18 Comments
User's avatar
Caleb M. Allen's avatar

Incredible article. A few days left until I become a parent and I can’t wait to implement these ideas!

Expand full comment
Brooke Z's avatar

Going to put something together for my toddler grandbabies after seeing this post! Thank you! 😊

Expand full comment
Clarkie Doster's avatar

We have outdoor space now for the first time since having children, and this has been on my to do list, but I haven’t gotten very far. I’m taking this post as a sign to just decide on a spot in the yard and do it!

Expand full comment
Kelly Gancas's avatar

I just set something up on my terrace with stuff we already had, thanks to you!

Expand full comment
RR's avatar

I'd love to know some more about what you do for 8 year olds

Expand full comment
The Workspace for Children's avatar

Lots of requests for that! I will put together a post with some examples asap. Thanks so much for your feedback. -L

Expand full comment
Kelly's avatar

Any tips on keeping spiders away from your shelves? We tend to get lots of spiders gathering in our yard - mostly harmless, but also the occasional black widow...

Expand full comment
Lucy McIntire's avatar

This is WONDERFUL

Expand full comment
Wing Huo's avatar

I think my concern is also on how to get the kids clean again before getting back inside the house. They play outdoor a lot already at first warm spring days, which means more like 20c, so I couldn’t hardly hose them down like the deck… what‘s your trick on this?

Expand full comment
Amy's avatar

I would love to do this!! Do you need a deck to make it work?

Expand full comment
Harrison's avatar

I was not a leash kid per se, but my parents did tranquilize me using a variety of tactics and technologies.

I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking.

check us out:

https://thesecretingredient.substack.com

Expand full comment
Victoria B's avatar

Yes! I love it. It also attracts neighbors to come play and get messy. We don't use it on our deck, but have a corner of the backyard that we are turning into a tinkerspace. I need to stock up on supplies. I'm going to keep them in clear bins inside our outdoor storage bin since we are in Florida, so I need things to be more secure for daily thunderstorms. Do you have any recommendations for weather proofed outdoor wooden mud kitchen for 2-3 kids to use at one time? I need to get a new one as our last did not survive.

Expand full comment
Brooke C.'s avatar

This is brilliant. I am trying to set up an outdoor explorative play area for my toddler this year and this gave me so many good ideas!

Expand full comment
Janaye's avatar

I’ve been looking for this exact article for months! Thank you for sharing. Do you have recommendations for a water source for toddlers and younger preschoolers? Right now I just let him walk around with the hose which is fine but not ideal.

Expand full comment
The Workspace for Children's avatar

I do! (But they love the power of a hose, right??!) head to my IG and the list is linked in stories right now! Otherwise I’ll sort out how to post it here I’m just not sure how rn.

Expand full comment
Janaye's avatar

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Laura's avatar

What kind of dirt do you get for mud kitchen?

Expand full comment
The Workspace for Children's avatar

We used dirt from our yard, but if you buy soil make sure it’s not treated with any chemicals

Expand full comment