Materials
Mixing bowl Large spoon
Soil Grass
Water Loaf pan
Cookie sheet Paint shirts
Toothpicks Oven
Instructions
1. Mix together the soil, grass and water in the bowl. Add more water, grass or soil as needed until it is the consistency of clay.
2. Let the children touch, squeeze and mold the mixture for a few minutes and talk about how it feels.
3. Using the loaf pan as a mold, place enough of the mixture into the pan to mold it into the shape of a brick or rectangle.
4. Take it out of the loaf pan and place it on the cookie sheet. If desired, use toothpicks to draw windows, doors or even tiny brick shapes.
5. Bake in the oven on low for several hours, or bake in the sun for several days. Emphasize how mud is used to construct buildings.
6. Optionally, children could help construct a little diorama for their mud house.More to doMore science: Add more grass and some twigs and use the mixture to build nests, beaver dams or caves.Outdoors: Go for a walk and look for different types of homes.
