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Parenting: Rainy Day Fun Activities
by Angela Hughes
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New England has had plenty of rain this summer and the forecast calls for more. Summer with children can certainly lose its luster, when the rain is pouring
down on your plans. Finding activities for the kids to do when the pool is closed can become discouraging. Try the following smart and creative ideas to please
the little people in your home. Here are five great tips you can do to beat the rainy, summer time blues.
1. Make a Paper Mache World Globe and label it. There isn’t a kid around that doesn’t like to get their hands sticky with a glue paste and ripped up newspaper.
This craft is fun to paint and even more fun to make.
Supplies needed:
A round balloon
Lots of newspaper
Flour and water glue (instructions below)
A container for mixing the glue (old plastic containers work well)
A spoon or stick to stir the glue
A printer
Pencil
Blue and green tempera paint
Paint brushes
A dark marker
Make simple, thin glue from flour and water. Mix 1 cup of flour into 1 cup of water until the mixture is thin and runny. Stir into 4 cups of boiling water (the heating
gives the
glue a nice consistency, but is not
necessary).
Simmer for about 3 minutes, and then cool.
Tear a lot of strips of newspaper.
Strips should be about 1 inch wide; the length doesn’t really matter.
Blow up and tie a round balloon for each student.
Papier-Mâché: Dip each strip of paper in the flour glue, wipe off excess, and wrap the strip around the balloon. Have at least three layers surrounding the balloon.
Let it dry (at least overnight) after each layer.
Let the globe dry completely (it may take a few days). When the papier-mâché is dry, the balloon usually pops by itself, and separates from the outer papier-mâché
skin.
Paint the globe with tempura paints and label accordingly.
2. Make a Nature Scrapbook
Put on your rain boots, grab an umbrella and take a walk outside. Not only will this freshen your life up, your children will be surprised with all of the things they
can find outside.
Gather as many nature items as you can,
Leaves of all different types
Nuts, seeds
Flowers to be pressed
Sticks,
Assemble on a piece of card stock or cardboard with glue.
3. Feeling like you want to get out of the house? The Palace Theater located in Manchester, NH offers a wonderful Summer Children’s Theater Series. Every
Tuesday and Wednesday, they offer a new theatrical show such as Cinderella or The Amazing Magic of Steve Thomas. These shows are certain to excite the
youngest to the oldest viewer. The price is soft on the pocket book too. Tickets start as low as $4.00 per person.
Children’s museum and Science centers throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts are always great indoor activities. Purchase the $70.00 yearly Family
Pass at the Manchester, NH See Science Museum and use it not only at the See Science center, but at participating Children’s and Science Centers across the
nation. The pass includes entry to the new Dover, NH Children’s Museum, the Boston’s Children’s Museum and Museum of Science in Boston. Directly below
the See Science Center is the Manchester Historic Millyard free with your
Science Family Pass.
4. Utilize your kitchen. Baking marathons are not just for the holidays. Make three or four delicious cookie recipes and deliver plates to friends locked indoors, a
sure way to strike up a play-date. Cut-out sugar cookies are always a child’s favorite.
Rain doesn’t need to slow down, summer fun. Think creative and think smart when your plans have been dampened.
Angela Hughes, while meeting the demands of her four children has worked as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University and New Hampshire Technical
Institute. She is the founder and chairman of Color My World: Kids Who Care, a non-profit humanitarian organization. (www.colormyworldkids.org). Questions or
comments may be e-mailed to her directly at colormyworldkids@comcast.net
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