirt and then you stop and then black" said Finn.
"My tee shirt got muddy lying down in the mud. It was fun!" said Nikau.
New Zealand's early childhood curriculum Te Whariki states "Children learn through play: by doing, asking questions, interacting with others, devising theories about how things work and then trying them out and by making purposeful use of resources. As they engage in exploration, they begin to develop attitudes and expectations that will continue to influence their learning throughout life" (Ministry of Education, 2017)
This mud play experience was so much fun and we had a blast learning and playing together!
Dirt - a little bit of what's good for you!
Arohanui
Tania
