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Mud & Bloom Nature Box Review

February 21, 2018 by Rosie 7 Comments

We love getting close up with nature in our family. Our kids (like most children!) are happiest in the outdoors. Little M knows more about plants than I do! We also LOVE to get creative and do crafty things. So we were thrilled when Mud & Bloom got in touch and asked us if we would like to try out their gardening and nature craft monthly subscription boxes.

Mud & Bloom subscription boxes are monthly boxes that have everything you need to encourage your children to connect with nature. Each box contains a gardening activity and a nature craft – plus instructions, quizzes and games aimed at teaching children all about nature and gardening.

So how did we get on?

We were very excited to open February’s box! The box had two planting activities, a pebble painting kit and facts and quizzes about wildlife in February. I love that all of the activities come with a simple, clear to follow instruction card – these are fun and brightly coloured too.

First of all we read some facts about wildlife in February – this was so helpful as a parent and has made me more observant with the children when we have been out and about. Then we got stuck into the activities!

Planting Seeds

First up, was planting tomatoes and basil!

Now although I love the outdoors, I’m afraid I’m not very green fingered! Growing plants scares me a little, as I always think it is going to be very complicated! It’s such an important thing for children to see where food comes from though. I’ve been wanting to start some little gardening projects with the kids for a while, but always put it off as until recently we didn’t have a garden. The Mud & Bloom box made it simple and easy to start doing some little planting projects together. It gave me a little push to get started!

In the box we received everything we needed to plant some basil and tomato seeds. The instructions were so simple and went through it all step by step. I was also able to tell the children some facts about tomatoes and basil and felt like a real expert! This was such a help, I wouldn’t have had a clue otherwise!

First of all we had to place some little compost pellets into some warm water to let them expand. The kids were mesmerised! They sat and watched the pellets for a good few minutes!

Then we planted the seeds in the compost and put them in a sunny window sill. All we needed was a couple of empty yoghurt pots (which I think most people have!) You can also use empty egg boxes. The kit contained everything we needed to plant the tomato and the basil seeds.

I’m so excited to watch the seeds grow together and will report back on our progress on Facebook and Instagram! The kids were so excited about the idea of growing ingredients for their own food – especially as both tomato and basil can be found in pizza! 😉

February’s Flowers

Next up, we went out and about to spot some February flowers.

We managed to spot some wild primrose just out in our garden and saw some daffodils starting to poke through too. Again, the fact card was so simple and easy to follow – and I love that it had an interactive checklist. We all learned about which flowers we might see and are now on the prowl to find some more… I think we’ll need to go on a trip to find some snow drops!

We also had a little go at the February quiz – we learned that some animals are still hibernating, but that lots of wildlife is starting to appear ready for spring.

Pebble Painting

Our final activity was pebble painting. I was especially excited about this one as a ‘Rock Hunting’ group has just started in our area. Both the kids love being creative – we were excited to collect and paint our own pebbles and rocks ready for hiding!

The great thing about rock painting is you can just go wild and use your imagination – anything goes! Plus any age can have a go. It can be as easy or as complex as you like. Our Mud & Bloom box contained a lovely set of acrylic paints and a brush to paint our pebbles with. We all got stuck in and came up with an assortment of painted pebbles!

Little M also had the idea to stick some leaves and goggly eyes into some of his pebbles for further effect!

We are going to add some varnish to some of the pebbles to protect them from the elements. Then we are ready to go out and hide them!

We loved our Mud & Bloom nature box and would recommend them to other families. Mud & Bloom boxes make doing nature activities together simple and straight forward – all in a handy little box that comes through your letter box!

Mud & Bloom have kindly offered a huge discount for Little Fish readers. Use the code LITTLEFISH50 to get a a whopping 50% of your first box! For a limited time, so do head on over!

The boxes encouraged me to help my children connect with nature, in ways that I might not otherwise do. I learnt a lot myself too! Through our little planting activities, we have already found a new love of gardening! I’m excited to try out more nature activities and test out our nature observation skills on our next outdoor adventure!

