Toddler Tuesday: Mud Pies

There's nothing fancy about this weeks fun!

Ayden and I were going to hang out at the building site yesterday and I decided to spice things up a bit for him.  If you've been on a construction zone then you know that there is no shortage of dirt.  We have huge dirt mounds from the basement excavation and then all of the grass around the site has been killed from all of the equipment and foot traffic.  We always have to change into clothes that can get stained and shoes that can be sprayed off easily because we usually get pretty messy. Ayden likes to dig in the dirt, throw clumps of it around, climb the dirt "mountains" and sit to throw more dirt clumps or blow bubbles.  He has so much fun out there!  

We keep some dirt playing and building toys over there but yesterday I packed a few kitchen items that never get used: A big metal pot, an ice cream scoop, some measuring cups/spoons, a cake pan, a whisk, a cup, a couple of bowls, and a potato masher.  I also tossed in Ayden's watering can, his second bucket (we keep one at the cottage and one at the building site), some towels and wash cloths for cleanup and packed it all in a big plastic bag. 

When we first got there and picked our spot, we went around collecting our "ingredients."  He helped me fill one of his buckets with dirt and the other with water. Then I told him we were going to pretend to cook.  I got him started and let him take it from there.  We put some dirt into the pot and he stirred it just like he does when he helps me cook at home.  

Then he added some water.

And stirred it some more.  

I encouraged him to touch it.  When he did we talked about how it felt.  Texture, temperature, consistency, etc.  At one point he had added so much water that it was really runny so I encouraged him to add more dirt to see what would happen.  Then we talked about how adding more dry dirt to soak up some of the water made it thick again.  Dirt pie definitely make for a great vocabulary building exercise!

When he seemed to be done exploring it, I asked him what we made and he said, "A birthday cake for Daddy!"  (only he says detday cake).  I guess he thought it looked like chocolate cake batter. That's when we pulled out the cake pan and had him scrape his batter in.  

Then I asked what else it needed.  He was going to pretend there were candles so I took a couple of little sticks and put them in.  He took over the decorating from there.  He used the cup to collect some rocks and added some weeds. 

He was really proud of the finished product and couldn't wait to show David.

We were walking over to the house to show him when Ayden said, "Oh, we almost forgot spoons!" ("We almost forgot  ____" is a new frequent saying of his.) So he went back and grabbed the measuring spoons. 

He sang happy birthday to David and everything.  

(For some reason the video cut of the cutest part at the end when he pretended to blow out all of the candles.)  Ayden was sure to warn David, as he scooped up a spoonful of mud, that "We just pretend to eat it.  We don't really eat dirt."  David was so glad to have that warning!  Haha.  As Ayden gets older and his imagination grows it is getting to be so much fun to set up pretend play activities.  He was really engaged and was actually really sad when it was time to clean up and go home.  This activity was FREE and held his attention so much longer than any toy we've ever purchased for him.  It just goes to show that all a kid needs is a little dirt and imagination and they really have everything they need!

When was the last time you made mud pies?  I remember my aunt making them with us when we were little and those memories are some of the best from my time with her.  Getting dirty is just so much fun for kids!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Happy July {Goal Time}"

And two years ago today: "Feeling Crafty"

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