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Homemade Play Time

mixing up baking item

Incorporating the natural world around us in educational activities is an important way to enhance learning and early literacy.

Mud recipe

Mixing powders and water will build an experience that you can share together. First, we gather what we need. Then we get to be scientists and do an experiment. Last, we clean up, so we can do it again a different day.

How to enjoy a MUD activity with the family:
Before you begin, plan to include the kids in the entire process. This means finding the materials, organizing items on a mat or table, hands on mixing action – and clean up too!

  1. Plan an open time interval for MUD play. Do not hurry through the steps
  2. Read the MUD recipe card on this screen.
  3. Let the little scientist touch the powder materials as it pours into the bowl.
  4. Add water by slowly pouring from a measuring cup. Let the kids get their hands wet.
  5. Press down and feel the powder and water mixture blend between their fingers.
  6. Mix and Squish the ingredients together. Sing “Mix and Squish”
  7. Observe and encourage the little scientist to form shapes or spread MUD onto a flat pan.

Explore more stories about MUD with Tumble Book Library!

  • “Little Wiggle and Waggle” Too Much Mud
  • “Little Oink” by Rosenthal
  • “Bloom” by Denise Cronin

Fun Fact
Setting time aside for Homemade MUD Play may lead to higher advanced science principals one day. Did you know Nikola Tesla used water and gravity to generate electricity? It was called Hydroelectric power! In 1896, the first Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant opened, which Tesla designed to harness the energy of the Falls and convert it to electricity .
Source: Library of Congress

Little scientists will explode with creativity and wonder
as they invent their own play
Let kids discover for themselves how to
mix, squash, shape, spread MUD
with their own hands today!

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