Last weekend, my colleague Terri and I presented mud workshops as part of our Associate Trainer roles with Outdoors Thinking. Terri gently guided us through what I can only describe as mud meditation. We dropped tiny droplets of water into some soil, watching intently as the soil absorbed the moisture, getting wetter and fuller with each drop. To begin with the water droplets quickly disappeared. Then, little by little, as the soil absorbed more and more water, it expanded and changed state. Slow pedagogy at it’s best. It was mesmerising. We entered a flow state of being, quietly and intently absorbed in the task. There is something magical about witnessing a group of adults connect with the element of mud in this deep way, with a level of engagement we often see in young children, and yet rarely as adults do we give ourselves the time and space for such things. It was interesting to watch groups of adults become so deeply engaged, to put themselves in a place of awe, wonder and mindfulness. We hope they have been able to take those memories back to their workplaces and be confident in advocating for slow, sensory play.
I used some of the time to start work on a new Dorodango, or mud ball. I’ve attempted this many times and this attempt is without a doubt, my best yet. The rhythmic rolling of mud in your hands is a wonderful sensory, mindful experience. If you get the consistency right and keep slowly working with it, you can create a shine on the surface. It requires patience, trust, trial and error. Great for little and big hands.
I was fortunate to be working onsite at Mucky Boots Nature Kindergarten this past week too. It was a gloriously wet, yet mild day – perfect for mud and water play! A few years ago, a group of children began digging in a patch of soil. It has been extended and explored with each new group of children who play in our forest and is a favourite play space for many. This past week the children demonstrated just how wonderful that muddy hole is. It’s not very big, perhaps 50-60cm deep, narrow at the bottom and around 2 metres wide at the top. At one point, there were 6 children playing in the hole; jumping, crawling and clambering their way in and out. It was a fabulous example of how unadulterated play really is holistic, cross curricular learning at it’s best. Physical challenges, navigating bodies and limbs around one another, risk assessing to ensure no one would get hurt as they were jumping in, verbal and non verbal communication, problem solving, estimation, trial and error, encouraging and supporting their peers, trying new and sometimes challenging things, trusting in their bodies; endless possibilities for learning, development and fun.
Early years settings and childminders see this type of play frequently, they see how engaged children are when given freedom, space, time and trust to be able to follow their instincts. Early childhood is defined as age 0-8. And yet we put a lid on play during this very important developmental stage, expecting children to suddenly stop developing in this holistic way and begin to learn through distinct curricular areas. Playtimes at school are simply not long enough for the kind of deep, experiential outdoor experiences our children need for development. . Until we are successful in securing a real kindergarten stage for our children, I suggest it’s time to replace restrictive school uniforms with good waterproof layers and boots for outdoor play. Let’s support teachers and schools to give freedom, time and space for children to explore, to challenge themselves and to learn in a holistic way. Let’s value development over teaching and testing for our young children.