Saturday 29th June 2019 is International Mud Day – the perfect excuse for you and your children to get outside and get dirty!
It is vital that children, like all of us, have regular contact with nature, with proven benefits including enhanced brain development, improved concentration and mental health and a better developed immune system.
Mud & Bloom, one of the UK’s leading educational subscription boxes, is all about getting children and families out of the house and into nature and is encouraging parents and children everywhere to get out there and play with mud this weekend.
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MUD, GLORIOUS MUD!
There’s lots you can do with mud: from making a mud kitchen with old pots and pans, through to mud pies, mud castles, mud cakes decorated with items found in nature and mud potions. You can even make a mud face with things you find on the ground. Remember: it’s not about doing something perfect, it’s about your children losing themselves for a while in the sensation and joy of playing with nature and letting their imaginations run wild!
It doesn’t need to be rainy where you are either: just get some good old soil or compost, make sure there is nothing nasty in it, mix in some water and you’re good to go and get muddy!
Anja ffrench, Mud & Bloom founder says: “All three of my children (aged one, five and six) love playing in mud and nature. I find it has a calming effect on them when they get absorbed in imaginative nature play – the fewer toys involved the better!
“All three of them like the squelchy feeling of playing with wet mud, but I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea! Playing in nature doesn’t always have to involve getting dirty you can also play and make things with dry items like pebbles, grass, leaves and sticks.”
COMPETITON TIME!
Mud & Bloom will be running a competition over the next week. Post a picture of your muddy project on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #mudandbloom by July 7th and you will be in with a chance of winning one of five Mud & Bloom July gardening and nature craft boxes – jammed full with growing and craft activities for getting your children into nature. The winners will be chosen at random, as the activity is about the process, not the finished product.
MUD & BLOOM
Mud & Bloom is the brainchild of Anja ffrench, a mother of three whose passion for the great outdoors encouraged her to share her love of gardening, nature and crafting with other families. It was launched in December 2017, to inspire families to get their children outdoors and into nature. It’s a monthly subscription box delivering everything you need for four seasonal nature crafts and gardening activities. Each box also contains nature news, quizzes and spotting games which help children aged 3-8 learn about plants, insects, birds, soil, rainfall and the seasons.
