MUD Math

It’s MUD DAY!!!!   We played in the mud A LOT though spring and I have a strong feeling we will be having many more MUD days this summer.  For the most part playing in the mud ends up looking like this…
There are a lot of really great things about wild and messy mud play, but I wanted to settle them down a bit so they could get additional benefits from this ooey gooey stuff!

I was so excited when I had the idea for this activity.  I called it Mud Math (because the name is cute) but this is an experiment that brings in so many skills.  Science, language, writing, and of course math!

what you need: dirt ~ water ~ containers ~ measuring cups ~ spoons

I started out asking questions about mud.  “Is all mud the same?”  “What do you think makes mud different?”  We talked about what would happen to the dirt with small amounts of water or a large amount of water.

I set up specific measurements for 4 separate mixtures.  We started with 3 cups of dirt in each container.

We added different amounts of water to each container.  The amounts we used were 1/2 cup, 1 cup, 1 1/2 cups, 2 cups.

We all took turns stirring the mixtures.  Then it was time to feel and discuss each new substance.  Each container held a very different consistency of mud.

The unexpected bonus was M and M took the containers and used them for play.  They made mud balls and muddy rivers… until it was time to be wild and messy again!

Tips (to maximize learning): 1. Use chalk to write out the measurements next to your experiment to add some reading practice for your little one.  2.  Use this opportunity to explore some new words.  Describe the mixtures while you work!

 This post is a part of the Mud lesson plan.