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PSPKK12326 Comments

Summer fun activity – Create an outdoor kitchen!

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We’re working our way through the alphabet, and I include some sensory fun for each letter.  Letter K had me stumped… kite, keys, kangaroo… KITCHEN!  I gathered some old items from my pantry, a few bowls and spoons, and headed to the backyard to set up a summer fun activity.

summer-fun---create-an-outdoor-kitchen---the-measured-mom

Truth: I’m not really a “fun” mom.  It’s never been my personality to just relax and enjoy life.

In high school a close friend nicknamed me “Conscience.”

Yeah, real exciting.

I love to teach my kids. I love to read to them.  I love to watch them learn.  But creating truly fun experiences doesn’t come easily to me.

But I hit the jackpot with this outdoor kitchen!  I was a fun mom – even if just for the afternoon!

ingredients and supplies to an outdoor kitchen

Next time you clean out the pantry, stop before you throw things away.  Here’s what I pulled out of the cupboard for our outdoor kitchen:

  • old spices that have long expired and that I don’t use anyway
  • corn starch (which I use, but it’s cheap and fun to play with)
  • white rice (since we nearly always use brown)
  • Cream of Wheat (which my youngest had used in his first sandbox)
  • dried beans – because, let’s face it, I am just not going to get my act together and cook those things
  • dried bread (for the first time ever I forgot to grease the pans, and my bread was not so good)
  • water
  • baking soda
  • vinegar

outdoor kitchen  I gave each  of my kids a big bowl and spoon.  They dove right in!

outdoor kitchen I could talk about all the great fine motor work that was going on here — look at that stirring, whisking, and unscrewing the spice cap.

Or I could just say it was a whole lot of fun.

outdoor kitchen As my Six worked to create her “bean soup,” she said at one moment: “I’m working hard, Mom. I’m doing my very best.”  Then she thought about it a minute.  “Just kidding – I’m doing my worst!”  She loved giving me spoonfuls of her soup to taste and watching me recoil.

outdoor kitchen  If you do this with your kids, you must include both baking soda and vinegar.  Here my Four adds vinegar to his recipe — for perhaps the 20th time…

outdoor kitchen  Because he loved watching it bubble!

outdoor kitchen My One (eighteen months) tried to do some stirring, but this isn’t a skill he’s mastered. It was especially hard as he was a bit short for the table.

outdoor kitchen So I set him up on the ground with some Cream of Wheat and a wooden spoon.

outdoor kitchen And this is what makes it a great outdoor activity.

outdoor kitchen He was curious to see what his big brother was doing  — and added a few things to the bowl.

outdoor kitchen  The only thing that stopped their fun was that we ran out of ingredients.

outdoor kitchenAfter about 40 minutes of play, this is what remained.  Clean-up was easy – just a few dishes to wash!

Totally worth it for the chance to be a fun mom.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: first grade, second grade, kindergarten, summer, sensory play, Pre-K, preschool

You May Also Enjoy These Posts:

My reaction to Emily Hanford’s article, “At a Loss for Words” Letter L Activities for Preschool Free printable pom pom activities
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Spell it! — a printable spelling game for any word list (K-3)

Reader Interactions

26 Comments

  1. Naomi

    February 17, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    Thank you so much, Anna. I’ve been looking for a theme for my sensory bin for my letter K week. This is an excellent idea! I think I’ll use my children’s cooking set in a sensory bin with various dry ingredients for my students to play kitchen in class, and not make it too mes

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna G

      February 17, 2018 at 7:58 pm

      I think they’ll love it, Naomi!

      Reply to this comment
  2. Katie

    July 30, 2014 at 8:54 am

    You are definitely a fun mom! I will be starting homeschool this year, and your website is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for your hard work in putting together so many resources for the letters!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      August 3, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks, Katie :). I’m so glad you found my site. I hope you will keep following along! I’m releasing an ebook this week – while it’s designed for teachers of all types, I think it will be especially hopeful to new teachers and homeschoolers. It’s free to e-mail subscribers – stay tuned!

      Reply to this comment
  3. Monica

    August 1, 2013 at 9:09 am

    Great idea. 🙂 Featuring this at Family Fun Friday!
    Monica
    http://happyandblessedhome.com/category/family-fun/

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      August 20, 2013 at 4:05 pm

      Here’s a much belated thanks for the feature!

      Reply to this comment
  4. Jana @ HowToRunAHomeDaycare

    July 27, 2013 at 8:28 am

    I pinned this onto my outdoor summery fun board. My little ones will love this idea!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 30, 2013 at 6:29 am

      Thanks for checking it out, Jana — and for the pin!

      Reply to this comment
  5. Beth Cranford

    July 26, 2013 at 10:09 pm

    I’m not usually a very fun mom either, but I try to let them create their own fun as often as possible. This is a great idea. And they obviously had a blast!

    Thanks for sharing (and for including all these inspiring photos) and for linking up at Family Fun Friday!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 30, 2013 at 6:29 am

      Agreed — creating their own fun is best. Sometimes we just need to provide the materials!

      Reply to this comment
  6. Jesikah

    July 26, 2013 at 9:49 am

    This is such a great idea! My kids have an outdoor mud kitchen/restaurant area, I think I may add a few ingredients to their ‘pantry’!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 30, 2013 at 6:28 am

      Let me know how it goes, Jesikah :).

      Reply to this comment
  7. Catherine Fuller

    July 26, 2013 at 7:44 am

    So simple but so perfect for my children! They love to bubble and concoct their own science.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 30, 2013 at 6:28 am

      I’d love to hear if you try it, Catherine!

      Reply to this comment
  8. jaime

    July 25, 2013 at 5:52 am

    featuring this on the kids co-op! thnx 4 linking up:)

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 30, 2013 at 6:27 am

      Thank you so much for the feature, Jaime!

      Reply to this comment
  9. Catie

    July 19, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    I like to *think* I’m a fun mom, but I might be a tad delusional.. 😉 This is one of the best ideas I’ve seen in terms of having fun with the Littles! Seriously! I’m pinning it! 🙂

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 22, 2013 at 8:49 am

      Thank you so much for the pin, Catie!

      Reply to this comment
  10. Natalie

    July 18, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    I am with you on not being a fun Mom, but I set up once something similar (salt, sugar, flour, water and food coloring for my 6), and she enjoyed it immensely. I intentionally used the ingredients for that try that she could taste without much risk. I should try a more varied stuff now, maybe for a playdate.

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 22, 2013 at 8:48 am

      I like the idea of using just edible ingredients for smaller ones… something to try with my toddler on the rare mornings that it’s just the two of us!

      Reply to this comment
  11. Elisabeth

    July 18, 2013 at 9:35 am

    LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 22, 2013 at 8:48 am

      And so will the kids 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  12. Angela @ Teaching Mama

    July 18, 2013 at 7:39 am

    Very cute idea!! I will have to try this the next time I clean out my pantry!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 22, 2013 at 8:47 am

      It’s a sure winner 🙂

      Reply to this comment
  13. Teacher@Home

    July 18, 2013 at 5:23 am

    Famtastic idea to take it outside. My three is desperate to help me cook…this is a perfect solution!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      July 22, 2013 at 8:47 am

      Your three year old will LOVE it 🙂

      Reply to this comment

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