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Early childhood educator Tara Gravelin grew up around tools. Her father is a woodworker and, as a child, she used to watch him cut, sand and build. That secondhand knowledge has been useful in Gravelin's latest endeavor — building mud kitchens. The 38-year-old Burlington mom of two boys, ages 4 and 6, has designed and built custom outdoor play kitchens for local childcare centers, including two in South Burlington: the Davis Studio Preschool and the Homestead: A Part 2 Preschool, where she works part-time.
Gravelin believes that young children benefit from open-ended, self-directed play, which mud kitchens provide. Giving kids "loose parts" — natural or synthetic materials like pebbles, sand, water, buttons, blocks, buckets and plastic tubes — to use however they see fit, leads to creativity, exploration and learning, Gravelin says.
She recalled a scene she witnessed recently that illustrates the philosophy. A preschooler was trying to push wet sand through a funnel in the Homestead's mud kitchen. When he realized it wouldn't work, he poured it out and tried dry sand. Voila! It went right through. The boy had figured it out by himself.
Gravelin scoured hardware and secondhand stores for mud kitchen building supplies. Other items she scavenged along the side of the road. She used a variety of tools to construct the kitchen.
Her sons watched as the project came to fruition, with her youngest proclaiming, "Mama, you are strong," after watching her wield one of the power tools. When Gravelin loaded the kitchen into the back of her truck to deliver it to the Homestead, her sons were sad to see it go. Not to worry, she told them, she'll build one for them, too.
Winooski, VT
Thrive is a state-licensed, 3 STAR childcare/enrichment program that partners with the Winooski School District to build a community where children in grades K-5 explore, learn, and grow during their after school hours. During Thrive, students engage with creative arts, STEM and Makerspace activities, literacy skills, cooperative and socio-emotional learning,…(more)
PO Box 1184
Burlington, VT 05402
802-985-5482
