Backyard Play
- Nina Ross
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
“You need messiness and magic, serendipity and insanity. Creativity comes from time off, and time out.”
– Timothy Egan
The Magic of Mud Kitchens
Mud kitchens are a staple in our backyard. We built two small ones ourselves, but you can easily find pre-made versions online. That said, you don’t need to build—or buy—anything fancy to create one.
All it really takes is a few basics:
A bowl, bin, or pail for mixing
A flat surface like a table, board, or even a sturdy log
A handful of old kitchen utensils
Access to water and mud
That’s it! Kids will naturally bring the rest to life. They love collecting pinecones, rocks, flowers, and leaves to mix into potions and decorate their creations.
And when the messy magic winds down? Just hand them a bowl of clean water and let them wash everything up—it turns cleanup into part of the fun.
Here’s a free Magical Mix-Ins list for mud kitchen potions and recipes! Laminate it and keep it by your mud kitchen to spark the kids’ imaginations and get their creativity cooking.
Fun with Chalk
Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe:
2 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS water
3-4 drops food coloring
Obstacle Course
Create your own backyard obstacle course using whatever you have on hand. On the driveway, write fun action prompts like “Hop, Jump, Spin, Pop, Skip!” with chalk. Or take to the yard with cones, pool noodles, hula hoops, or just your imagination. The sillier, the better!
Chalk Bullseye:
Grab some sidewalk chalk and draw a giant bullseye with point values in each ring. Hand the kids a wet sponge and take turns tossing it toward the target—who can get closest to the center? It's simple, active fun that’s easy to set up and wash away.
Fun with Nature
Tic Tac Toe:
Paint 10 small rocks in two different themes—classic X’s and O’s or something your kids love (flowers vs. bugs, clouds vs. rainbows, suns vs. moons—anything goes!). Paint a tic-tac-toe board on a tree stump, log, or use chalk on the driveway for an easy setup that invites repeat play.
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