Have you ever heard of a mud kitchen?
If you haven’t, you are not alone …
A mud kitchen, also known as a mud pie kitchen, is one of the best resources for little ones. Mud kitchens provide younger children with endless hours of learning and fun. And they are good for children’s health. Playing with mud enhances children’s immune systems as does playing outside. Creativity and imaginations flourish as children “cook up” leaves, soil, grass and pebbles. Mud kitchens also support social and emotional development because they encourage role play, sharing and turn taking.
KidCareCanada is all about social and emotional development! So you can imagine our delight when we were contacted by the Fairmont Empress and Bosa Developments and informed that KidCareCanada had been chosen as the “charity recipient” of 15 beautiful, handcrafted mud kitchens.
Building the kitchens was a Bosa Development team-building activity and the teams are shown in this video.
Thanks to our early childhood partners, CCRR (Child Care Resources and Referrals) and Beacon Services, every mud kitchen will have a home in a Greater Victoria area daycare. One mud kitchen has already gone to an Iranian family newly arrived in Canada. Another has found a home in the remarkable Tsartlip First Nations garden.
We thank the Bosa Development participants and our own volunteers for getting their hands dirty and building and delivering these beautiful mud kitchens that will “make a difference” to the Victoria community and the lives of hundreds of children.
