Mud Kitchen!

One of the first projects I did that was a little bigger than the typical DIY house stuff, and it was definitely the start of me taking on some bigger projects!

The school I worked at at the time had a playground that really needed a couple new things for the kids to do, so that had been on my mind for a while. Then one of the classrooms ended up having to tear out some counters and a sink because of water damage.... so there it was right in the hallway about to be taken to the dump.... a perfectly good looking sink that would be perfect for making an outdoor mud kitchen! Now at the time, I didn't have many tools, zero workspace, and was determined to do as much as possible without spending any money on this project. First thing I did after prying the sink from the countertop was go home and look up some DIY mud kitchens other people have made and turns out you can make it all with pallet boards! So I headed to Lowes to see if they had any they would give me, and they were more than happy to help! Only problem was my tiny car could only fit the smaller pallets, which also happened to be the jankiest (that's a word, right?) ones. But they were free, so I took what I could get!

Now when it comes to making anything that will be used by kids, and especially on a playground vs. at home, my main priority was to make sure there were absolutely no nails, no tiny crevices where fingers could get stuck, and of course no rough wood that would cause splinters! So I had to figure out how to make the frame for the mud kitchen using all different sized pallet boards that were in really bad condition...... Not a fun task. There were some pallet boards I didn't have to completely take apart, but I did have to pry apart at least half of them. With basically no tools to help with this except a drill and a hammer. Let's just say my hands really, really, really hurt after all that. BUT I managed to get a general frame for sink... yay!

Still not a pretty sight at that point though. All those gaps between the pieces of wood needed to be covered so no tiny hands would get stuck! That's where I used the planks from the pallets I had taken apart. I didn't have any of saws or cutting tools at the time though so I had to get a little creative with how I built on to it.

The absolute worst part of this that still gives me nightmares was the sanding part.... I didn't have a sander so I did every bit of it by hand! Also being paranoid about splinters, I sanded it a few extra times as well! I probably spent 2-3 days on the sanding process.....

Then came the more exciting part.... making it look good! The paint I used was one of the only things I actually had to buy for this project.... plus the sand paper. Can't forget about the sand paper.

(Pay no attention to the trashy looking deck... that's where I stored my old couch until the dump truck could come get it)

Bright teal may seem a little out there, but the playground needed a pop of color! I had so much fun with the next step, which was coming up with add ons that the kids would enjoy and make it a more useful mud kitchen! Some of the stuff I added was more decorative, but also functional! I added on hooks for utensils to hang from as well as some shelves on the side for other outdoor dishes.

I added on some letters as well so it could say "Mud Kitchen" on it and I definitely think that brought it together!

Now, my intent from this was not to have this be a working sink with running water, just something to add in to the dramatic play area. BUT..... after I had it set up on the playground, one of the kid's dad happened to be a plumber so I asked him if there was a way to connect the hose to the bottom of the sink and allow the faucet to work..... He said he might be able to figure something out.... And let me tell you..... he made a special part himself that connected to the bottom of the sink and made it possible for us to turn the sink on and off and have ourselves running water! It was pretty exciting, and some of the kids actually helped install the part themselves, it was awesome! It also turned in to a great way to teach about water conservation as well!