Article 31 (leisure, play and culture): Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and
artistic activities.
Article 29 (goals of education): Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full.
We are developing our EYFS garden and have recently installed a mud pit to compliment our mud kitchen. The children in EYFS have learned that we need to dress appropriately for muddy play. They are recognising that signs have meanning and know to look at the wellies and waterproofs sign to remind them about what to wear in this play area.
As the chidlren got dressed, they heard and used different words to describe position such as as on, under and through. They used skills to manage clothing such as pulling on sleeves and trouser legs and managing zips.
Once in the muddy pit, the children explored many muddy possibilities. They used fine and gross motor skills to mix and combine. They made muddy paintings using large movements and added details using paintbrushes, mud and water.
The children explored and talked about texture finding out how the mud changed from dry and crumbly to sloppy and slimy when water was added. They even used their mud creatively to make soup and cakes in the kitchen. They had so much fun!
