Fun Outdoor Kids Activities for Rainy Days
Walk in the Rain, Make Mud, Rain Painting, Rainy Day Animal Behavior
Dec 28, 2008
Rainy days are a fact of life, but they don't need to stop you from exploring outdoors. Some time after the one hundredth verse of "Rain, Rain, Go Away," you may decide that it's worth it to head outside in the rain. Here are some ideas to help take advantage of your rainy day outdoor explorations.
Get the Right Wet Weather Clothing
Rainy days are only fun when you have the right clothing to keep you warm and dry. Make sure that you have a warm and weather-proof hat. Most of the heat in your body leaves through your head, so a cold head means cold fingers and toes. A rain jacket and proper boots are a must, with warm socks that cuddle your child's toes. Rain boots can be cold! Finally, remember the rain pants. Use them to cover the tops of the rain boots so water does not drip into the boots. Covering yourself with wet weather clothing will make your time outdoors much more pleasant.
Prepare The Snacks
Small children have big appetites. Stock up on snacks that are easy to carry and filling. If you are going to be outdoors for a while, it's important to add fat and protein into the mix, since they help you feel and stay full for longer. Trail mix can be made with different proportions of seeds, nuts, and dried fruit to suit your family's preferences. Fruit is easy to carry, and it is simple to slice an apple and bring a dip such as tahini. Bread cubes with slices of cheese also work well. A thermos of warm herbal tea or warm milk is a lifesaver when little hands begin to get cold. The key to preschool outdoor snacks is low mess, low packing, and low preparation.
Get Outdoors and Jump In
Now that you're well dressed and fed, you're ready for outdoor adventure! Find a safe and quiet street with some deep and muddy puddles. Squish your boots in the mud, then splash away. To preschoolers who are about to dive in, be sure to mention puddle splashing etiquette – those around you may not want to be splashed, so be conscious of where they are when you jump!
Make Mud
Tiptoe around the sides of little rivers and puddles and squish your boots into the soil. Wiggle them to make mud. Then bring the experiment indoors if you dare. A little soil from a garden, some sand, some water and a jar and children can make mud inside and out.
Become a Water Detective
Find out where the water goes. Follow a small stream down a street to a storm drain, or discover a small lake or a giant puddle. This can be the beginning of a larger exploration of your neighbourhood, to larger streams or to an estuary where hidden drains emerge into the water. If the water goes underground, try to find out where it goes. Municipalities will have a list of the drains and their entrances and exits.
Get Artistic With the Rain
Do rain painting. If you find a promising puddle and have an outdoor covered area, catch some of the rain in containers and bring it in. Give the children giant brushes and let them paint an area with water. Or bring containers outdoors and see what the rain sounds like when it slaps into the front and back of them. Find metal containers and place them beside the corner of a building for the biggest noise.
Find Out What Do Animals Do When It Rains
Look for animals who are hiding from the rain. If you are near a park or in a garden, look under leaves, on bark, and in holes. If you are on an urban street, look under overhangs and on the sides of buildings. You will find spiders, moths, and many birds hiding from the rain. If you live near the ocean, you may also find a flock of damp seagulls sitting on lamp posts or on the grass of a field, waiting for the rain to stop.
Get outside and explore on a rainy day. Soon the woes of cabin fever will stop, and you'll be singing in the rain.
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