It’s Mud Season! Kids and Cows Benefit from Outdoor Time

Along with rain and melting snow, as the earth comes back to life in spring, comes mud. Lots of thick, gooey, stick-to-your-boots mud. Embrace it!

It’s a time to tread lightly on hiking and biking trails and prepare for unexpected messes. At Organic Valley, cows in cold-weather climates eagerly await the first signs of fresh green grass, much like children get excited when finding a big puddle to splash in.

Farmers look forward to sending their cows off to fresh pastures. Cows have access to the outdoors all year, but springtime is special. Many Organic Valley farmers say seeing cows go to fresh pasture for the first time in spring is their favorite holiday!

Farmers, cows, kids (and humans in general) have something in common — they benefit from outdoor time. We believe cows are a lot like kids — the more time spent outside, the better.

So, why not go out into the big, muddy world and let the kids play? Maybe they’ll practice writing with a stick, count rocks or make a nature-inspired mud pie. When they come inside from all this play, gather around the kitchen (after a bath), make real protein-packed mud pies and talk about their adventures. We have a kid-approved mud pie recipe for you later in this article.

Benefits of Letting Kids Play Outdoors

First, let’s talk about the importance of getting outside — physically and mentally.

Letting the kiddos play in mud may seem like a bad idea, but like outdoor play in general, it provides stimulating textures, smells and an outlet for creativity.

Outdoor time impacts each child in their own way. While one child may be content looking for an acorn, another may enjoy hands-on activities with friends. It’s a time for imagination to run wild and to connect with nature. There are benefits from all types of outdoor play.

“Physical activity is the main component of well-being,” said Madelyn Miller, Organic Valley well-being coordinator and mom of two. She is passionate about the benefits of outdoor play. “Rocks, sticks and wood chips; there is so much they can do! Children need to function in unstructured environments.”

Children ages 6 to 17 need at least an hour of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children ages 3 to 5 should be active throughout the day. If you need ideas for how to spend more time outdoors with your family, there are lots of free resources available online.

Higher Levels of Fitness

No doubt about it — outside time increases a child’s fitness level as they are more active outdoors. They develop motor skills (ways the body uses muscles to perform tasks) through climbing, exploring and taking risks. They are inadvertently learning balance skills and problem-solving. All this activity promotes better bone and heart health, healthier weight and reduces the risk of depression.

At Organic Valley, like kids, we think cows deserve as much time outside as possible. Our cows spend every day of the grazing season, well, grazing! They log an average 191 days on pasture during the grazing season, surpassing the USDA Organic minimum of 120 days.

(Sorry to get off course. We often get wrapped up talking about our cows — they are like our kids. Let’s get back to the benefits for human kids.)

Along with motor development, outdoor time provides sensory stimulation. Children benefit from touching things and learning their composition. Take mud and dirt, for example. Children need to think about how to hold, scoop and mold it. Is it sticky or dusty or watery?

Don’t Forget the Vitamin D

There is another important reason to get out, breathe in fresh air and soak up the sun.

Along with 11 other essential nutrients, vitamin D is naturally present in cow’s milk. It promotes strong bones and teeth and may help with mood disorders. But you know what else helps your body produce vitamin D? Sunshine! Getting outside, especially during winter months in northern states, is important.

Vitamin D helps your child’s body absorb calcium and phosphorus from food. Prolonged vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, according to Mayo Clinic.

When kids are outside being adventurous, remember to prioritize sun safety. Watch out for sunburn and ensure they wear proper attire and sunscreen. The National Library of Medicine provides information on how much radiation your skin can handle by skin type, here.

Sweet Sounds and Stress Relief

Beyond playing, spending time in nature is soothing and relieves stress. The sounds of birds and buzzing bees may pique your child's interest and make them think of the magic in hearing an echo! These are great opportunities to learn about the wonders of nature while improving their mood.

