Comments for Jan White Natural Play

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Jan White

Jan White — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:12:01 +0000

Hi Kate – fabulous! As I’ve said before, it’s so gratifying to find this booklet is having such an inspiring effect: that one little booklet can do so much for our children! I think this fits very well with Steiner education, but it’s also taking hold in mainstream schools and could be the much-needed antidote to the awful things afoot with the current government’s lack of interest in play in education… You can get more booklets to give out by contacting Muddy Faces (sorry – only in the UK, but coming soon in Portugal at least) at info@muddyfaces.co.uk – seems like yours might be little worn by now. Could you put yourself on Muddy Faces’ online Mud Day map as well – go to their website http://www.muddyfaces.co.uk Please let me know how your Mud Day (29th June) goes – I’d love to hear, Jan

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Kate

Kate — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:40:51 +0000

Hi – A colleague brought me a present from the Waldorf Steiner Conference – Your Mud Kitchen Booklet – It is very popular and has been viewed by staff at my son’s pre-school that have developed a mud kitchen and are now building another one in their nursery school, three childminders have borrowed the book for inspiration, a parent that comes along to our Steiner Parent and Child group has set up one in her garden I’ve only had it a couple of weeks! We are planning Mud Day here in Accrington – Lancashire.

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Jan White

Jan White — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:23:53 +0000

Hi – thanks for the link to mums-dads.co.uk. If you follow my link through to the full “making a Mud Kitchen” booklet online you’ll see that we included the references to such biological benefits – research suggests that bacteria in soil help to develop a healthy immune system and also that they cause the production of serotonin (a very important neurotransmitter) that makes us feel happy! It’s not at all surprising really since we evolved in contact with the earth over many millions of years, so we are fine tuned to gain from it. Mud kitchen play is also fantastic for all aspects of thinking and learning – many early years teachers are including areas for this in their outdoor spaces and letting us know just how well they are working educationally. If mud is too messy, try sand to start with – hope you’ll try this at home…

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by zanuda

zanuda — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:23:33 +0000

Fantastic pictures of muddy play, especially the top one! My kids would never play that way. My son even would not feed himself when he was ~1 because he didn’t want to get dirty . I’ve read here: http://www.mums-dads.co.uk/education/mud-is-good-mud-kitchen-even-better/ , that it’s proven that playing in the mud is beneficial for kids, but there were no reference to that research…

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Jan White

Jan White — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:32:27 +0000

Hi Kate, thanks so much for letting me know about this – it feels fabulous to know I’m helping this to happen, and I would really love to know what you find out for your research project. The Mud Kitchen needs a PhD to dig deep into what it does – but it certainly seems to be opening up a doorway to natural play in early years settings and homes. For this year’s International Mud Day, Muddy Faces are setting up an online map (will go live late April I expect) so that people can add a balloon for their own mud kitchen, and comment on whether our booklet contributed to their inspiration and creation. I hope you’ll be one of the first to add yours – http://www.muddyfaces.co.uk (under mud kitchens). We’ll also be setting up an online pack to support people to celebrate Mud Day this year on 29th June. Please keep in touch! Jan

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Kate Mason

Kate Mason — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:08:33 +0000

Hi,
I’m a mum with an outdoor kitchen that I made for my daughters birthday (she’ll be 6 in five weeks).
The garden has evolved and the kitchen has evolved into a mud kitchen with my daughter and her little brother moving sand from the sandpit,, a whole by son (nearly four) has been digging over the last few months.
I am now starting a research project for my early years degree at my son’s pre-school, setting up a mud kitchen with guidance from your publications, inspiration from my children attending Waldorf Steiner Kindergartens and their teachers and my own kids outdoor play over the years.
I’ll be keeping up with the website, Facebook, twitters and hope to make this a great experience for all the children, practitioners and my own journey.
Thank you for your inspirational books and ideas

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Jan White

Jan White — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 14:46:31 +0000

Great! – I’d love some feedback about what the children do and say. Jan

Comment on Make a Mud Kitchen for Mud Day – new guidance published today! by Liz

Liz — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:40:10 +0000

Jan
Such a fantastic article, thank you. I am looking at setting one up at my setting soon!

Comment on Contact Jan White by Nigel Boldero

Nigel Boldero — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:08:45 +0000

Hi Jan
Thanks for the reply and for following my blog. I look forward to exchanging info and ideas with you and like-minded play enthusiasts! I’d like to join your network please so please keep me up to date and I’ll try to join in. Got your two next dates but can’t say yet if I can attend. i’ve doen two posts which i’m sending out next week on natural play- one cribbed from Martin Maudsley on tips for parents and another on natural play (I’ll put in a link to your ‘philosophy and approach’ page) and designed play spaces- would welcome your comments in due course. best wishes Nigel

Comment on Contact Jan White by Jan White

Jan White — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:02:10 +0000

Hi Nigel, I took a quick peek at your site and will return to look properly soon – I love the making the garden film. When you go back to my site, take a look especially at the Landscapes for Early Childhood network I run – let me know if you’d like to participate in our network events and I’ll add you to the mailing list. Next meeting is in Gloucester on 23rd April and after that 8th Oct on Oxford (which will focus on gardening, plants and community gardens). I look forward to communicating with you! Jan