Face Painting with Mud

Yesterday while I was talking to a parent at the end of the day, I turned to see a group of preschoolers putting mud on their faces with sticks. My first thought was, "Oh no, it's the end of the day and they are going to get mud all over their bodies." But then, I looked closer and noticed how meticulous they were being with the sticks and mud. So after checking in with the group about it, I became a curious observer of this process occurring in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

I noticed as the preschoolers took small sticks and held them as they would typically hold a paint brush. They dipped the sticks in a pot of mud and gently touched the end of the sticks to their faces, rubbing slowly and precisely, making patterns by memory.

I then watched as more Preschoolers walked over to the "face painting" area, but were unsure about how to put the mud on their faces. A couple of the preschoolers quickly stepped in with their mudded sticks and carefully spread the mud on their friend's faces.  

It was a joyous moment of togetherness and shared love for becoming someone else as the mud touched their faces.

They ran around the back yard together, moving under the tree to apply more mud. Once their mud faces were complete, they ran to the "Ice Cream Club House" to have a moment of celebration in their shared painted mud face love.