When children are outside, they naturally find ways to keep themselves busy. They'll start projects and get things moving without guidance. It's OK if they get dirty; it's part of the fun. Highlight the positive aspects of outdoor play and encourage this mindset.

Educational and Social Benefits

Allowing children time to play freely can return positive results in the classroom, too, Miller said. Time spent in nature and increased fitness help children focus when they come indoors. It helps clear their little minds and free up space so they can sit down to read and learn, she said.

Outdoor time also provides a place for socialization and making friends. All that squishing, patting, splatting and laughing in the mud can be more exciting with companions, but it’s OK not to participate. We all need some “me” time.

"There is no textbook definition of a child,” Miller said.

Kids are not the only ones to benefit; spending time outdoors can be invigorating and help reduce stress for the whole family.

Need a little nudge to get the kids outside, download our nature-themed scavenger hunt and more.

The Joys of Getting Dirty

“I think there are good things about having dirt in your life,” Organic Valley farmer Cosette Henthorne said while watching her boys play in the mud on a windy March day. The Wisconsin farmer doesn’t have to coax her three boys outside; farming is an outdoor career, and they are happy to tag along and get dirty.

And don’t worry, it’s OK to get a little dirt in one’s mouth. We all inadvertently ingest some soil. 

One Cornell University study suggests eating small amounts of dirt may be beneficial and ACE Fitness reports that exposure to naturally occurring microbes in the environment helps build a good microbiome. We are not suggesting children intentionally eat dirt, as there are risks associated with ingesting contaminated soils. 

Of course, make sure the kiddos wash those tiny hands, toes, faces and everywhere in between when they are done in the mud!

Now, check out the tips to make mud pies — real and imagined.

Outdoor Mud Pie Recipe Tips — Inedible!

Ingredients

1. A little bit of earth
2. A little bit of water

Directions

1. Place a few handfuls of dirt in a bowl or on a wet, low space on the ground. A stainless-steel bowl or plastic tote works well.
2. Add water until you’ve achieved the desired consistency. Allow plenty of time for creativeness. Let children play until desired tiredness.
3. Mentally prepare for dirty clothes. Remove child's clothes. Fill bathtub with warm, soapy water. Add child and let them soak until skin is glowing.
4. Remove child, wrap in towel, remove towel, dress in fresh clothes and head to the kitchen to make cottage cheese mud pie.

Our cows may spend a lot of time outdoors, but we don’t encourage them to mosey around in mud. We move them from pasture to pasture to graze to promote new plant growth. All that green, organic pasture ensures a cow’s milk is sweet and loaded with nutrition, perfect for the cottage cheese in our outdoor-inspired treat.

Each serving of Organic Valley® Cottage Cheese packs 14 grams of protein, and we've crafted a mud pie recipe that includes it. Admittedly, cottage cheese might not be the flavor you're accustomed to when used as a substitute for common ingredients, but it's surprisingly tasty. For those who prefer a classic approach, try our Easy Organic Chocolate Dirt Pudding recipe, which only takes 10 minutes to make. Feeling adventurous? Give our mud pie a try!

Protein-Packed Mud Pie Recipe— Edible!

Start to finish: 10 minutes
Servings: 4-5

Ingredients
3 ounces (85 g) milk chocolate bar, chopped
2 cups (a 16-ounce tub) Organic Valley® Cottage Cheese 
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 chocolate cookies (Cadia makes an organic option)
5 sprigs of fresh mint

Directions
In a heatproof bowl, add the chopped milk chocolate and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each one to prevent burning.

Add the cottage cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and melted chocolate to a food processor. Process on high for 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture is smooth with no remaining visible cottage cheese chunks. If you want a richer chocolate flavor, double the amount of cocoa powder.

Transfer the pudding to small serving dishes and add crushed cookies on top.

Garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge and add cookies right before serving. The pudding will thicken a bit more after it’s chilled in the fridge.

Store extra pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.