Getting Your Children Outside Everyday: 5 Rainy Day Activities

Here in Minnesota, the snowy February has made way for a rainy March! This mom, who doesn’t usually complain about the weather, is pulling out her hair! I have found a silver lining. It smells like Spring! That gives me hope that this [cloudy, wet, cold weather] too shall pass.

Last fall, Aaron and Addy traded their muck boots for swimsuits.

Rainy days don’t have to keep your kids inside. It’s an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary. Last fall, Aaron and Addy traded their muck boots for swimsuits. On a particularly rainy day, our street was flooding as leaves clogged up the sewer drains. While Aaron cleaned out the leaves, Addy practiced her swimming strokes along the curb! Perhaps your kids won’t be swimming down the boulevard but a rainy day can be a great day to head outside.

There is a great website I check out regularly, Rhythms of Play: Raising Creative Nature-Loving Kids. On their front page it reads, “We believe in the magic of childhood, the power of the imagination, learning though play, and getting outside in all seasons.” There are so many great outdoor activity ideas covering a whole host of topics and seasons! Here are some of their Rainy Day Outdoor Activity Ideas.

1. Bathtub toys in puddles. Elevate puddle jumping and invite your child to bring out their bath or pool toys. Find puddles in a safe location and let your child get wet!
2. Rescue worms. As a child, I thought it my personal mission to make sure earthworms weren’t left stranded on a sidewalk after a rainstorm. As you take a walk, look for worms in distress. Put them back on the earth. Be quick about it so as not to hold them too long. Did you that if you hold a worm too long, it will die?!
3. Build a dam. Use stones, rocks, mud or anything else you have to create a damn wherever water is flowing. This is a wonderful STEM activity for kids. Addy has been noticing these little streams in neighbors yards as we walk to school. Here in Minnesota, home owners are digging byways and small culverts to help the large snow melt to drain into the streets! A bit different from damns but the same fun can be had! Make sure you don’t hurt the in habitants of the area or the surrounding ecology. Do not block off an entire waterway, and makes sure the water is flowing normally before you leave.
4. Paint with mud. Addy loves getting dirty and the warm bath that follows. Grab a stick or some leaves and dip them in the mud. Then paint your driveway or sidewalk with it and watch it melt away in the rain.
5. Make music. Put out pots, pans, bowls, tin foil or anything else you think might make a nice sound when raindrops hit it. You can even put out a xylophone as long as you don’t mind it getting wet. Enjoy the sound of music, Tip, tip, tap, tip, tap ting!