Rainy Day or Any Day Activities

[ajrsmom]

Bath Paint

Shaving cream
Food coloring
Muffin tin
Spoon
Paint brushes
Sponges

Age: preschool +
Place shaving cream in each section of a muffin tin. Add food coloring to each one and stir. When the kids are in the bath allow them to use the "paint" to paint themselves, the tub and the walls. Clean up is easy. Check for allergies first. Supervision is recommended for younger children.



Indoor Basketball

Socks
Empty basket or trash pail

Age: preschool +
Place an empty container on top of a dresser. Roll up a pair of socks. Use the socks to toss into the basket. Safe and fun.



Hot and Cold

Small toys or edible treats

Age: preschool +
Hide the small toys or editble treats somewhere in the house. Ask your child to find them. When they are getting nearer to the object say "hot" when they get away from the object say "cold".



Hide and Seek

Kitchen timer

Age: preschool +
Two ways to play this one. Set the kitchen timer and ask the kids to hide. You have to find them by the time the timer rings. Or, set the timer and hide it. The kids have to find the timer before it goes off. They might be able to hear it ticking which makes it more fun.


Fishing Fun

Construction paper
Scissors
Pens, pencil
Small box

Age: preschool +
Cut out shapes of fish with the construction paper. On each fish wirte an instruction: i.e. find something blue, count to 5, hug Mommy, pet the dog etc. Place the fish in a box or container. Have your child pull out a fish and complete the instruction.



Personal Recordings

Tape recorder
Blank cassette tape

Age: preschool +
If you have access to a tape recorder this can be a lot of fun. Set up the recorder to record and have your child sing, recite nursery rhymes or tell their favorite story. These make great gifts for grandparents. You can also surprise Mom or Dad with a special tape for him/her to listen to on the way to work



Island Hopping

Pillows

Age: preschool +
Place several pillows around a large open area. Tell your child they are islands. Have the child hop from island to island without faling in the water. Make up stories about pirates and alligators while playing.



Go Fish

Stick for fishing rod
String
Magnets
Scissors
Construction paper
Glue or tape
Metal paper clips

Age: preschool +
Parents can cut out fish shapes from construction paper. Glue or tape metal paper clips to the back of the fish. Make the fishing rod with a long stick and a piece of string. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Scatter the fish on the floor or in a large box/container. Kids will have fun for hours fishing!



Treasure Hunt

Various objects/edible treats
Paper
Pen, pencil, crayons or markers

Age: preschool +
Parents can hide several objects around the house. Make a treasure map indicating where the treats are. Or, have the kids hide the objects and make the map for siblings to find.



Changing Body Game

Get a picture of your child and glue it to a piece of paper. Then allow the childern to go thru magazines, newspapers, etc... and cut out pictures of animals, people, characters. Then cut off the heads of all of these pictures and they can place them over their picture to see what they would look like in someone else's body!.
Example: cut the head off of Bozo the clown and place the rest over the body of your picture and you can see what it looks like! How about cutting off the head of a giraffe and having a body like a giraffe...it is a lot more fun than it is written.
Submitted by Anne Hansen

Dress Up

Keep a trunk or box filled with old Halloween costumes, Mom and Dads old clothes, hats, belts, bobbles and beads. Kids love to play dress-up and will spend hours in this box.

[ajrsmom]

Indoor Fun

Guessing Game

When my son was small (He's 12 now) we used to play a great game over and over. He loved it. We each had a paper bag(or cloth) and each of us took a turn filling it up with items. The other person could not see what these items were. Then the other person went around the house and filled up their bag. Example items: feather, eraser, pen, spool of thread, toy etc. depending on the age. Each person took turns guessing what was in the bag. They could put their hand in and feel the item, but they could not see it. I would always play it up guessing to my son's delight. Then it was his turn to reach into my bag and guess what I had. This game can be played in the car, on a rainy day, on a plane really passes the time, and of course anytime is fun. I now play it with my 4 and 5 years old.
Submitted by Katherine



Sticker Solution

With this solution, you can turn magazine pictures, wrapping paper motifs, or comic cutouts into customized stickers.


11 teaspoon flavored gelatin
2 teaspoons boiling water
Place gelatin & boiling water in a small bowl. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Let mixture cool 1 minute. While the sticker solution is warm, brush a thin coat on the back of each cut out. Use your finger or a small brush. When dry you can lick them & stick them on paper or glass just like a real stamp!
Submitted by Judy Keller


Watercolors

1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon glycerin
Food coloring
Mix vinegar & baking soda in small bowl & allow to foam. After foaming stops add cornstarch & glycerin and stir very well....up to a couple of minutes.
Portion the mixture into a paint palette, muffin tin or similar container and add food coloring. Make the colors dark because drying and use will lighten them. Clean supermarket meat trays can be used for this, too. But make sure these are washed in an antibacterial solution first. Allow watercolors to dry in a warm place for several hours or overnight Makes 1 set of Watercolors
Submitted by Judy Keller


Felt Board

scraps of felt
thick cardboard
old magazines, coloring books
fabric glue
Cover cardboad with felt pieces useing fabric glue. Cut out pictures from magazines - animals, people, toys, etc. For more stability glue pictures onto construction paper and recut. Paste the pictures onto the felt board. When the kids get board with the pictures they can always cut out and paste new ones on.
Submitted by Monique Leduc


