Play Spaces In our Home....Part 3 - Mobile Mud Kitchen

One of the favorite games that our younger children especially love to play is with the pots, pans, plastic containers and utensils they have to create a 'mud kitchen'.
I have been thinking about this post a lot and about  how much to say, but frankly what matters most is that our children play this over an over again and obviously to me that it really feeds their imagination and thus they grow form that and so return to this form of play that really is a very  simple activity that can take hours and even days of their time

I have seen many 'mud kitchens' on line and often would drool over the set ups of some of these elaborate spaces. I would think to my self  'if only our children had a place set up with a little cupboard to store all they items and a special designated space like these fabulous mud kitchens" and then I look and see the beauty in the simple  use of stools and other everyday items the children put together.

In fact they do not seem to feel deprived at all, it is simply me thinking and comparing to others and how they provide for their own children.
Each of us is different and while the 'extras' are nice, they are not essential. Which should be obvious to me  really, because our children have not felt the need to ask for more than they have.....and I am truly thankful for that!

So for your viewing pleasure, and mine , because I love to see the results of this creativity here are lots of pictures, with out much wording of various creations and wonderful delicacies the children have produced.
Above I think this one was a milo

Chocolate cake with chocolate chips

A nourishing soup

One of the busy chefs

Arwen taking her turn at the kitchen

This is Myffwyn's master piece. I adore this cake and love the camellia buds, but sh!!, don't tell her Daddy

This one is the latest house they created in a patch of clearing in amongst some trees

The breakfast porridge

The kitchen space

The living area complete with nursery for the babies

Bedroom

The red wagon filled with water behind the 'kitchen' is the well

I think they actually brought some food from the house to eat while 'cooking in the mud kitchen'

Here we have another day with the stools being again used along with the planks we have for see swas and a bit of wood spanning two 'ponies' which are builders saw horses, which are very handy for play equipment.
Seriously when we were building a contract builder made 'ponies for the children complete with a hole for a hobby horse head, which he supplied as well. They had a fabric saddle and reins and a tail.
Our children were delighted and we still use them for many things, mostly play wise over 8 years later.

a wide variety of dishes

I remember this one as soup

Definitely meatballs

and hmm chocolate something.

Again the 'mobile mud kitchen' set up but the picture is when they had finished playing but this time near the swing set.

Of course I have many more 'mud kitchen' photos but I think you have had enough for now....

Another interesting note is that Moran now wants to actually write her 'mud kitchen' recipes down into a book, complete with pictures so she can have a recipe book to work from.
Now I think that is a fantastic idea, don't you?

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Play Spaces in our Home -Part 2: Moran's House

When an activity takes our children outside and they spend literally hours, in fact most of the day playing this game I can't help but be so happy for them in this pursuit.
It is a joy to see the imagination as they build new and interesting places using materials that come to hand and  bringing new 'friends' into the game with them.

Rogan was given the grand tour  of this lovely new home.He is actually making the movie after Moran tried to give a tour and have herself in the movie as well. She did fairly well but then Rogan offered to take it for her.

A garden made to enjoy for a time. It think this was re-done a few times.
The beauty of these type of games is the joy in making and remaking that is an essential part of the game. in fact sometimes more so than the actual playing in afterwards.

A dear friend for the day.....a special fuzzy friend Moran is looking after for her special big brother while he is away from home. It does not matter he has been in storage for years, the fact Kynan is away means this little guy needs looking after by Moran, she has a very caring and gentle heart!

You definitely need a pathway to the front of your home.

Please leave your items in this convenient basket

WELCOME!!!!!

Are these play spaces permanent?
Of course not but while they last they provide a very real and important part of our children's education. Out side, making and imagining, using their gifts to create a beautiful memory for the future!
What more can a child ask for....

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Play Spaces in our Home.... Part 1

Over the weekend one of the things we accomplished was to re organise the play room for our children. We had done this previously and named it the 'Butterfly Room' in fact we have organised this room a few times trying to get on top of the fact that even though I continually take things from this room we still seem to have a lot of mess to clean up.

 The main reason for the mess has always been the dress ups and play cloths. The children  really are not good at packing these up as we don't have a cupboard for them to go into.

So after some thought, well I did have the idea a long time ago, so really the implementation of the thought of putting up a rack with some hangers for the dress ups to hang from and then the play cloths can go into a big basket.

 We did need to empty this bookcase and shift it over to the other side of the room so the rack could fit just snugly on a small side wall near the window.  Along this wall are the play kitchen and the doll houses we have, not including The Tree House Play House that needs assembling each time.

 Further along we have the prams and dolls and the bouncy balls for our sensory children. Our piano sits in the alcove and Arwen loves to play on it when ever she can.

There really isn't ever enough prams and doll things for little girls is there?

On the opposite side we have the box with a castle to put together, ALL the duplo from the children over the years and our open shelf which has many education items on it. Lego, wooden blocks and toys, train tracks both plastic and wooden. Little  people and their stable,  wooden cut out and painted animals in a bag and a  backdrop we made years ago for Rogan. We also have the puppet show, potato heads, pine cones, big pegs for the play stands, walking stilts, play ribbons on sticks wooden boat race game, doctor kit and a few other items here as well.

Once completed the children quickly went to work playing in the room again. It really is quite spacious and I am thinking about moving the play stands back inside again off the verandah which is another area that is a serious play space for our children.

More on our other play spaces to come soon in this series!

Blessings to you and your homes,