Bringing Outdoor Play Indoors in United Arab Emirates: Mud as a Powerful Binding Element

Play and learning in the outdoors have been long-standing features of early years care and education. Unfortunately, children around the world no longer have sufficient opportunities for outdoor play for a variety of reasons. In the United Arab Emirates, climatic constraints limit outdoor play for 6 months of the year. One group of preservice teachers decided to find solutions and suggested that outdoor learning could be brought into the classroom. This article explores a creative way teachers can encourage children to be active, well-rounded, and engaged citizens.