How to Host a Mud Party Play Date
How to a host a mud party play date! The basic idea is simple. Invite over some friends, get outside, and make a great big mud mess!
By contributing writer, Liz
Some of my favorite memories from childhood are playing outside and getting dirty. Running around the woods, climbing trees, splashing in puddles – the world was my playground.
The smell of the grass, the squish of the mud, the touch of a cool breeze. These experiences are firmly implanted in my memory.
Sensory experiences like these are the foundation of childhood learning. If you want to read more about the importance of sensory learning check out this post here.
So, do you want a super fun idea that combines social interaction, sensory learning, and nature play? Are you not afraid to make a great big mess? (I promise it isn’t as scary as it sounds!) Do you want to open your home to your friends and neighbors for a fun play date?
Look no further.
How to Host a Mud Party Play Date
The basic idea is simple. Invite over some friends, get outside, and make a great big mud mess!
Here’s how we did it…
Materials Needed
- Dirt (you can buy a couple bags of cheap dirt from the store or do what I did and dig it out of the garden)
- Kiddie pool
- Second kiddie pool or other large container (we used an empty sandbox)
- Big buckets with more water, optional
- Toddler slide
- Old toys (garage sale finds are great!)
- Buckets, shovels, etc
- Old clothes or swim suits
- Sprinkler
Set-Up
Find an area of your yard you don’t mind getting muddy or that can be easily sprayed down. We found a nice grassy spot.
Put the dirt in the kiddie pool and add some water and your toys. Put the slide going into the pool for a “mud slide.”
Set up the second pool/container with just water and some more buckets and toys.
Hook up a sprinkler nearby for easy (and fun!) washing up! Seriously, the mud washes right off. This may seem like a crazy messy activity, but it is all outside and cleans up so simply!
Play Time
Once your friends arrive get to playing! The other moms will marvel at your at your bravery for tackling such a messy activity (and be grateful it’s not at their house!).
If you want to extend the fun with a snack time, it would be awesome to serve dirt pudding!
We had so much fun with our Mud Party! The kids loved it! We had this play date a few years ago when my oldest was a toddler. Now that we’ve moved I think it is time to do it again with our new friends and neighbors!
This sounds like a lot of fun and definitely something my kids would get into. I actually made them a “mud kitchen” this summer so they can regularly play in the mud. I also love the idea of inviting over neighbors to join in the fun 🙂
A mud kitchen! How fun! I saw one of those on Instagram recently and thought it was such a cool idea. It would be perfect for a mud party, too!