OUTDOOR ‘POTION CLASS’: BOTANICAL PLAY FOR NATURE-LOVING KIDS
I talk a lot about sensory play, how it has changed my family for the better, all of the benefits, and so many fun recipes you can make at home. But some of the best sensory play is found just outside your door! Just think of all of the things in nature that can give incredible sensory input to kids (and adults too!) Playing with mud, water, flowers, grass, sticks, and sand is where the magic happens!
Also, there’s less mess in your home when sensory play happens outside. 😉 Sensory play is a cornerstone of childhood development, but let’s be honest - setting up a sensory bin inside the house can sometimes feel like inviting chaos directly onto your clean floors. I have lots of tips for set up and clean up to keep things manageable, (check them out in Mothercould In Your Pocket!) but sometimes you just want to keep it all outside.
Enter.. The Outdoor Potion Class! By taking the sensory play into the backyard, you give your kids complete freedom to mix, strain, pour, and create, while nature handles the mess. Let’s talk about all of the steps from set up to clean up!
Prep for Outside Play
Before any outdoor magic begins, there’s one essential step every parent knows can quickly derail the fun - putting on sunscreen. Getting little ones to stand still for sticky lotion is usually a battle, resulting in tears and whining before the play has actually started. We created the Mothercould Sunscreen Brush Set to solve this! The soft bristles make applying sunscreen feel like a gentle sensory experience, turning an annoying chore into a fun activity. Kids can even apply it themselves! You’ll get smooth, even coverage without getting sticky lotion all over your hands, and you can send your kids outside confidently, knowing that they’re well protected from the sun.
Setting Up Your Backyard Potion Station
One thing I’m always telling parents is that you don’t need to purchase anything to create an awesome sensory play experience. Especially for an activity like this, you can use items that you already have laying around your home or pantry. Here are some materials you can gather for an outdoor potion experience:
Clear bowls, jars, or measuring cups
Whisk, wooden spoons, ladles, and strainers
Tongs or tweezers
Funnels and droppers/pipettes
Sponges or paint brushes
Water (warm or cold, optional drop of food coloring)
Setup Tips: You can have a designated area for the outdoor potions class, or just let kids play in the grass. A designated area could be an outdoor table, picnic blanket, a bench, or draw a boundary with chalk on the driveway.
Time to Go Foraging
Before the mixing begins, send your little ones on a foraging quest around the yard or neighborhood. Give each kid a small basket or bowl. Encourage them to look for interesting textures and colors. This isn't just prep work - it's active learning! They'll touch rough tree bark, smooth petals, and tickly blades of grass, turning a simple walk into a full tactile exploration before the potions even begin. Help kids pick up things that are already on the ground, not pulling things off of plants and trees. They can collect things like grass, petals, pinecones, acorns, leaves, dandelions, small sticks, and pebbles.
Once everything is gathered, you’ll bring it back to your designated play area. Provide the kids with some bowls or jars of water, maybe with a drop of food coloring in each one for some color mixing, and lay out the tools. Now it’s time to set them up for success, and then step back and let play happen!
Guiding the Potion Play
Fostering independence and creativity in kids happens when you don’t give too many rules for play - this means setting the boundaries, doing enough to get them started, and letting them take over. (Of course you can observe, but let them play and be creative!) Open-ended play is the best for building those creative skills.
Here are some play prompts that you can offer your kids to get started:
Pouring & Straining: Using strainers to separate "magic ingredients" from liquid.
Smell & Color: Crushing mint or flowers to release scent, watching water change shades.
Fine Motor Skill Practice: Pinching droppers, squeezing sponges, and stirring thick "concoctions."
Show kids the options, and then step back. Your job is now to sip your coffee and watch the child-led creativity take over!
Benefits of Outdoor Sensory Play
Besides it being lots of fun, there are some great benefits to outdoor sensory play. It helps kids build their fine motor skills as they use different tools and use different sized items. An activity like the “potion class” can be a great way to talk about some early science concepts, like buoyancy, solubility, color mixing, cause-and-effect) You can ask kids “do you think this will float or sink?” and let them explore their different items like a science experiment.
Sensory input that comes from outdoor sensory play can also be very regulating and grounding. We all know that just being outside can be calming, add in some great tactile play that’s enjoyable for kids and you’re setting yourself and your kids up for success (and calm!)
Quick Clean Up
Now let’s prevent ending on a stressful note with some clean up tips that the whole family can help with. I’m always looking for ways to involve my kids in the clean up process so that they learn the value of taking care of their things, and how to clean up appropriately.
Dump leftover water into the grass or flowerbeds.
Gather up the nature supplies and either put them in a pile or a container if they’ll be used for play again, otherwise add them to a compost pile or out of the way of foot traffic. (No one wants to step on a stray pine cone!)
Rinse tools with a garden hose and leave them out to dry in the sun. If you plan to keep these tools separate for outdoor play, offer a storage solution for kids to put the tools in for next time.
Simple outdoor play using things you can find in nature is an amazing way to turn an ordinary afternoon into a memorable, magical experience. The idea of “making potions” immediately ignites kids’ creativity and curiosity - my kids have played with set ups like this for hours! Set it up, sit back, and watch the imaginations run wild! (Don’t forget your Mothercould Sunscreen Brush for easy sunscreen application before outdoor play!)