Who’s Afraid of a Little Mud? Celebrating International Mud Day

June 29th is International Mud Day, a highly anticipated day throughout the EcoHouse for both teachers and children alike.

By Steven Guzman, Development & Communications Associate

It’s a cool June summer morning at the EcoHouse and a gaggle of children are lined up, restless and waiting, for the gate leading into their play area to open.

Rambunctious and dressed in swim shorts and swimsuits; they can be seen carrying multi-colored towels covered in Disney characters, sea creatures, and an assortment of designs while they silently stand and stare at each other in wait.

In short time, their wait is over, and the gate is opened. They break into a smile, look around at each other with lit up eyes, and begin following their teachers in a single file line into “The Park.”

International Mud Day is finally here, and the entire EcoHouse has been eagerly waiting for what is about to transpire.

Why Would You Play in the Mud?

Play during Mud Day can take many forms, from jumping into pools of mud, to excavating treasures hidden within it, there's always something for everyone!

More often than not, children are not allowed to play in the mud and most of us can likely remember a time when playing in it was discouraged. Perhaps we remember our caregivers’ voices reminding us to return home with clean clothes and to “stay clean!” Whatever the reason might have been, many of us were often taught that mud is messy, dirty, and something to generally be avoided. Yet, each year, our own experiences with International Mud Day challenge them.  

Offering a short and compelling counterpoint to many of these reservations, Bishnu Bhatta, creator of International Mud Day, considers mud to be less of a worry and more like an analogy to our own early childhood development. “Children are like clay. It is only in the makers hands to give it a proper shape.”

Like mud (clay), we all begin life inherently impressionable, adaptable, and full of potential. However, once hardened, mud can retain its form permanently. Like how early developmental experiences can make a lasting impact on our lives, the hardening of mud can be compared to the lasting impressions that shape us in childhood.

It is because of these lasting impressions that we choose, in part, to embrace International Mud Day. When we choose to embrace messy and chaotic play, we not only help provide the children we serve with opportunities to fully experience what it is to be a child, eagerly jumping and splashing into pools of mud with ear-to-ear smiles across their faces, but we also choose to embrace life’s inherent unpredictability, rather than shying away from it. In doing so we’re able to create joyful memories for the children we serve while providing opportunities for lessons that may foster emotional resilience and therapeutic benefits.

Dipping Our Toes and Learning to Love the Mud

Sliding into pools of refreshing mud during a summer day was a big hit with our little ones!

At its core, Mud Day at Children Today serves the dual purpose of facilitating therapeutic play while spreading joy. Playing in the mud helps build resilience in the children we serve as much as it provides a joyful, fun, afternoon of loud messy play.

Our teachers consistently comment on how much joy they see our children have while creatively engaging with and exploring the different ways they can have fun with mud. They likewise comment on the sensory experiences and small challenges they see our children overcome during Mud Day which naturally lead them towards embracing uncertainty.

As our children walk in a single file line and enter “the Park,” that joy and uncertainty can absolutely be felt.   

Some scoot up towards the front and begin to marvel at the pools of muddy water we have laid out, their eyes glistening almost as much as the pools do in the summer sunlight. Others stand back, aware of the pools of mud, but are hesitant to engage until they see their friends doing so. Another group of our children might need a helping hand from their teachers to ‘let go’ and enjoy the mud, but regardless of what their initial hesitations are, or what degree of engagement they may want to undertake, each of the children we serve takes steps towards the mud, and ultimately, towards building resilience, creating joyful memories, and having fun.

Getting Our Hands Dirty (and Loving It!)

After first impressions are made, our children quickly leap into action. Soon after having arrived at “the Park,” teachers allow our children to ‘discover’ what the mud has to offer. Wariness turns into action and hesitation quickly turns into laughter and joy. Some of our children rush towards our mud slide, our teachers having converted their usual slide into one that leads directly into a pool of mud, and they begin lining up to splash into it. Others instead rush towards our mud trays looking to experience the sensation of mud between their fingers and toes.

While our teachers stand on the sidelines letting our children experience firsthand the mud, our children begin to creatively explore their new world. Splashing, laughter, joy, and excitement fill the air at the EcoHouse. Everyone has been waiting for this moment, even our teachers. The excitement is contagious and soon, some of our staff have even rolled up their sleeves to get their hands, and feet, immersed in the mud!

When the Mud Settles

After a day full of fun our children rinse and dry off before heading back to their classrooms.

As the day comes to a close, our children begin to slowly tire themselves out. After a full day of play, some of our children begin to slowly back away from the mud.

Some choose to sit on the sidelines, enjoying to watch their friends who still haven’t had their fill continue to play. Some seek to rinse themselves off and head back inside. Others who have not fully engaged up to this point, have slowly begun to tiptoe deeper and deeper into our pools once the mud has settled. As more and more of our children slowly reach for their teachers’ hands, begin asking for their towels, and seek to rinse themselves off, mud day has finally come to a close.

Soon, with towels wrapped warmly around them, the last of our children are walking in a single file line with their teachers at hand, they leave behind a trail of wet footprints, a muddy playground, and carry with them the joyful memories of childhood.

Join the Messy Fun

Interested in helping us continue to create joyful and transformative moments such as these?  Support Children Today and make a difference in the lives of children who need it the most.

Visit our Long Beach Gives Campaign at https://www.longbeachgives.org/organization/Children-Today or learn more at www.childrentoday.org/your-support.