What Are Your Favorite Outside Activities?

[coolconfidentme]

Excuse my ignorance - but how does one "make" a mud kitchen? Does mud have to be involved? My mind's eye is seeing kids covered in mud from head to toe at my back door begging to track it all over my lovely carpet!

All my parents love the mud kitchen & aren't bothered with picking up a dirty kid. The boys use dump trucks to deliver the mud to the kitchen. (two little tikes kitchens) They all make mud pies, cookies, cakes, you name it. The sell their goods at the mud store (playhouse) for leaves & sticks. This is one place their imagination is hard at play & I love it! Here's some ideas on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins...en&rs=ac&len=5

[nothingwithoutjoy]

Excuse my ignorance - but how does one "make" a mud kitchen? Does mud have to be involved? My mind's eye is seeing kids covered in mud from head to toe at my back door begging to track it all over my lovely carpet!

In our "mud" kitchen, sometimes there's mud, sometimes there's snow, sometimes there's dry dirt...it's mostly according to the weather. (Though in warm weather, I do often set a huge bin of water back there for them, and they make mud. And at some point, I'd like to add water they can have free access to--a rain barrel, perhaps). Mostly what it means for us is that that's the area where they are free to do what they want: they can't dig up my lawn or gardens, but they can dig to their hearts' content in the mud kitchen.

[nothingwithoutjoy]

I thought of another huge favorite here--hammocks. We have 2, and they're in constant use. Not for the nice relaxing rest adults would use them for, but as swings. We have ropes tied to nearby trees that they can pull on to make themselves go. They're nice for a shared moment between friends, as well as for the sensory experience.

[Unregistered]

I have 2 water tables and a sand table. I also buy cheap paintbrushes (not art brushes-Wal-mart cheap bigger household brushes) for painting with water. I just fill ice cream buckets with water and they "paint" everything!

I turn the sand table into a sand kitchen with water. I can't handle a mud kitchen. That's just me tho.

Otherwise, trikes, cozy coupes, balls, hoola hoops, chalk, play houses, etc.

[Josiegirl]

Last year the hits were a tire swing and an extra long dog leash tied to our house for jumping rope.
I want a mud kitchen so bad this summer, already have collected a bunch of pots and pans for it from yard sales and Salvation Army.
Stumps have been great, also large flat stones. They get rearranged into so many ideas. And our extra large sand box. We also draw all over the inside of our wooden fence with chalk, paintbrushes.
I'd love to set up a music wall and/or a car/ball run on the fence this year.

[coolconfidentme]

We also have tents to play in. Kids like to play camping here

[Unregistered]

These are great! Now that winter is coming, what are some of the activities/toys you will be using to keep kids active while they're primarily indoors?

A parent donated a bulk deal of these flow-type toys from Vertical Vortex (http://verticalvortextoys.com/) to our daycare center a few weeks ago and we've had fun using them as a fun twist on the old "Hot Potato" game, where they have to pass them back and forth to each other. It's fun!

What new ideas will you be implementing for your kids this winter season?