I think someone forgot to tell Mr. Sun that summer is here. I'm wondering if he has gone on strike like Toronto city employees, or maybe he signed with an agent and just makes guest appearances now. Either way, I've about given up on my garden and am planning to build an ark instead.
Watching my friends come up with new ideas to amuse their little ones when the weather doesn't co-operate makes me appreciate how ingenious and creative parents have to be at times.
There are only so many times you can watch Caillou before you start mumbling "Rain, rain go away" over and over and over again. If you've already checked out chimpanzees at the Discovery Centre, eaten bugs at the Museum of Natural History, toured the harbour on Theodore Tugboat and basically exhausted your options (and money) amusing the kids, here are some ideas to turn your home into a hip, happening playhouse.
Building your own indoor obstacle course kills two birds with one stone: it keeps kids busy and lets them up lots of energy so they sleep afterward. They can crawl over or under chairs or a piece of rope, potato-sack race to the next obstacle, do jumping jacks, balance a beanbag on their head or toss it into a laundry basket. Or play circus, and let them pretend they're acrobats by putting masking tape on the floor in different shapes so they can practise balancing while walking "the high wire."
Grab teddy bears and stuffed animals from your child's bed and have a rousing game of teddy-bear leap frog, or use cushions (on a non-slippery surface - the emergency room is the last place you want to spend your day, rain or not) and pretend you're a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad.
Forget sitting in front of the TV playing Rock Band for hours - start your own band, with some easy homemade instruments. Make coffee can bongos, a drum set out of pots and wooden spoons, experiment with water glass music (fill identical glasses with different amounts of water and tap with a spoon) or make a guitar from a cardboard box and rubber bands. Do this after a game of leap frog, when they're tired but not quite ready to settle down, or buy a good pair of earplugs.
If baking isn't your forte, but your little one still wants to get their hands dirty, make your play dough, finger paint or slime. If a budding Dr. Doolittle lives in your house, set up your own animal hospital with toy animals.
Rainy days don't have to put a damper on playtime fun, a dent in your wallet or make Tylenol your new best friend. Just keep remembering that soon the sun will be out again - and we'll be complaining about the humidity.
suzyteubner@yahoo.ca
Cool things for kids to do on a rainy day
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Published on
July 10, 2009
- Published on April 5, 2010
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Suzy Teubner
Halifax West
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