Outdoor Messy Play

[Unregistered]

I've got a couple kiddos with sensory challenges so I encourage all the messy play I can. I'll give them buckets of water to make mud pies, we play in the sprinkler, water tables, etc...make soup out of sticks & leaves, etc. If they want to roll through the grass, more power to them! Sometimes I even join them😁 Then I hose them down before going back in for mealtime, rest, etc.

The down side is that they end up changing clothes a couple times a day. Parents send kids in play clothes to get messy in, but I can't imagine they enjoy washing a dirty, wet outfit every day. I was wondering about having clothes that stay here to wear outside & then I would take care of the laundry that stays here, but am I over thinking it? And how much messy play is too much? They're not being unruly, just messy...or at least wet.

[bklsmum]

I have clothes here AND I have the parents leave a spare in their cubby. They also know that we do a LOT of messy play and art here and no piece of clothing is safe! If I were you I would ask them to leave a few changes with you and just wash them yourself.

[Cat Herder]

I have them change into another outfit from their cubby and run their clothes and nap linens through the laundry for the next day. Most days they go home in the outfit they wore here the day prior.

I also provide bathing suits (tanks/trunks, no tie strings) for water play to stay here. Makes for a really small load of laundry.

[Ariana]

I tell my parents that this is how my daycare is and they are well aware we get super messy. I do send home outfits nearly every single day and I have never had a complaint. I usually only have super messy play in the morning though so I do try to limit the amount of laundry the parents have to do.

Wet clothes I just lay out to dry (or pop in my dryer) and those are considered clean and go in the extra clothes bag for the next day.

I don't personally do laundry but if it makes you feel better then why not! You certainly shouldn't feel guilty about providing messy play. As a parent I would LOVE you!!

[daycarediva]

I have them change into another outfit from their cubby and run their clothes and nap linens through the laundry for the next day. Most days they go home in the outfit they wore here the day prior.

I also provide bathing suits (tanks/trunks, no tie strings) for water play to stay here. Makes for a really small load of laundry.

Yup. I run a small load every nap time.

[midaycare]

My outdoor area is very sandy. We live very close to the beach, so all our "dirt" is basically sand. We also live in the woods and get tons of leaves and everything else a forest gets. Our fenced in play area can get so muddy and dirty with each rainfall...and take a day or two to get dry again.

Parents are warned that not only do we get messy outside, but we also get messy inside. We paint and I make it a point to have them self feed from as early as possible.

Parents provide clothes they don't mind getting dirty. They have extra clothes here for days we get super messy.

[Laurie]

I also run a load of daycare laundry every day at nap. I send the kids home in the same clothes they came in every day. So messy play is always done in the mornings.

[AmyKidsCo]

I don't do laundry for the dck, but if you don't mind doing it and it makes you feel better about your program and the kids getting messy, why not? I'm sure the parents would appreciate it.