Find out more about the Mud & Bloom gardening and nature craft boxes and get your discount now! Will you give them a try?

Disclosure: We have received Mud & Bloom boxes for the purposes of this review. All opinions are honest and our own.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Caroline

    February 23, 2018 at 7:13 am

    This looks brilliant and a great idea for the kids to learn about growing and gardening x

    Reply
  2. Kelly-Anne

    February 23, 2018 at 9:31 am

    This looks like such a good idea and I really want to explore more with my little lady. I want to do some of those rocks to take part in the Norfolk Rocks!

    Reply
  3. Watanabe

    February 24, 2018 at 9:20 pm

    Thank you for your support! We love you too!

    Reply
  4. Train

    February 25, 2018 at 6:31 pm

    Rosie, thank you for this post. Its very inspiring.

    Reply
  5. Cal at Family Makes

    February 26, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    This is absolutely fabulous! It has to be one of the best ideas for a subscription box I have ever seen. It has you written all over it! And us too for that matter! I love it!

    Reply
  6. Rahul

    March 1, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    I also appreciated the picture of the little pebbles. While reading the comment the first thing that popped in my head was “What to they look like? How can I tell the difference between a lentil and a pebble? Will they look the same? Then low and behold you gave us a picture. You “have done this before!

    Reply
  7. Emma

    March 2, 2018 at 1:10 pm

    Oh this looks like a fab box for children, educational but also lots of fun!

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Rosie!

Lover of tea on the beach and avid recycler!

I’m here to help you, with sweet and simple ideas to inspire your children.

Art, crafts, creative play and a splash of nature. Let’s get creative, the simple way!

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Sweet and simple ideas to inspire kids. 👩‍🎨
Art | Crafts | Nature
Lover of tea on the beach and avid recycler! 🐚🐠🐳 ❤️

Rosie
Don’t you just love when a crafty project double Don’t you just love when a crafty project doubles as something useful??
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You can turn this easy Christmas tree stencil idea into simple gift wrap! 
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Get your children printing and decorating Christmas trees on a sheet of parcel paper. You’ll keep them busy and creative, then can wrap gifts for the grandparents or friends in the paper! 
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This year, more than ever, people will really appreciate the small, personal things that you do for them. Things that are made, thought about and given with love. ❤️ Have a think about how you can make someone feel special this year. The simple ideas are always the best!
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Are you planning to add a personal touch to gifts and cards this year? Have you made gift wrap with your children before?
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Joining in with @makemerryandcreate @littlelion_mom @playwithmamma and #makeyourchristmascrafts
Wow, it’s been a while! I took a bit of a soci Wow, it’s been a while! 

I took a bit of a social media break, as life took over. As it does from time to time. So taking the time to say hello to you all again.👋 

I’m Rosie and I love to share simple ideas to inspire kids to get arty, crafty and creative. 🎨 

I also 💚the outdoors and try to share this love of nature in many of my projects. 🌲 

This is me and my crew, back in October on my 40th birthday! A beautiful beachy day. 🏝 

Since then we’ve bought a house, moved and had one kiddo in isolation for 14 days 🤪- hence the radio silence. 

A break has helped me ditch the overwhelm and simplify my priorities. But now, I’m so ready to start getting creative again and bring on all the festive vibes! 🎄

When life gets overwhelming, don’t be afraid to step back and focus only on the things that are important. Take a breath, get outdoors and then reprioritise, one step at a time. ❤️

How are you doing with lockdowns, winter and festive preparation? What helps you step back and reprioritise?
What is your lasting memory of this past few month What is your lasting memory of this past few months with your kids?

