Looks Like Rain - 5 Rainy Day Activities to Enjoy With Your Kids!

We've been looking at the long term weather forecast and although there are still many nice days to look forward to we recognize that we're slowly going to become more and more housebound as the weeks go by.  As much as we enjoy watching endless hours of loud cartoon programming on a loop, it's a lot more fun to try to engage our imaginations together.  It's also a great way to avoid having to say things to your kids like, "Only boring people get bored." or "Being bored builds character".

Here are Five Rainy Day Activities to Enjoy & Help you Forget That it isn't July Anymore.

Form a Rock Band
Grab whatever musical instruments you have (toys or real) and get the "band" back together!  Don't want to sacrifice your own guitar?  Put together a pretend drum kit using pots and pans.  For older kids you could teach them about musical glass.  You can come up with a band name (visit Band Name Maker to get some fun suggestions and vote on the best one), make posters together or even work out a dance routine and go the karaoke route.

Build the Ultimate Pillow Fort
Remember how awesome forts were when you were a kid?  Fatherly provides some input and ideas on potential materials, information on the three basic types of forts and encourages you to "think like an architect" to help make your forts epic.

Make Some Cloud Dough
You can buy kits, or have your own sandbox indoors using a homemade recipe.  To learn how this worked for us this past spring click here.

Indoor "Spring" Cleaning, Kid Style
Favourite toys get dirty.  Well loved stuffed animals (or stuffies as we call them at our house) need some TLC too.  Try having an indoor toy/ toy car wash or opening up a Stuffed Animal Hospital where you can stitch up loose buttons and seams. Be sure to have plenty of band aids and lollys available for Mr. Bear.  To learn more click here.

Go Indoor Fishing in the Bath Tub
Get some toys from your local dollar store, attach magnets and build your own rods (suggested materials, string, paperclip "hooks" and a wooden spoon).

What are the best indoor activities you've come up with on a rainy day?

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Octopuses Garden

This spring our yard looks like the gopher from Caddyshack won.  Each year we forge an uphill battle against an aggressive weed that is seeking dominance in our yard, we call her Audrey, spending hours trying to keep her at bay .  We know that it will take a lot of work over the next few weeks to get our garden planting ready and our backyard summer ready.  We also need to get things done with our little toddler "helpers" close at hand.  Below are some tricks and techniques to help entertain little ones while you clean up your yard and actually get work done.  This weekend we were able to clear our yard of five giant garden bags worth of sticks, weeds and rubble, all while the minions were in the yard beside us.

10 Ways to Get Yard Work Done With Toddlers

1. Set out a multiple course picnic that features their favourite foods. Raspberries, granola bars, Watermelon...anything they love that will distract them.
2. Suggest that they pick all of the yellow flowers (dandelions), preferably by the root (they totally won't do this) and then put them in a bowl.
3. When the confines of a gated yard just isn't enough, strap them into a swing and push them every few minutes while you work.
4. Never underestimate the power of simple games like catch or kicking a ball back and forth while you work.
5. Side Walk Chalk.
6. Set up a toy car wash - here's how.
7. Give them assignments: collecting all the little sticks and putting them into a garden bag or collecting random rocks around the yard so you won't run them over while you mow the grass are helpful and time consuming tasks.
8. Let them pick out a plant of their own to water and care for.
9. Know when to divide and conquer.  Certain tasks, say painting picnic tables, are best tackled during nap time or during TV time.
10. Be prepared for some short shifts and sometimes frustrating shifts on yard work  They will undo some of your work, and that's okay - those topiary bushes that look like your family crest probably aren't going to happen this year.  Sometimes scheduling half an hour after work every day for the week is the only way to get things done.

Watching dad work from the top of her slide.

Bowl of dandelion heads.

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Dry the Rain

As spring weather of intermittent cold peppered with rain continues to downpour I struggle to find indoor appropriate activities for two plucky (bored and fighty) toddlers.  I'll spend afternoon coffee breaks Googling indoor activities to keep the stir-crazy levels to a slow mix rather than the full blown pulverize we get once the kids have been held in weather related house arrest for more than a day or two.

I got this idea when I was talking to my husband about one of his favourite annual childhood rainy day activities, Stuffed Animal Hospital.  Essentially Chris and his sister would go around their house and gather all of the stuffed toys that needed a little TLC (buttons sewn on, a trip through the washing machine, torn appendages fixed and so on).  They would diagnose the issues to the chief surgeon (mum) while she fixed them up.  It would entertain them for a few hours and their toys would come out in better repair. Win Win.

The minions aren't quite old enough to have completely destroyed stuffed toys (minus the stuffed giraffe who Molly ripped the leg off of), and I don't want them within a 100 metre radius of sewing needles*, although some of their other toys are getting pretty gross.  With Chris still suffering mid-flu-consumption I figured it was time for a little disinfection fun for everyone.

The TOY Wash
I used three large bowls (one for dirty toy storage, one for soapy water & one for rinsing), baby wash soap, some towels, a scrub brush, a pitcher for drying clean toys and a little imagination.  For older kids you could do this in the bath tub or in a kitchen sink.  After doing some research I also found this as a great outdoor activity on line at parentingeveryday that can be performed on bikes, toy cars or other outdoor play equipment.**

 Molly washing up
 

 Enter the scrub brush
 

 Enter the force of destruction (boy child)

Some Tips For Toy Wash Success:

• Depending on the age of your child(ren) you may want to be the one to distribute the toys to make sure that things don't get too crazy
• Be prepared to be the official toy scrubber and dryer while the kids play in the water
• Don't fill the bowls too full, or let your child (err Jack) pick up the bowls and dump them on the ground
• Have a change of dry clothes on hand for after the event (or time right before bath time)
• Choose your toys carefully (make sure they can be washed) and dry them well to prevent rotting or damage***
• Have your children remove their shoes and socks before you begin the toy wash, otherwise you'll spend the next morning before daycare with little shoes and a hairdryer

Shiny Happy Toys

For another indoor toddler activity I tried recently click here

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*I can only imagine the carnage that would bring.
**My kitchen floor needed a good washing so I decided to brave the mess and embrace the chaos.
***Chris is still bitter about his ruined Lego from childhood Lego boat experiments.  Apparently it was never the same.