On a chilly November morning the toddler educators set out some toys in the mud kitchen and sandbox in a way that invites the children to come and explore. Quinn starts by using measuring cups to fill the mortar so she can grind the sand with the pestle. “Smash, smash, smash,” she says as she grips the pestle tightly with her hand. Theo starts scooping some sand into a pan with his spatula. After mixing the sand Theo used tongs to pick up some mulch and add it in. Aliana finds a tablespoon and scoops sand into a pan. As the children work on their cooking, they start talking to each other. “Soup, mmmm,” says Theo. Aliana looks over and says “mmm,” too. “I make soup at home,” Quinn adds. When Malcolm comes to play he tries to push into the spot where Quinn is playing. “No Malcolm, my spot.” Quinn says not moving. Malcolm steps to the side of Quinn and finds a big spoon in the sink which he starts using to push the sand around the table top. Aliana and Theo continue to cook, using measuring cups and spoons to add sand to their pots.
As the children continue to play, Florence and Finley are helping Vanessa cut some herbs from the garden. They take the herbs to the mud kitchen where they place them into a bowl for their peers to use. Vanessa adds a few leaves to the mortar Hunter is using. Hunter looks inside his mortar and starts mashing the herbs. As he does this, we start to see that the herbs have changed and we can start to smell their fragrance as it gets stronger. We have begun engaged the children’s sense of smell during this activity and it’s creating a sense of curiosity among the other children. As we gather to observe, Hunter offers Malcolm a turn and Malcolm mashes the herbs too. Lily comes to smell them and takes some out. Quinn expresses her observation that the leaves are “broken”.
As the children continue “cooking” together we can see a lot of development and learning taking place. Quinn, Hunter and Malcolm have to use their hand muscles to hold the pestle tightly so they don’t drop it (Important for holding writing utensils). Theo is twisting his wrist while he holds the spatula and dumps the sand. He then uses his fingers to squeeze the tongs together enabling him to pick up some mulch for his soup. Malcolm, who is younger than his peers, is learning how to play in a group setting, which activates his vestibular system to make that connection.
When we added the herbs to be mashed up we were able to see and small the changes that took place. As the children add sand from one container to another they are tracking the movement of the sand with their eyes (tracking and following movements are importantly for reading). As they move the scoops from the left to right side of their bodies, they are crossing the bodies midline of the brain (getting the left and right brain to communicate).
As we can see, this interaction gave the children many opportunities for social play. The children had to take turns, share toys and share the space around the mud kitchen- through this, they have started their transition from parallel play to co-operative play.
Finally, by offering real tools and materials to the toddlers they will be able to make connections from their play to the world around them. They will learn to use them properly and in a more responsible way. They had measuring cups and spoons, wooden mortar and pestles, kitchen pots, pans, bowls and utensils-all the things they find in their kitchen at home.
