Did you know that June 29 is also known as International Mud Day? I had no idea until I stumbled across the International Mud Day event sponsored by Unplugged Adventures. Their event was held on Saturday, June 24 this year, celebrating a few days early. The cost of admission was $25 per family for 3 hours of fun in the sun and mud. Unplugged Adventures hosts their events in West Cobb at the Still Family Farm which "boasts wide-open grassy fields, hiking trails, forest play spaces, and a quiet flowing creek." I was very intrigued, so we bought tickets and planned to take our 18 month old.
We were greeted by friendly, smiling faces as we arrived for check-in. They explained that the it was an explore on your own day; in one direction was forest play, and the other was creek play. In the middle of the two, there were concessions, restrooms, arts and crafts, balls, a small bubble station, and a large picnic area shaded by a beautiful tree.
With our cautious, shy child in mind and as one of the first families to arrive, we decided to explore the shaded, quiet forest area first. There we found swings, slides, sensory tubs, water play, loose parts, and a mud kitchen! There were so many different things just to let the kids do some imaginative play in nature. After exploring for a bit, our little one found her way over to the mud kitchen where she met some other littles who introduced her to the mud pies they were making. The kitchen contained all the tools you could even need to bake the perfect mud pie: pots, pans, cups, spoons, tea kettles, and even some fresh cut flowers! Even some of the parents were joining in on the fun and mess.
After spending quite some time in the mud kitchen, we decided to leave the forest and see what else the place had to offer. We made our way through the open field to the arts and crafts station. There were rocks, wood pieces, strings, beads, paint, clay, and markers. We chose to make a pet rock to take home. Our daughter is still carrying it around as one of her most prized possessions.
We then headed over to the creek play area. Unfortunately, we never actually made it into the creek because we came across something that she deemed much better. Mud puddles. Giant mud puddles with large play cars, trucks, and dinosaurs. She could have spent the entire day playing in those puddles. She started to really embrace what was going on and dug into the mud.
Overall, the day was definitely one that will live in our memories forever. It was such a carefree and happy atmosphere to be in, that even I wasn't ready to leave. I absolutely love what Unplugged Adventures has going on and look forward to spending more time there. As a former teacher and current mom, there is something so special to me about seeing kids have a safe space to explore nature and just be kids.
If you are looking to check them out, there are monthly events through September listed on their website. They also have a program during the school year for preschool aged children which we will definitely be looking into when she is old enough.