Carlie Parkinson

The weather forecast has been for heavy rain every day this week. Luckily we haven’t seen it aside from Saturday’s downpour, which got me thinking. How am I going to get the kids some outside time if it’s pouring rain? Well I did some research and a few ideas kept repeating themselves, so here are my 15 favourites.

1. Fill containers and measure the rain. Place many different sized containers out in the rain and let your child estimate which one will fill first? How much did it rain in an hour? In a day? In a week? You can make your own rain gauge by securing a ruler to the inside of a clear cup or mason jar or you can purchase one. Keep a rain journal of the rainfall and compare from day to day.
2. Go to the beach and draw in the wet sand. Drawing in the wet sand is glorious! The rain makes the whole beach your canvas.
3. Do some wet chalk drawing. It’s a different experience to draw with chalk on a wet surface. The colours are more vibrant and the chalk is easier to draw with too!
4. Make nature boats. Sticks, small pieces of wood and leaves all make great boats. Race them down a stream to find out which items make the fastest boats? Which sail the furthest?
5. Sing and dance. Grab your umbrella or don’t and just get out there and belt out a song. I’m guessing “Let It Go” will likely be on the playlist.
6. Play with bath toys in Puddles. I’ve never thought of taking the Rubber Ducky outside, but why not?
7. Catch raindrops on your tongues.
8. Make mud pies. A super fun rainy day activity is making mud pies. The earth gets nice and soft when it rains so that it’s easy to dig. Don’t forget to decorate your mud pies with flowers, leaves, sticks, rocks, etc. Check out Mud Pie Nature Art for more ideas if you want to make elaborate pies.
9. Become a scientist and use your senses. Think about the temperature of the rain, weight, size of the droplets.
10. Build a dam. Use stones, rocks, mud, sandbags or anything else you have to create a damn wherever water is flowing. This is a wonderful STEM activity for kids. When building a dam, make sure you don’t hurt the inhabitants of the area or the surrounding ecology. Do not block off an entire waterway, and make sure the water is flowing normally before you leave.
11. Make rain art. Draw on paper with washable markers then put it out in the rain to watch what happens.
12. Go for a nature walk. We’re lucky to be surrounded by outdoor adventures. Even if you live in a more urban area there is always a park nearby which will offer activities along the way. Remember to focus on the journey, not just the destination.
13. Have a water war. This may be out of my comfort zone, but on warmer, rainy days, why not? Whoever said water soakers and water balloons were only for hot days? Having a water war in the rain is a great way to get the kids outside to burn off some excess energy. Especially if they’ve been cooped up for a while.
14. Paint with mud. Grab a stick or some leaves and dip them in the mud. Then paint your driveway or sidewalk with the mud and watch it melt away in the rain.
15. Jump in puddles. Last, but not least, everyone’s favorite rainy day activity… Jump in puddles! Ideally, do this activity with rain boots and muddy buddies on.