June Blog_2019

Blue's Blog June 2019

#BluesBlog

June 15, 2019 - pdf version

Hi everyone! I have a question that I have been wondering about. Have you ever played in mud before? My clubhouse friends and I love to play in mud and we come up with new and fun ideas each time we do it. We’ve created mud cafés, navigated our way through a mud obstacle course, enjoyed rides on a muddy slip ‘n slide, adventured in nature on a mud treasure hunt, painted with mud, and splashed around while mud puddle jumping. Mud play is SO MUCH FUN and can be a joyful experience for children, adults, and animals like us. Our friends at Community Play Things even wrote an article sharing the numerous benefits of playing in mud!    

 

We get extra excited this time of year because there is a day in the month of June that is dedicated to playing with mud. Did you know that? Well, there is! It’s called International Mud Day and it was established in 2009 at the World Forum for Early Childhood Care and Education in Belfast.

On June 29th, you can join Be Active Kids and others from around the globe in a day of splashing, rolling, squishing, sliding, making mud pies, mud sculptures, and more. At the end of the day, the mud will wash off but the playful memories you make with your friends and family will stay for a lifetime.

Check out our friends at Lulu's Child Enrichment Center in Taylorsville, NC during their 2018 Mud Day. -------->
 

These are two of our favorite resources to help teachers and caregivers be inspired to create more mud play opportunities for children.

 

20 Fun Things You Can Do in the Mud Who likes mud?

 

If you are planning to celebrate International Mud Day we want to hear from you! Email your mud play stories and pictures to info@beactivekids.org or share your muddy fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using #beactiveblue, #caughtbeingactive, and @beactivekids.

 

We can’t wait to see all of those smiling, mud-covered children and adults having fun and being active together.

 

Happy summer and see you in July!

 

Blue the Caring Cub

 

Testimonials

  • Preservice Teachers Learn to Use Be Active Kids in Limited Spaces

    I really enjoyed our class meeting. It was interesting to discover that you can do just about anything with children in the classroom where there may not be much space to encourage them to be active.  A change that I will make in my own life is to be more active, as well as my daughter. I will share this information with my friends that have children such as yoga animals, or Simon Says.

    Cathy Sesta, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute

    Thank you for inviting me to be part of this year’s Institute. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the experience. You’re doing amazing work and I hope I’ll be able to continue contributing to it a bunch in the future.

    Rae Pica, www.movingandlearning.com
  • Plenty of Resources That I Can Use and Share

    This class was informative, and I look forward to being physically active with young children. On Friday, I volunteered at a Parents Night Out through my daughter's school. When I got there the kids were watching a movie. I got them up to play Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, however, after that I was stuck on what to do. I wish I had the knowledge I gained from this class, to have made it more exciting.

    I enjoyed your Land and Lake Activity.

    Venessa Wright, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Be Active Kids Trainers Rock!

    I loved the training.  I would have loved it more if I had the other teachers from my center there also.  I am really looking forward to taking my kit to work and sharing it with my staff.  I liked Brittney, she reminded me of myself as far as being very active and motivated.  When I am at work with my little ones we stay busy all day.  I feel like singing my instructions and dancing my actions helps them to focus better on what I need for them to do.  Britney was great and I learned a lot from her. I am always trying to find new little ways to get the kids moving.

    Tiffany Daniel, Sandhill Community College
  • ECPAI

    The Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute was just wonderful!  Thank you again for including me in such an important effort to create and sustain leaders in EC physical activity. I would love to return to NC anytime that you think I can help. I enjoyed meeting the folks who work with you and hearing about all of the great things that are planned. 

    Linda Carson, Choosy Kids
  • Be Active Kids has Much to Offer

    Congratulations to you and everyone who has been promoting PA for young
    children in NC. You have much to be proud of here. Be Active Kids is an excellent source of ideas for promoting active play in unstructured settings. The Be Active Kids website also has resources on promoting unstructured active play. I encourage folks to review these resources. 

    Diane Craft, SUNY Cortland & Active Play Books