Category: museums

Marvelous Mud

A favorite childhood summer activity, my sisters and I used to spend hot days filling a little green plastic pool from the backyard hose to keep cool. But so much of the fun was what was happening outside the pool; we loved to splash the water straight to the ground, making muddy puddles. I remember how sun-warmed and sensational the mud felt on my bare feet, creating suction as I pulled them up and down. A Children’s Museum colleague shared an accidental mud discovery she made with a group of preschool children. Playing with a homemade slip-and-slide on a hill, children were just as drawn to the mud they made in the process, noticing the fascinating downhill rivulets being formed as the water and soil met, the kids changing the directions of the paths.

Inspiring Outdoor Play Spaces

By Mary Scott Hackman, Early Childhood Programs Coordinator, Providence Children’s Museum

“In childhood play, it is a safe assumption that kids need more than a two-dimensional screen to gain competency. Children need free, hands-on play that is kid-organized, to maximize their potential. Nothing lights up a child’s brain like play.” – Stuart Brown, M.D., founder of the National Institute for Play

Years ago, I attended a workshop given by an architect of children’s spaces. One remark that struck me that day and lingers still was, “Next to food, the element that is essential to the health and well-being of our children is light.” I remember thinking, “Well, we should close down all childcare centers housed in basements!” And now I think it’s just another reason to advocate for getting our children out of doors and into the natural light of day.