I S S U E 0 9 - G re a t O u td o o r s
family business run from the kitchen table to a studio space in central Bristol with a community of over 40 part-time staff and contributors.
WHAT WAS IT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO LAUNCH MUD & BLOOM?
CONNECTING CHILDREN WITH NATURE Anja French, mum of three and founder of Mud & Bloom nature subscription boxes, speaks to Georgina Probert about the benefits of doing nature craft and gardening activities with your kids.
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aunching in December 2017, while she was pregnant with her third child, Mud & Bloom is the brainchild of Anja French from Bristol. The monthly seasonal subscription boxes are made with kids aged three to eight mind, with activities created by qualified teachers, and aim to foster a love of nature in children. Anja explains: “We encourage respect for nature, but we also encourage children to get their hands
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dirty, to pick flowers and bring items home with them. We know that children learn and connect better when they engage all their senses. I definitely believe a connection with nature is essential if we want our children to grow up caring about, and willing to protect, the natural world.” Mud & Bloom has sent out more than 200,000 boxes since it launched. The company has gone from strength to strength following 18 months of lockdowns, growing from a small
We were living in London, I was working full time and I had a long commute, so the time I had with my two young sons was precious and I didn't have hours to spend preparing activities. I wanted to do fun things with my kids and was subscribing to craft boxes, which were great, as you could do an activity together without having to prepare anything. I was really surprised there was nothing out there that was connecting children to nature or that was eco friendly. So that gave me the idea to set up Mud & Bloom.
WHY DO YOU THINK CONNECTING WITH NATURE IS SO IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN?
I feel that it's really important that children are connected to nature for all sorts of reasons: for their own mental health and, in the longer term, for them to protect the environment later in life. If they've been brought up loving nature, they're more likely to care for it later on. I think there's more and more disconnect, especially in cities, of children knowing about nature and being out in nature. It's something I feel very passionate about.
CAN PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN A CITY AND DON'T HAVE A GARDEN STILL DO THE ACTIVITIES?
Yeah, absolutely. In each box, we provide planting activities and at least two nature craft activities. These involve going out to a local park or just down your street and picking up conkers, acorns or leaves and twigs, and then bringing them home to do the activity. You don't have to have a garden or large outside space to be able to do them. www.FamilyFirst.co.uk
