Here it is. The week you’ve all been anxiously anticipating.
The week where I tell you grown ups to stand facing your backyard and find somewhere you are willing to dedicate to mud.

paint themselves with mud.
I waited until week 9 to filter out all the less committed families. You’ve stuck with me this long so I know you are committed to your child’s freedom in playful exploration. You don’t need me to explain the benefits of mud play, you already know them. So….without further ado here we go.
First thing you are going to want to do (after you have picked an area) is to build a tippy tap. If you don’t know what a tippy tap is pause for a moment to feel grateful for never having experienced what life would be like without running water.
One…….two…..three…..we are so so fortunate to live in such an abundant place.

Ok. Now head on over to these instructions and start gathering some supplies. They are pretty simple ones that you can probably find relatively easily.
The reason you want to build the tippy tap is two fold:
- Mud play is more fun with water and they will stay engaged longer.
- Your child can wash their hands BEFORE coming into your house.
Why build the tippy tap instead of just providing a bucked with water in it?
Because a bucket can get dumped. It will be contaminated with dirt almost immediately and unless you want to give your child access to your yard hose (which I DON’T recommend) you are going to be filling bucket after bucket of water for them.
So! Save yourself the headache and make one of these. They are awesome and you’ll love them. Camping in the forest will be forever changed. If you’d like feel free to watch one of my favorite Forest School teachers, Lee Cook show us how it’s done in his backyard.
So far we have:
- Chosen an area to be dedicated to MUD.
- Built a Tippy Tap.
Last thing we need to do is add some supplies.

After over a decade of playing with kids in the dirt here are my absolute favorite mud/sand/dirt play tools. Right now all of these things can be found at Surplus Herby’s for around $50.
- Stainless Steel Buckets
- Stainless Steel Bowls
- Muffin Tins
- Cake Tins
- Ice Cream Scoops
- Bulk Bin Scoops
Now as the pictures show, you really don’t need to add anything.
Dirt + water = mud = messy fun
In your kits this week are some muddy recipes for your children to be inspired to play with. I even laminated them so they will hold up for a little while longer outdoors.