Getting Dirty

Mud

When you’re a kid, being allowed to get dirty is such an exhilarating experience. It feels like you shouldn’t be allowed to, but somehow you are! I remember when my mom let me soak the dirt in one of her giant flower pots, and then get in and stomp around. No one talked about “sensory play” back then. I just knew I loved the “suck, squish” as I stomped and that it felt like I got a free pass to break the rules. So each spring, before I plant the gardens, I let the kids soak the soil and stomp around, making their own mud pit. It didn’t work quite as well this year, as it was quite cold outside the day before planting, which decreased the fun of squishing mud with bare feet. However, making the mud pit itself was still enjoyed by… whichever kid got to hold the hose at any given moment. It did end up pressing down the soil a bit, so maybe best to do before you till the soil for planting.

Dirt

Every once in a while, we are lucky enough to find a big pile of dirt that hasn’t been used for anything yet. I can’t even tell you how much fun the kids have climbing up and sliding down. Everyone gets dirty, but unlike snow hills, no one complains of being cold or makes me carry their sled. We even use the dog’s leash as a climbing rope (not attached to the dog of course).

They even loved it as toddlers!

There’s something about getting down into the dirt and soil that seems to fulfill a need in all of us. Maybe it has to do with our human ancestry working the soil. There’s also plenty of science out there that working with soil is very good for our physical and mental health. If you are interested in learning more about this, I recommend this book:

So have fun getting dirty!

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