Wednesday 26 September 2012

Documenting Delight: day two hundred and seventy {careful selection}



Now that warmer days are ahead, I am aiming to decrease the inside crafty play and get my two to embrace our big backyard. Look out kiddies you are going to be hearing the phrase “Alright, everybody outside!”  a lot more over the next few months. While we have been tidying up our garden I have been thinking about outdoor play opportunities for Finn and Harper. We have lots of grass, a sandpit, a new see-saw, a veggie patch, no trampoline (*gasp*), water tray table and a ball pit. It’s a great starting point but I am looking for ways to encourage their love of imaginative play, to support it in an outdoor setting.

Harper has recently made a new friend, and during a playdate with her mate Evie  I was inspired by the creative outdoor playspace that Evie’s mum, Jess, has created for her two young children. One feature was a mud pie kitchen located in a gorgeous hidden corner of their backyard. I had seen a few pictures here and there on Pinterest but it wasn’t until I saw the kitchen in action that I knew it could work in our backyard.

Jess pointed me in the direction of the local second-hand goods store Tiny’s Green Shed as a way to gather a few cheap items to get the kitchen up and running. For $20 we got an old wood tv cabinet (which I plan to turn into a kitchen stove), a big bag full of metal pots, pans, cake tins, spoons and jugs….oh and somehow a wine rack was snuck in by Lachie. Pretty good value I thought.

Harper took the kitchen equipment selection seriously. I would hold up my suggestions and she would say “Nah, not good enough”, place her head down and continue hunting.
I think we may have a op-shop expert on our hands.

2 comments:

  1. oh wow what a cool idea!!!!! i love it! great idea to come up w some different ideas for outdoor play and i love the home made aspect of this. what fun... might have to try this too at some point. funny i was thinking recently that the kids dont really get much chance to really get messy/dirty so this would be a fun way to try!

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  2. Great post, I would love to play in a mud pie kitchen! Can't wait to see the photos of that! Love this photo and story, I love a good bargain hunter!

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