Make a mud pie
What is more fun than playing in the mud? Making mud pies is an exercise in creativity. It is fun for budding chefs, artists, and kids who enjoy getting “dirty!” This activity can be as simple and pure as plopping mud on a leaf and calling it a pie. It can include seeds, leaves, stones, sand for decoration. You can add props if you like: aluminum pie pans, the containers that microwave single meals come in, whatever you like to encourage creative play. Experiment with the results of using different soils to mix with different amounts of water. The smaller the mineral particles in soil, the better it holds together. Soil with a high sand content (the largest mineral size) doesn’t work well for projects that hold together (unless you are building sand castles, but that is another project!). Silt has smaller particles and works well for most casual projects. The serious mud pie maker will learn that clay soils are the best for holding together during the project and for drying well. A child who enjoys creating in mud will probably also enjoy working with clay in a studio or as an at-home medium. Craft stores have excellent products that you can bake at home – but it is so much fun to start outdoors first!
Internet links to help you:
If you want to check out sites, just search “making mud pies,” there are lots of them!
Books
Brothers are for Making Mud Pies –by Harriet Ziefert (Author), and Chris L. Demarest (Illustrator)
Mud Pies and Other Recipes – by Marjorie Winslow (Author), Erik Blegvad (Illustrator)
Mud Tacos! By Mario Lopez & Marissa Lopez Wong
Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud That Changed Baseball by David A. Kelly
Mud by Mary Lyn Ray
52 Things Outside 