Dear Friends,
During childhood, we used to play cricket in open grounds. Though I was not a good sportsman, I used to judiciously participate. Considering my weight, my team used to call me David Boon, the former Australian opening batsman. Every time, I used to be given the same opening status, but I used to disappoint them! However, I never lost the spirit.
More than the play itself, I used to enjoy the open ground, the company, the pre- and post-play preparation, and the entertainment. In those days, we did not have the concept of carrying a water bottle. If we were thirsty, we used to go to a nearby well at any construction site, draw water using the nearby bucket, and drink. Sometimes, rain comes suddenly, but we used to finish the game in the mud! Mud used to be our soap if we happened to touch any notorious plants!
Why am I sharing my old mud memories in this Saturday’s story? Yes, there is a significance.
I observe the current generation of kids and their behaviour in high rise societies. Many kids come with sophisticated shoes and play on clean cement playgrounds. Even if they play on regular grounds, they still ensure that mud does not touch their feet or hands. Another set of kids is getting glued to virtual games. They sit next to each other and play online, fighting with each other! This is the most pathetic scene.
Finland is known for its education system and child development. Finland discovered that while hyper-sanitized, synthetic playgrounds prevent physical injuries, their lack of natural dirt and biodiversity deprives children of essential microbes needed to build healthy immune systems.
Modern playgrounds rely heavily on rubber mats and synthetic turf to maximize safety and simplify maintenance. However, these artificial surfaces create sterile environments that eliminate dirt, mud, and plants, effectively isolating children from natural ecosystems. Without regular exposure to organic soil, children miss out on beneficial environmental bacteria that are crucial for proper immune system calibration.
To address this concern, researchers in Finland conducted an experiment to rewild urban daycare centres by replacing synthetic ground cover with real forest-floor elements, including soil, grass, shadow shrubs, and moss. In these naturalized settings, children were encouraged to interact directly with nature by digging in real dirt, planting vegetation, and playing daily with organic materials.
The results demonstrated immediate biological and behavioural benefits. Within just 28 days, children playing on natural soil showed significantly higher skin and gut microbial diversity, as well as improved immune system markers that help protect against allergies and autoimmune conditions.
Furthermore, navigating the natural, uneven terrain promoted holistic growth, markedly improving the children’s motor skills, emotional regulation, and imaginative play compared to traditional flat, synthetic surfaces.
If you observe kids in rural settings, they spend a lot of time in the mud and uneven surfaces. Their immunity levels are going to be high as they grow. They manage life easily.
We stopped giving children mud toys. In our childhood, during Jagannath Rath Yatra, many stalls used to sell clay toys. We used to buy the whole mud kitchen crockery set and play with it. Nowadays, it has completely stopped!
One systematic review confirms that unstructured play in natural environments improves social skills, imaginative play, emotional self-regulation, and resilience compared to structured, artificial play structures.
Mud Is Not Always Dirty!
Ravi Saripalle
