Mulch for the Playground {a mini service project}

The kids loved getting to help spread the mulch at our playground! There are so many ways to incorporate outdoor fun for children into the school day. Grab some gardening tools and take the kids outside!

This afternoon, Engineer, Captain America, Frat Boy, and I headed over to the preschool.  Not (just) to play, as you might think, but to help out with mulching!

Yesterday morning, a huge truck delivered a mound of mulch for the preschool.  Despite the fact that she hadn’t received much notice about the delivery date of the mulch, our director was able to round up some awesome families to help move and spread it.  They got half of it done last night, when Engineer and I weren’t able to help.  He was so happy that it didn’t all get done last night, though, as he really wanted to help tonight!

The boys and I arrived late this afternoon to find that the mulching process was almost completed.  We were still able to put about an hour’s worth of work in, though.  All of the boys helped shovel some mulch into wheelbarrows for me and the other parents helping out.  Frat Boy was done pretty quickly, but Captain America and Engineer happily shoveled for some time!

Once the last bit of mulch was carted over to the playground, the boys helped spread it around with rakes and their feet.  Then it was off to grab lemonade and leftover pizza our preschool director had provided for all the helpers.  Once that was done, the boys happily helped “break in” the new mulch.

Even though we weren’t a huge help to the mulching process, I was still happy we could do a small part of it.  Engineer loved shoveling “all that mulch” and helping to push the wheelbarrows.  On the way home, he even told me, “I’m glad I got to help with all that mulch!”  Nothing like seeing my kiddo proud of himself for doing something for others.  Plus, it was just plain fun for him!

Shared at Outdoor Play, For the Kids Friday, After School Link-Up

Preschool Gardening and Outdoor Tools

One of the most important things we can allow young children to explore, in my opinion, is the great outdoors. Whether that means letting the children explore the woods by the preschool, the mulch around the playground, the field of grass outside, or the school garden, the children will get so much out of exploring natural things.

With that in mind, I’ve created a list of some great items to keep on hand for your class of little outdoors people. Some of them are on the pricier side, but they can be used for years to come! Check out the list below.

I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

• Kids gardening gloves
• Child-friendly gardening tools
• Children’s wheelbarrow
• A set of kids’ aprons
• Kid-friendly shovels
• Plastic pails
• Watering cans
• Construction vehicles set
• Kid’s ride-on excavator

Done-for-You Preschool Resources

Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!

Preschool Teacher 101 has created some amazing preschool lesson and activity plans that will be perfect for your classroom. Click on the image below to learn more about our dino dig dramatic play resource.

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