By Shiela Watson
During the recent fires in our area, children were kept indoors due to the horrific air quality. Now we are entering the rainy season and parents have asked me for ideas for activities that they can plan at home to keep their children entertained without resorting to video games, TV, and computers.
There are tons of activities you can do on a rainy day! The activities below are just a tiny sliver of activities that I came up with that you can do. But, this should give you an idea…
--Play board games
--Build an indoor fortress
--Bring out the crafts supplies
--Read books to each other
--Go to a Museum
--Clean and organize the house
--Write stories together
--Bake cookies or a cake
--Have a scavenger hunt
--Go to the Library
--Make a home movie
--Have an indoor picnic
--Create and act out a play
--Start a family scrapbook
--Rearrange your child’s room
However, a rainy day does not mean you and the children have to stay inside.
There are many opportunities to play outside even on wet, cooler days. Seize the day, learn more about nature, experience the outdoors when it rains, and get wet and dirty. It is a whole new world out there when it rains. The earth changes color, it smells different, looks different and feels different. Try to share that with your kids.
Here are some facts about nature in rain to share with your curious preschooler:
--Bees cannot fly in the rain, neither can most flying insects.
--Earthworms come to the surface once the dirt is saturated.
--Birds do not like to fly when it is raining; they like to find shelter instead.
--Rain provides an excellent opportunity to explore science and the natural world with your children.
What kind of activities can you do with your children out in the rain? Here are a few ideas to inspire you:
--Take a wet, rainy walk - Make sure to take a few umbrellas, they are always fun!
--Jump in the puddles - Make a splash with your rubber boots!
--Let pots fill up with rain water and float things in it.
--Make some animals, dinosaurs and other toys out to get wet along with you. The animals can gather at the watering hole, discuss the importance of water for the survival of animals. Let the animals go swimming!
--Make roads in the mud with your diggers for your cars. Do some digging. Find a safe spot to dig some holes.
--Make a mud stew; add leaves, twigs and other bits of nature for flavor. Leaves and twigs float, yet rocks sink. What else can you find that floats and sinks?
--Measure it and pour it. Have a plastic container to catch the rainfall, and then measure how much you had. You can compare it to a weather website.
--You can pour the rain water, in different containers, add mud see what happens.
--Remember to come in before your children catch a chill. Being wet they will get cold faster. Once inside take a nice warm bubble bath, or change into clean, dry clothes and take away the chills. Don’t forget a nice cup of tea for you!
During the recent fires in our area, children were kept indoors due to the horrific air quality. Now we are entering the rainy season and parents have asked me for ideas for activities that they can plan at home to keep their children entertained without resorting to video games, TV, and computers.
There are tons of activities you can do on a rainy day! The activities below are just a tiny sliver of activities that I came up with that you can do. But, this should give you an idea…
--Play board games
--Build an indoor fortress
--Bring out the crafts supplies
--Read books to each other
--Go to a Museum
--Clean and organize the house
--Write stories together
--Bake cookies or a cake
--Have a scavenger hunt
--Go to the Library
--Make a home movie
--Have an indoor picnic
--Create and act out a play
--Start a family scrapbook
--Rearrange your child’s room
However, a rainy day does not mean you and the children have to stay inside.
There are many opportunities to play outside even on wet, cooler days. Seize the day, learn more about nature, experience the outdoors when it rains, and get wet and dirty. It is a whole new world out there when it rains. The earth changes color, it smells different, looks different and feels different. Try to share that with your kids.
Here are some facts about nature in rain to share with your curious preschooler:
--Bees cannot fly in the rain, neither can most flying insects.
--Earthworms come to the surface once the dirt is saturated.
--Birds do not like to fly when it is raining; they like to find shelter instead.
--Rain provides an excellent opportunity to explore science and the natural world with your children.
What kind of activities can you do with your children out in the rain? Here are a few ideas to inspire you:
--Take a wet, rainy walk - Make sure to take a few umbrellas, they are always fun!
--Jump in the puddles - Make a splash with your rubber boots!
--Let pots fill up with rain water and float things in it.
--Make some animals, dinosaurs and other toys out to get wet along with you. The animals can gather at the watering hole, discuss the importance of water for the survival of animals. Let the animals go swimming!
--Make roads in the mud with your diggers for your cars. Do some digging. Find a safe spot to dig some holes.
--Make a mud stew; add leaves, twigs and other bits of nature for flavor. Leaves and twigs float, yet rocks sink. What else can you find that floats and sinks?
--Measure it and pour it. Have a plastic container to catch the rainfall, and then measure how much you had. You can compare it to a weather website.
--You can pour the rain water, in different containers, add mud see what happens.
--Remember to come in before your children catch a chill. Being wet they will get cold faster. Once inside take a nice warm bubble bath, or change into clean, dry clothes and take away the chills. Don’t forget a nice cup of tea for you!
