Mud & Bloom

Mud + Bloom is a monthly subscription box full of seasonal activities, materials and ideas to inspire and encourage children to connect with nature. Boxes are recommended for ages 3-8 and are delivered through your letterbox at the beginning of each month. Each box contains everything you need for four planting, exploration and crafting projects as well as quizzes and activities designed to teach children about seasons, plants, insects, birds, soil and rainfall.

Every box includes monthly nature news (July’s news included information about minibeasts, birds and the ‘Tree of the Month’ – the sycamore), a quiz and an eye-spy type activity encouraging children to spot different types of butterflies.All seeds are certified organic and biodynamic. Plus, Mud & Bloom provide organic peat-free compost pellets to enable subscribers to get planting immediately, even if you don’t have a garden! Activities have been created by qualified teachers and support the national curriculum with influence from Forest School, Steiner and Montessori education.

This month’s activities included –

Make your own… jam jar nature xylophone – This activity included instructions for creating a simple musical instrument and experimental sounds using stones, shells, leaves and other nature finds.

Make your own… butterfly feeder – Together we constructed a simple butterfly feeder using the template provided, filling it with small pieces of fresh fruit and decorating it using the paints provided.

Make your own… butterfly mask – Penny decorated her own mask using the leaves, flowers and petals.

Grow your own… radishes and sweet williams – Penny absolutely loved planting. I’m not very ‘green-fingered’, however, the instructions are detailed yet very easy to understand and follow. We recycled her old Peppa Pig yogurt pots and she loved pouring water onto the soil pellets and watching them absorb the water and grow.

There are a selection of high-quality materials provided including a paintbrush, twine, flower-shaped butterfly feeder, a selection of gouache paints, a gluestick, butterfly mask template, plant labels, seeds and organic peat-free compost pellets. Children are also encouraged to forage for natural materials and upcycle containers such as egg cartons and yogurt pots.

Our score: 9.4/ 10

This month's box was packed with fun and educational activities. The Mud & Bloom nature and crafts box is wonderful at helping families to connect with nature. I was vey impressed with the quality of paints provided and the selection of activities included. Plus, I appreciate how they encouraged my child to be more nurturing and respectful towards nature and the world we live in.

How would you rate Mud & Bloom ?