Dirt & Mud Theme

DIRT & MUD THEME

TALK:

Talk about dirt and mud with your kids! Ask Questions like:  Have you ever played in the dirt?  Where?  (answers--in the back yard, the park, etc.) Have you ever played with water?  (answers--in the bathtub, in the rain, in the pool, etc.) Have you ever played in the mud?  I wonder--Where does mud come from? How would we make our own mud? 

 Program Note: If you decide to wait till Summer to use these ideas- keep in mind that on June 29  is International Mud Day!

 READ:Books

Mud By Wendy Cheyette Lewison

Stuck in the Mud By Jane Clark
Preschool To The Rescue By Judy Sierra
Muddle Puddle By Robert Munsch
Mud By Mary Lyn Ray
One Duck Stuck By Phyllis Root
The Piggy In The Puddle By Charlotte Pomerantz
Mudkin By Stephen Gammell
Dirt+Water= Mud By Katherine Hannigan
The Best Mud Pie By Lin Quinn (Rookie Reader)

Harry The Dirty Dog By Gene Zion



Underground By Denise Fleming
Jump into Science: Dirt By Steve Tomecek
I'm Dirty By Kate McMullan 

SONGS/ RHYMES:

Mud - poem
Mud is very nice to feel
All squishy-squash between the toes!
I'd rather wade in wiggly mud
Than smell a yellow rose.
Nobody else but the rosebush knows
How nice mud feels
Between the toes.
---Polly Chase Boyden
~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare 
Credit Stepbystepchildcare

I Love To Play - Sung to "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"
I love to play in the sand box.
I love to play in the dirt.
I love to play in the wet mud.
I squish it and watch it squirt.


Dirt And Mud - Poem
Dirt and mud,
What a dud!
They make you unclean,
Then your mom turns mean.

You know about dirt,
That gets on your shirt,
And messes up your pants,
So your mother raves and rants.
You know about mud,
That ugly brown crud,
That gets on your shoes,
So your mother yells at you.
There's dirt and mud,
Wherever I roam.
I'm sorry mom,
But it follows me home.
~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

Credit Stepbystepchildcare

OUT IN THE BACKYARD – Music/Movement
Tune: “Down by the Station”
Out in the backyard
Early in the morning,
See the little children
Playing in a row.
See them stirring mud
And making little mud pies.
Stir, stir, pat, pat,
Watch them go!
            Heather McPhail --Credit Preschool Express

FLANNEL RHYME: 5 Clean and Dirty Pigs

Clean and Dirty Pig Printable Credit Sunflower Storytime
I love this rhyme and flannel!  After printing the pigs (printable below), glue each clean pig to each dirty pig so that you can flip them over, and then laminate.  Use white velcro dots to use on a flannel board. Kids love it when you flip the clean pig over to the muddy pig!

Five little pigs rolled in the mud
(roll hands)
Squishy, squashy, felt so good.
The farmer took one piggy out.
‘Oink, Oink, oink,’ the pig did shout!
(turn pig over to clean side)
Continue with four, three, two, until…
No little pigs rolled in the mud.
They all looked so clean and good.
The farmer turned his back and then,
Those pigs rolled in the mud again.
(turn all pigs over to dirty side again)
Credit: Flannel board inspiration from Mel’s Desk
Credit: Words from Rovingfiddlehead Credit Sunflower Storytime 

 CRAFT/ PLAY/ EXPLORE:

Dirty Sensory Playdough 

Muddy / Cleaning Pigs Alphabet Cards Printable

Mud Paint (use plain dirt from your yard not potting soil and water and glue and let kids paint with it!)

Magical, Mucky Mud! Credit Preschool Plan It.com
Materials needed:  Bowls, spoons, baking soda, water, black food coloring (found in the cake aisle of the supermarket, or you can add colors together to make black).
The children mix the ingredients to make a mud consistency.  The feel/texture is fantastic!!!

Bugs in the Dirt Credit: Preschool Plan It.com
Materials needed: Numbered cups with dirt in them, plastic bugs, tweezers
The children place the corresponding number of bugs in each cup.
Of course, this is a mud theme......so add water and pipettes also!

Preschool Mud Day Ideas for International Mud Day June 29th

Mud Play Sensory Activities