MUD KITCHEN, GRANDMA SCHOOL STYLE

Spring break at Grandma’s doesn’t come with long lines, overpriced churros, or matching T-shirts.

It comes with dirt, yard scraps, and washable paint.

Last week I had three grandkids at my house all day—ages 8, 3, and 21 months. Two boys and a girl. Different personalities, different attention spans… and somehow they all ended up doing the exact same thing for hours:

Playing in a mud kitchen.

What Is a Mud Kitchen

A mud kitchen is a low table or play surface, old pots, pans, bowls, utensils, used appliances. Dirt + water, foamy bubbles and most importantly, permission to make a complete mess

That’s it.

No batteries. No instructions. No “you’re doing it wrong.”

And somehow it holds their attention longer than anything else I own.

How I Set Mine Up

The first rule of Grandma School style is that it doesn’t have to be aesthetic. It does t need to be specifically made for mud kitchens. It just needs to be safe and sturdy.

I started at the thrift store. I had my eye out for kid size tables, desks and benches. I scored right away with this Stanley work bench made for kids.

This was perfect because it had multiple layers and places to hang things. I also found a few benches and stools.

Then I added some used kitchen appliances. I looked for no sharp edges, unbreakable glass, and other kid proof things. I found this toaster oven and a three pot warmer. I cut the cords off. The kids all loved the toaster oven. It even had a timer and bell. And the three crock pot warmer was great for dried flowers, pine ones and other yard scraps. The pine ones were the favorite.

I had some pots and bins to put water in and I added a big pot of potting soil.

I didn’t buy a fancy setup. This was very much grandma-style resourcefulness: thrifted, already owned, or scavenged. Nothing new.

The big hit of the day was the “ok” the kids got to paint any and all surfaces. Washable paint works so well. It really does wash away. They had so much fun painting everything.

They:

Made “soups” and “cakes” Mixed mud + paint + bubbles into… something Painted the cardboard (and themselves, let’s be honest) Took orders from each other like a little restaurant

The 8-year-old didn’t think it was “babyish.”

The toddler wasn’t left out.

The 3-year-old ran the whole operation.

Everyone was fully in it.

It was a very fun day. Perfect way to kick off spring. The weather was warm and sunny. I am excited to use it during the spring and summer. I will add things I continue to thrift as well as sensory bin fillers.