Go on...Get Messy!

We were playing in the yard this weekend, and one thing led to another... we made a mud table.

I always promised myself I wouldn't be a mother who would shy away from a mess.  But lately I have been doing just that.  At the playground, after a rainstorm, my poor kid looked on longingly while the other kids were practically swimming through the sand box.  As grossed out as I was, I felt bad that I could just not commit to the mess at that moment. 

So on a day when there was nothing else we had to do, and a leaky hose making puddles and muddy patches in the yard anyway.... I invited the boys to GET DIRTY!

It was funny to see them hesitate at first.  I had to dig on in and give it a squeeze and a squish...even hand some over to them to get them started.  They soon got the hang of it as, I knew they would.

Elements of Sensory Exploration:

• Scoop and pour dirt into a bucket. We had some great dirt to use from our composted leaves.
• Explore the texture of the dirt.  Slightly moist, crumbly, sifts through fingers.
• More pouring, this time into shallow water. Added more dirt/water and observed the changes.
• More texture exploration, this time of the mud.  Squishy and schloppy and wet, doesn't sift through fingers, sometimes moldable. Pour it, rake it, pound it!
• Wash away mud in clear water.  The water becomes more and more dirty...hmmmm interesting observation kiddos!
• Talk about it.  We chatted about what happened to our dirt, and how rain makes our whole yard muddy!

We also turned our mud play into MUD ART!

And had some interesting sensory playmates... WORMS!!!!

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