Mud kitchen is a recipe for success
Children attending Little Pets Play Group will be getting muddy in the kitchen as a cache of outdoor play equipment is delivered.
Staff at the nursery took delivery of mud kitchens for the outdoor area of the nursery, based at Wardlawhill Parish Church Hall, after they were awarded a £6000 grant by the Big Lottery Fund.
The money was used to purchase mud kitchens from Rutherglen social enterprise Handy Folk, whose wooden kitchens are in high demand.
Lynn Duff, chairwoman of the Little Pets Playgroup Committee, said mud kitchens provide a variety of different learning opportunities including sensory, imaginative, creative and exploratory play.
She said: “The children have quite a small outdoor area so this grant was to get more resources for that area.
“The nursery is a charity and whilst the children’s places are funded, anything above that such as resources, toys or trips needs to be paid for through fundraising.
“Getting the mud kitchens from Healthy n Happy’s Handy Folk was a good way of tying in with another community group and ensuring the grant benefitted two organisations.”
Tom Harten, Healthy n Happy Community Trust’s transforming lives worker, who works with Handy Folk, said: “It feels amazing to be providing local nurseries with affordable outdoor equipment and any money we receive simply allows the group to carry on doing what they enjoy doing and maybe buy a few new tools.
“For nearly four years we have made all sorts of things from scrap wood, such as bird boxes, ornamental wheelbarrow planters and recently kid’s picnic benches and mud kitchens. These were first made for handy folk grandkids and have grown in popularity from there; people seem to like them.”
Handy Folk is a group of local volunteers, supported by Healthy n Happy, who like to meet up and make things. People interested in joining the woodwork group can contact Tom Harten at tom@healthynhappy.co.uk or ring the Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust office on 0141 646 0123.