For me it’s been bike rides and making things together. 🖍 ✂️ 
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Funny how our minds gloss over the stresses of home school and lack of ‘me time’ 🤣
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I’ve not been on social media much lately - I’ve been making the most of the end of summer, adjusting to the ‘new normal’ and figuring out what is next for me now that my littlest has started school. 😊
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One thing I am doing is starting to sort through the pile of creations 🖼 (and clutter too!) in the house. It’s reminding me of all the lovely things we have done together (even when mum guilt sometimes tells me otherwise) and helping to clear my mind too. ❤️
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If you’re feeling a little lost at the moment I can recommend a good sort out as a starting point! @whatkatysaiduk is a wonderful inspiration on decluttering. 🥰
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Are your children back at school, or are you still in the thick of homeschool? 
Anyone else swamped with projects from this year?! I’d love any ideas on how you like to organise art work!
(Press trip) Do you have a Dino fan in your family (Press trip) Do you have a Dino fan in your family?
We had a roarr-some time at @roarr_dinosauradventure in Norfolk last weekend.
With dinosaur trails, a splash zone, Jurassic putt and much more we all had an amazing family day. I was really impressed with the social distancing and safety measures in place too. Full review to follow soon!
Have you been on any fun family days out recently?
Is home school still happening in your family?! Af Is home school still happening in your family?! After 12 weeks of lockdown we’ve ditched ‘home school’ for ‘life school.’ So far the kids have made and decorated their own cakes, helped do laundry, vacuum and mop. 🧼 Plus lots of free play, projects and learning about topics they are interested in - mainly dinosaurs! 🦖 🦕 
I feel so much more relaxed for letting go of formal work! (Let’s face it there wasn’t much of it happening anyway...😬) But I was still pressuring myself mentally and it was starting to create power struggles (with my eldest very spirited child!) When you start doing things that you and the children are motivated to do it takes the pressure off everyone. And the miracle is that’s when the real learning happens! 🌟 
My son has even written about his fossil collection - a change from tearing my hair out to get him to write! The kids have played more independently too, as I’ve ‘left them to it’ more. Plus - the house is even starting to look just a little bit cleaner! 🧹

So if home school is just not happening anymore, I’d recommend doing an Elsa and just ‘Let it Goooo’. Swap it for ‘life school’ and I guarantee the kids will be learning equally valuable lessons. 💡Just do what works for your family. ❤️ Are you still home schooling? Do you feel like you’re trying to ‘do it all’? Or have you embraced a more flexible approach?

I’d love to hear any ideas you have that we could try? My kids love dinosaurs and creative things. Plus I’m trying to encourage independent playing and helping in the house, so all ideas welcome! 💡
Sleeping with her babies. 👶🏻👶🏾❤️
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I’ve been listening to black voices over the last few days. Thinking about the BLM movement and ways I can do more. I wasn’t sure whether to share, but I’ve learned it’s better to speak than to say nothing.
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I’ve always thought of myself as someone who embraces diversity. I’ve travelled, met and befriended people of all colours, nationalities and religions. As a teacher I’ve valued each child’s individuality, as well as seeing them all as equals. I try to encourage my children to be kind to all others.
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But I realise this is NOT enough. I need to do more. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last week it’s that - we have to take ACTION against racism. It’s not enough to just ‘not be racist’, we have to be ANTI racist to make a change.
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So what action do I commit to do?
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•Listen - keep listening to black people’s stories and struggles.
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•Educate - myself and my children further. Read books that spark CONVERSATIONS with my children and others. Keep learning and keep trying to do better.
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•Amplify - promote black voices, especially those in the fields of education and children.
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If you’re a mama or a teacher and wondering how you can take ACTION against racism, I’d really recommend taking a look at @readlikearockstar and @apron_education - they have some brilliant resources to share with your kids. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Do you talk about racism with your kids? How are you taking action against racism?
#blackouttuesday #iamlistening #blackouttuesday #iamlistening
Do your children ever say that they are 'bored'? 😑 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Children are the masters of their own creativity. 🖼 Given the time and space, children will think of ideas that will never fail to surprise you!
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But sometimes we all have moments when we're at a loose end - children included. A little inspiration can go a long way. 💡 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Try putting some ideas for play and projects into a jar or box, ready for when inspiration is needed. 📦 You could include some of your ideas and some of your children's ideas. 👶 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To start you off I have a FREE PRINTABLE with 40 simple ideas to inspire your children’s creativity! Grab your printable from my bio - print and cut! You're ready for when boredom strikes! 🙌 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Do your children ever get bored? How do you try to inspire them?
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