Build a mud kitchen for free! How to make a mud kitchen for your kids.

Are your kids keen for you to build a mud kitchen? We’ve got you covered!

So, what’s a mud kitchen? Well a mud kitchen is just that, a wonderful place where kids (and adults) can experience the joy of playing (and learning) with mud. Also known as a mud pie kitchen or outdoor kitchen, building a mud kitchen does not have to cost a cent! Without further ado, here is the Mud Mates official guide: how to build a mud kitchen.

How to Build a Mud Kitchen

Here are my super easy to follow instructions on how to build a mud kitchen at home for free. After all, fun and learning doesn’t have to cost money. In a mud kitchen, it is all about exploring your creativity, using your imagination, learning new skills and experiencing different materials. Yes, it is messy, but with your child wearing their Mud Mates, there’s no washing to worry about!

If you take a look on Pinterest, you’ll see many crafty and well-built outdoor kitchens to get ideas and inspiration from. Here are some of our favourites we discovered along the way.

Now there are three kinds of mud kitchens I’m going to explain how to make. Both use a mixture of treasures found around your home, as well as ‘donations’ from others.

BRICK MUD KITCHEN

Let’s talk about the brick mud kitchen first. A brick mud kitchen is made with two piles of bricks acting as legs, with a plank across the top for the bench. Super easy to make, simply place bricks in two piles, each pile being at least two bricks wide. When the bricks are at the right height, pop the plank on the top and you’re done!

This kitchen is sturdier if you build it next to a building or fence, but not too high so your kids want to climb on it. Builders or bricklayers often have bricks they have removed or which are surplus to requirements. Many NZ gardens also have them lurking around outside in our gardens. As for the plank of wood, if you don’t have one or can’t find one, several layers of thick cardboard from boxes will work fine too, but you’ll probably need to replace it often.

PALLET MUD KITCHEN

To make a pallet mud kitchen, simply head down to the local builder’s yard or DIY shop and ask. Often, they are given away free for firewood. In making this kitchen, you can let your imagination run free! You can make a simple pallet kitchen by taking half of the planks off, standing the pallet on its end and re-nailing some of the planks to the middle to make a narrow bench. If you want a wider bench, you can add wider planks to it, but it is best to fix this to a fence to stop it toppling over.

We loosely followed this method, but used our existing children’s workbench hubby made a couple of years ago. We simply secured the pallet to the back of the workbench, added some nails to hang utensils from and placed this over our existing mud pit.

CARDBOARD BOX MUD KITCHEN

Finally, here is the easiest mud kitchen you can make. Find a spot in your garden which you are happy to make a mess in. Grab some cardboard boxes and cut doors in them to be both an oven and a microwave. If you have an old tyre lying around, simply put a tarp inside and push it in at the bottom and sides. This then makes a sink you can put water and mud into. While it is not as sturdy as other mud pie kitchens, it can easily be remodelled whenever you and your kids feel the need to.

Now it’s time to grab your old pots, pans, baking trays, cups, spoons and other kitchen items. Once again, people are often happy to donate things they no longer want, so feel free to ask!

Master 6 and Miss 4 had a blast playing Masterchef and have been cooking up a storm every day.

I’ve been the judge of many mud pies! (Check out our blog ‘Are Mud Pies Waterproof‘ to find out how to make the best mud pies)! Thankfully Mud Mates NZ-made Coveralls were worn so I didn’t have any washing to deal with afterwards!

SHOP CHILDRENS COVERALLS