The kitchen is the bench. The play comes from what’s on it. You don’t need anything new: an op shop and the garden will cover it.
The basics
- 2 or 3 saucepans, ideally with handles
- A big pot for soup
- Metal mixing bowls in a few sizes
- Wooden spoons, a ladle, a slotted spoon, a whisk
- A jug or two for pouring
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Muffin tray, pie tins and patty pans
- A colander or sieve
- A potato masher
- Small buckets and spades
Nice extras
- Teapot and cups for a mud tea party
- Ice-cube trays and jelly moulds
- Cookie cutters and a rolling pin
- Spray bottle for misting
- Funnels and lengths of clear tube
- A chalkboard for the café menu
- Tongs and egg cups for sorting
- Old scales for weighing ingredients
Natural loose parts
Collect with children and keep in a basket or tub:
- Gumnuts, seed pods and pine cones
- Leaves of different shapes and sizes
- Petals (fallen ones are fine)
- Bark, sticks and twigs
- Pebbles and smooth stones (large enough not to be swallowed)
- Shells
- Herbs from the garden for “flavour”
Check that any plants children pick from are safe. If you’re not sure what something is, ask a local nursery.
For toddlers
Skip glass and ceramics, anything sharp, and small loose parts that could be a choking hazard for under-threes. Big spoons, wide bowls and chunky jugs are easier for small hands.
Storage
Hooks along the back of the kitchen, a crate on the shelf and a tub with a lid for loose parts. Things that hang up dry faster and stay cleaner.
Coming soon
We’re working on a range of hand-carved utensils and bowls made in Bali, sized for small hands. Join the waitlist to hear first.
Questions people ask
Where can I get cheap mud kitchen utensils?
Op shops are the best source: old saucepans, metal mixing bowls, muffin trays, wooden spoons, ladles and jugs, usually for a few dollars each. Garage sales and family kitchen clear-outs work too.
What should I avoid in a toddler's mud kitchen?
Glass and ceramics that can break, sharp knives and graters, anything small enough to be a choking hazard for under-threes (smaller than a toilet-roll tube), and old enamelware that's chipped.