Macaroni Art

Macaroni dye
pasta, various shapes
Glue
construction paper
To make Macaroni dye you will need:


1 cup water
20 drops food coloring
2 Tbsps. vinegar

Let pasta shapes soak in dye for about 20-30 minutes. Remove and place on foil lined cookie sheet. Dry overnight. Sort by shape or color and store in plastic baggies.
To use allow child to glue colored pasta on construction paper in a variety of patterns and shapes. Construction paper can be cut into shapes as well. Allow to dry and hang.
Submitted by Lore Bolling



Sud Fun

Liquid detergent
Water
Bowl
Eggbeater
Straw (optional)

Age: preschool
Put a few drops of liquid detergent into a bowl and fill part way with water. Use an eggbeater to whip ups some big suds. Kids love to blow into the water with a straw to make really big bubbles. Food coloring can be added to the water for effect. Most kids will only suck up the water once - once they do they likely won't do it again.


Hand/Footprints

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of salt
3/4 cup of warm water
Mix ingredients together in a bowl. If the dough is a little dry add water a little at a time. Make a ball of dough then flatten it to about a one inch thickness in the shape of a circle.
Press the hand or the foot or a shell, a leaf or other object into the dough to make an imprint. Gently lift it off and bake this at 325 degrees in the oven until hard or let it air dry a couple days. After that you can decorate it. The dough can be coloured by adding some food coloring.
These make great gifts for parents or grandparents.
Submitted by Ursula Peterson



Indoor Sandbox

Cardboard box or plastic baby bathtub
Puffed wheat or rice cereal
Sandbox toys

Age: preschool
Create an indoor sandbox by filling a container with inexpensive cereal (buy at bulk stores if possible). Bulk uncooked rice is also possible and bought cheaply in bulk. Have kids use pails, shovels, dumptrucks, measuring spoons and cups and bowls. This is a lot easier to clean up then sand as long as you don't add water!



Story Writing

Paper
Pen, markers, pencils, crayons

Photographs or magazine pictures
Scissors
Glue

Age: preschool +
Write a story with your child about his/her life. Make her/him the central character in the story. Include his/hers favorite friends and places in the story. Or, change an old fairytale favorite to include your child. You can buy school notebooks with the top half blank for drawing pictures or pasting in pictures. If the child is young you can write the story and they can illustrate it.


Indoor Camping

Sheets or blankets
Moveable furniture

Age: preschool +
Have an indoor camping trip. Move any furniture you can in a circle and place a sheet or blanket over top.Use flashlights for effect and have a snack under the cover. Include a pillow and some good books.



What's Missing?

Tray
Various household objects/small toys

Age: preschool +
Test memory skills with your kids. On a tray place various items. Let your child study them closely. Have her/him close her eyes and remove one or two items. Have the child guess which item is missing.



Nail Board

Nails
Wood
Hammer
String or elastic bands

Age: preschool + (adult supervision)
Parents can hammer nails into a piece of wood in a random design, pattern, rows or circles. The more nails the more creative the child can be. The child can then take the elastics and/or string and hook them over the nails to create interesting patterns and designs.


Kitchen Music

Pots and pans with lids
Wooden spoons
Wire whisk
Rubber spatula
Non-breakable kitchen objects

Age: preschool
Give your child a selection of safe, unbreakable kitchen objects. Although this is quite noisey it is a good way to keep them busy while you are cooking dinner. You can put on music so he/she can play along with it.



Musical Glasses

Drinking glasses
Water
Spoon

Age: preschool
Fill drinking glasses with different amounts of water and have your child tap on the glasses with a spoon. Have your child listen carefully to detect the different sounds made.



Little Builder

Golf tees
Plastic foam blocks
Toy hammer

Age: preschool +
Little ones love to hammer so here is a safe way to do it. Using a toy hammer let kids hammer golf tees into a foam block. If the point concerns you on the golf tee they can be made blunter by tapping with a real hammer.



Listening Fun

Household obects

Age: preschool +
Have your child close his/her eyes and guess the sounds you make. Household objects like keys, coins, pots, whistles, toaser etc. are good examples. Be creative.



Tasting Fun

Various foods cut up

Age: preschool +
Clean and dice various food items. Have your child close his/her eyes and place a small piece of food on the childs tongue. Or, have the child taste it. See if they can guess what the food is. Good items include: various melons, onions, vegetables, sugar etc. If you are doing this with other children be sure to ask about allergies.

[ellenmelon]

When the girls were little we would go outside and float our rubber ducks in the puddles.

Now the girls go down to the swamp below and look at the real ducks, some of which they have raised from eggs.

Inside we like to build a fire in the fireplace and watch rented movies on the television and eat popcorn.

Sometimes, when we are IMing we will IM each other even if we are in the same room. Written is a whole new other way of enhancing communication with teens and parents!

[Coll]

ajrsmom,
question about the sticker solution
is it 11 teaspoon flavored gelatin or should it be 1 teaspoon?
This is something I think I will try with Maddie. She loves stickers.

Thanks,

Coll