The end of winter, the start of spring. Whatever you call this shoulder season time of year, snowmelt and welcome torrents of rain mean mud. On the car, in the car, on clothes, between toes, matted in fur, clumped in hair, muddy mud everywhere.

The first tip for surviving mud season with kids is to embrace the ooze. As you watch your children squishing and squelching through the muck, you’ll undoubtedly think, How will I ever get them clean again? Tell yourself the effort of cleaning up after a muddy romp is more minor than trying to keep kids out of the mud to begin with. And the memories! The dirt-caked, soil-soaked memories you’ll make as you and the little ones wallow in the dirt.

Before we plunge into how to make mud your bud, know that letting your kids cake themselves in earth’s frosting is good for them. Teton Science School (TSS), which offers place-based education in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley, celebrates all things muck in a blog post called Why Kids (Still) Need Mud. TSS says that in addition to enhancing gut health and strengthening immune systems, “The open-ended nature of mud allows children to explore freely without worrying about making mistakes.”

Before kids take a gleeful flying leap into a giant mud puddle, get suited up. Muddy Buddy brand suits are waterproof hooded coveralls for year-round play that come in sizes 12 months to 5T and are machine washable. Bigger kids can stay warm and dry in a lined jacket and slush or splash pants, or any other garment that is waterproof or highly water repellent. Pair the getup with rain boots, and you’re good to go. Depending on temperatures, you may be able to plow through the mud in snow gear. And if it’s too hot for any of that, consider letting kids splish and splash in bathing suits and bare feet.

Mud fun at home provides a ton of options for creative-based play. Many a mountain kid has spent hours whipping up creations in a mud kitchen. All it takes to set up your own kitchen is a few nonprecious utensils, bowls, and cups, and leave the recipes to the kiddos. Pretend to sink your teeth into thick mud pies topped with a sprinkle of pine needles and a hearty mud soup featuring bits of pinecones and a rocky aftertaste.

Provide a few sheets of paper so kids can create a muddy memory by “painting” with mud. Little ones can squish out handprints while older kids use nature’s paintbrushes—sticks, grass blades, etc.—to create detailed pictures. Kids can also experiment with coloring the mud by crushing leaves and flowers to create an artist’s palette of rainbow hues.

Mud season is a great time to head to the trails, especially since many of the non-mountain folk prefer to keep their pristine hiking boots, well, pristine. And when hiking, tromping through the mud is actually the right thing to do. WildKind, a membership program that offers hands-on experiences and virtual courses for families who want to be more outdoorsy, reminds us, “DO NOT walk around the mud; stay on the trail.” Even a few footprints to avoid mud can cause trails to “dramatically widen.” Kids might be delighted when you direct them to splash through, but WildKind says, on hikes, “Limit playtime in the mud,” as it “creates even deeper gullies and wider depressions on a trail.”

Eventually, to the sound of negotiations and protests, it will be time to clean up. This is when TSS reminds parents, “It’s called the mudroom for a reason.” But try to lessen the mess before you even cross the threshold. Remove and hose rinse outer layers and boots. And though you may feel the need to get the rest of the mud-caked clothing soaking or in the wash asap, hang it outside and let the dirt dry. Once it’s more crust than mud, “dry scrub” the clothing by simply rubbing the clothes together to knock off the dried mud. Often, dry scrubbing removes so much of the dried mud, you won’t have to wash outer garments like slush pants or jackets, and you’ll keep your pipes clean of mud globs for the items that do need to be washed.

So the next time your little one runs for an ooey-gooey mucky puddle, take a deep breath and tell them to go for it. No one wants to be an old stick-in-the-mud anyway.