Edible mud and construction play - 26th August 2021

Spontaneous: Last week I found some construction toys. So this morning I decided to make some edible mud to go with the toys and all that was required was some flour, cocoa powder and some oil. Ruby, Hunter, Michael and Pico were so excited to help me make the mud. Baby Hunter also came over to join us. We started adding all the ingredients together when Ruby said "Are we making playdough?" I replied no we are making dirt to put in with the construction toys. The children all took turns to mix and as we added the oil Ruby said, "it's like a waterfall" we kept adding and mixing until it was the right consistency. The children were mixing when Hunter H said it smells like chocolate. We decided to wait until we went outside to play with it but as soon as we went outside it was the first thing they asked for. We then added the construction pieces and trucks ready to go. Michael said "look at all the diggers" and Hunter said "lots of diggers" Ruby and Pico were straight in feeling the dirt then pouring the mud mixture into the trucks. Ruby said "look" I'm making sandcastles. Pico made little balls in her hand. Michael then said my trucks can drive on the grass. Hunter took his truck over to the slide Michael followed him then they both raced their trucks down the slide to see who was 'fastest.' Jenayah, Neveah, Pilar and Hunter were not as interested in the trucks but just like the feel of the dirt in their fingers here they were using their fine motor skills to play and cover themselves and of course sneak in a little taste every now and then.

Link to Pedagogical Documentation

EYLF Outcomes

Outcomes: 4: Children are confident and involved learners Elements: 4.1 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity. The children used their creativity and imagination as they enjoyed this activity.

Theorists

This learning experience is linked to Piaget theory as he believes that children need to be able to see, touch, taste, smell, move and hear the things they are learning about. This is called 'Concrete learning.

Interpretation

Critical reflection: As an educator I really enjoyed this activity with the children they all seemed to love it as they came back and forth with it all morning. I followed their lead with this activity as they didn't need much adult conversation as they chatted amongst themselves and used their sensory skills to explore it. The downfall was it made a lot of mess but was easy to make. Follow up - More sensory/messy play