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To easily add this engaging feature to your outdoor play area, gather:
1. Pots, pans and utensils
Ask for donations or visit yard sales & thrift stores. Check each for safety.
2. Loose Parts
Add a few "loose parts" like corks, plastic lids collected from the recycling bin, wood "cookie" slices, and allow children to pull grass, weeds (avoid poison ivy or any dangerous plants) or pick up leaves, sticks and rocks, etc.
Optional but nice to have:
3. A horizontal surface
Children can and will play on the ground, and that is fine, but a repurposed bench, a solid door placed over 2 tires, or two stumps with boards or an old countertop will encourage creativity in new ways.
Lastly,
Locate the outdoor play kitchen components near sand and a water source if possible, and step back and watch how instantly engaged children are, how long they play, and how their creativity, conversation and social skills unfold.
Need ideas and inspiration to create your own?
Click the link below for a short how-to guide that shares resources
and photos to help you quickly and inexpensively create
an Outdoor Play Kitchen that fits well into your space.
(BONUS: this can often be done in as little as one day for $50 or less,
or even free with donations!)
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