I am always looking for something to do with my kids or to keep them busy on those "rainy days." So one thing that we've come up with is a "Rainy Day Survival Kit." With all you "crafty" women out there, it shouldn't be hard for y'all to put one together!
To start with you need a plastic storage container or something of the sort to store all your goodies in! Below is a list of things to help you get started…
- Paper plates
- Paints & paintbrushes
- Sponges
- Scissors
- Tape-masking/scotch
- Glue
- Colored yarn/string
- Construction Paper
- Regular white paper
- Tissue paper
- Colored Markers
- Hole punch
- Assortment of cardboard things: boxes, toilet paper/paper towel tubes, etc.
- Assortment plastic things: bottle lids, pen lids, plastic containers w/ lids, etc.
- Buttons (assortment)
- Googley Eyes
- Popsicle Sticks
- Toothpicks
- Glitter
- Pipecleaners
- Ribbons/Fabric scraps
Basically just let you imagination go wild & run with it! Continue to add to your kit from time to time, so you are ready when the time comes. You can pick a theme or just let the kids use their imaginations & see what they come up with!
Another thing you might like, is Fun-Dough. Get the kids involved & make this together.
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 cups water
4 tablespoon oil
½ cup cream of tartar
Add food coloring or a package of unsweetened drink mix to give it color.
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook and stir over low/medium head until dough is completely formed and no longer sticky. Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container or zip-sealing bag.
Another thing we've enjoyed here is a "rainy-day" picnic. We make lunch, lay out a blanket in the living room (or an enclosed patio) sit outside at the picnic table, enjoy listening to the rain & have lunch. Once we're done with lunch we put on our rain gear, take our paperplates, put a few drops of food-coloring on them & head out into the rain for water-painting. We've found that a sturdy, rimmed paper plate works best. You can either hold the plate or set it down on the lawn, & let the painting begin. A light sprinkle will create a memory of vivid color & a lesson in color mixing, where a downpour will create a moment of excitement, before washing the plate clean.
***Note: We have also done the above activity during sunny skies. Instead of rain gear & rain, we had on swimsuits & used a sprinkler.
Loading ...
Great tips! Living in the Pacific Northwest, where rain is the norm 7-9 months out of the year, we would use the "rainy day kit" all the time! We get used to being out in the rain, and have developed lots of outside things to do also — puddle stomping, hunting for worms, looking for rainbows (if the sun is out at the same time), even taking walks and going to the park. Boots and rain coats are favorite clothes of my children, and hot chocolate and cinnamon toast warms everyone up when it's time to come inside.
what great ideas! we do the picnic on the livingroom floor every now and then. my daughter loves it.
We actually had a "rainy day picnic" today – hot chocolate and muffins, on a plastic tablecloth on the kitchen floor. I have to admit, living in the Pacific NW…we get more rainy days than sunny ones, this time of year…so we're more likely to have a "sun break kit"! A warm coat, hat, gloves, snacks…all next to the stroller, ready to hit the road the SECOND the sun peeks out!
That's a great idea!
Our winters are rainy not snowy…looooooong rainy season. This will come in handy!