For the last few years my kids have dumped mud all over our back patio – and although I’m a big fan of kids loving the feeling of mud between their toes, I’m not a big fan of mud smeared all over our patio. So for years I’ve been dreaming of building them an outdoor kitchen area designated for mud. My husband and I decided to create the space underneath their playset – it’s an empty square area sitting on grass – a perfect spot for a countertop addition with a water source and pots and pans for all the mud pies they want to make!
It didn’t take much prep and didn’t cost a lot either. My husband grabbed some scrap wood from our garage and I went out to a thrift store for all the pots, pans, spatulas, sifters, strainers, platters and the like. In total, I bet it cost us less than $50. And the investment of it has created so much creativity and laughter for our kids and their friends!
We don’t have exact measurements or a step-by-step of how we did it, or even a list of all the supplies we needed to build or bought from the retail store, our creativity doesn’t usually work like that. My husband cut and sanded the wood and I picked out all the same kitchen must-haves I use in my own kitchen. Our culture pushes us to believe kids need loud toys with batteries and buttons, but our family works against the grain and usually leans more towards quieter, simpler, second-hand and hands-on.