Use nature to concoct a ‘mud pie’ or ‘mud soup&#x - PDF document

 Use nature to concoct a ‘mud pie’ or ‘mud soup’ in your outdoor kitchen. Rustle up some old pots and pans, bowls, pots and mixing spoons. Let your children explore and gather their ingredients from in and around your garden, at your local park or nature reserve. The ingredients are endless but the best mud pie I ever tasted was ooz- ing with mud, grass, leaves, petals and pinecones; even yummier when eaten with sticks!!  Find a big plastic tub or box to explore water in. Search the house for pouring jugs, squeezy bottles, funnels, colanders, whisks, sieves and more. Let your children transport and move the water as they wish from container to container. Have some food colouring and glit- ter handy, this could get magical! Oh…and be prepared to get wet!!  Find a clear concrete space on the floor for your children to spend some uninterrupted time exploring with chalks (chunky chalks are great for little hands) and water. Children can paint the pavements, draw on the walls, scribble on the steps and more. If you want to get more magical, have some black paper handy that can be taped to the floor and covered in water with brushes before the drawing begins. Children will love watching the chalk and water mix together! /National - Childrens - Day - UK @NCDUK2015  Your children’s most favourite ‘toy’ will probably be you. Have 20 minutes uninterrupted time; turn off the television and hide away your phone. Take away all the toys and create a clear space. Follow your child’s lead, show them you are their toy and see what happens . . . Who knows, you could be taken on a wild adventure, crawling across the floor through a wild jungle, slivering like a snake or jumping like a monkey.  Make your own music station. Search the house or your setting together to find interesting objects you can use to make different sounds. We’re not picky but we know pots and pans turned upside down can make some great sounds when played with a wooden or metal spoon. You could also create and decorate your own musical instruments using plastic containers filled with pasta, lentils or rice. Have some masking tape and paper handy and once you have filled your chosen container with your noisy magical filling, tape some paper around it ready to be decorated with pens / paper / paint or glitter. Oh, and don’t forget the earmuffs!  Make a den. Making dens can be so much fun, especially when children are allowed to let their imaginations run wild. Let your children experiment with a variety of resources. For the frame they could use bamboo, tables, washing lines, chairs, string or rope. Your children will find a way if you let them. For the cover you could provide some old bed sheets, fabric, blan- kets, foil blankets, tarpaulin and even cushions for comfort. Children can make dens on their own or in groups. A lovely way to explore working to- gether and testing out their own ideas. You could make one too and always hide in it afterwards with your lunch and a cup of tea. /National - Childrens - Day - UK @NCDUK2015  What will I need?  Large roll of wallpaper  Paints / pots / plastic bowls  Paintbrushes / old toothbrushes / sponges /pine cones / sticks (or whatever your children can find to paint with)  Masking tape  Create a clear space on the floor and use some masking tape to stick your paper down. Allow your children to freely explore the paint, using their hands/bodies and the tools they have found.  Have fun and let your children play! © Rozana Dutton 2015 /National - Childrens - Day - UK @NCDUK2015