Dayton Ohio - MUD DAY at Wegerzyn Garden Center

MUD DAY with Five Rivers Metroparks

Mud Day activities are developed for those ages 2 and older. Participants should dress to get dirty, and there will be an area to clean up. Activities include:

• Arts and crafts: Kids can create a soil painting and mud mural with the Earth’s natural materials, and then stop by the mud face painting station.
• Sensory activities: Children who are up to get dirty can play in four mud pools, fish in mud buckets to find a surprise, make mud pies and develop a mud city.
• Games and family fun: Families can get messy and then snap a commemorative Mud Day photo before challenging themselves to a mud hula hoop contest and mud ball game.

“Playing in the mud is a wonderful way for kids to engage in sensory play, which is crucial for early learners,” said Betty Hoevel, MetroParks education coordinator. “Studies have also shown that exposing children to nature — even things we find outdoors that we typically think of as ‘dirty’ — creates happier and healthier kids.”

After participating in Mud Day, families can explore the Children’s Discovery Garden, and formal gardens at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark.