Things To Do This Summer Part 2: Rainy Day Activities

It’s not as easy to keep kids entertained on rainy summer days. They don’t enjoy being cooped up inside the house all day long. Sure, they may enjoy watching a movie or playing a board game, but eventually they need a way to get that energy out. With all the recent rain, you and the kids have probably run out of fresh ideas to keep them occupied.  Here are some ideas to break kids out of their rainy day habits and have some awesome summer fun!

1. A great way that you can keep the kids busy and teach them about giving back is to help them bake

cookies or some other treat to bring to local firefighters or police. Not only will they have fun baking with you in the kitchen and seeing some local heroes, they’ll be brightening the days of some of their local heroes as well.

2. Another way to entertain the kids and keep them active on a rainy day is to send them on a quest around the house. Give them one clue or riddle to lead them on a search for the next clue that will then lead them to the next clue and so on. At the end have a small little prize for them to find like a special snack, dollar store toy or temporary tattoos. The kids will enjoy the searching as much as the treasure they find at the end.

3. Imagine That! Have kids make up their own activity or game using different household items. They can use things like rubber bands, blankets, tapes, spoons and boxes to create something brand new! This activity is part of a Play60 contest that will be going on until July 12. For more information about the contest click here.

4. Play charades. Have the kids pretend to be their favorite characters, animals and more and then have everyone else try to guess. This will cause a lot of giggles as well as get the kids thinking creatively.

5. A fun rainy day craft that is also a way to make a wonderful keepsake is to have kids make a plate. There are kits that you can buy on Amazon that come with plate templates. Give a template and some markers to each kid and let them have fun creating a custom piece of artwork. Once they’re finished, follow the instructions in the kit and send the templates out to be turned into plates. It may take a couple of weeks to get the finished product in the mail, but when you do, the kids will be happy to see their artwork on a plate that they can eat off of.

6. An easy to make treat for the kids that will bring nature inside, let them get hands on and is delicious to eat is a dirt cake. It takes just a few ingredients; chocolate pudding mix, any sort of chocolate cookie and gummy worms. Find a paper or plastic cup that is deep enough to act like a pot. Mix the chocolate pudding and let the kids dump their desired amount into their cups. Once they’ve got enough pudding let them crumble chocolate cookie crumbs over the top of their pudding. Give them a few gummy worms to garnish their “dirt” with and then let them enjoy!

7. Next time you’re at your local supermarket ask if they have any giant boxes that they’re done with. If they do, you can keep it around the house until a rainy day arrives and then let the kids decorate it as they please. The box can suddenly become a castle, ship, car or space shuttle! The kids will have a homemade set to let their imagination soar and keep them occupied all day.

For some great places to take the kids for some indoor fun that aren’t the normal summer hotspots click here. For some more ideas of indoor activities to do with kids you can click here.

Up next: Sunny Day Fun

Gardening for Beginners By A Beginner Part 1 - Homegrown Herbs

Are you sick of the snow and rain yet? Ready for some fun in the sun? I know I am! I am especially excited for the next few weeks leading up to our Spring Fling here at the Museum. For those of you who don't know, the Spring Fling is the annual opening celebration of our "Wild Place" outdoor learning center! We will be spending the whole day outside, learning how to create our own family gardens and the importance of community gardens.

That being said, I've started my own herb garden at home this week, and I thought you might want to do the same. For all you rookie gardeners like myself, herbs are a great way to start, and very KID FRIENDLY! Herbs can be grown indoors on a windowsill with plenty of sunlight, watered about once a week (be careful not to over-water), and be used for all of your cooking needs. All you need are: seeds, all-purpose compost, and a container. Be sure to put something in the bottom of the container to prevent root rot, I used rocks, but packaging peanuts work just as well.

Go "green" by washing and reusing

· old coffee tins

· peanut butter jars

· ice cream pints

· deli containers

· soda bottles (have your parents cut the top off)

OR buy your own pot and decorate it however you want. Paint it funky colors, use your favorite stickers, decoupage pictures or postcards from vacations...the possibilities are endless!

There are a whole lot of herbs that can be grown inside; basil, oregano, mint, parsley, and rosemary...just to name a few. Here's a great website I found with more tips on creating your own herb garden: allfreecrafts.com. You should start seeing some growth in a week or two, but you will have to wait 4-6 weeks to really use them...trust me, it will be worth the wait!

Good luck gardeners, and check back next week for part two of my gardening series for some yummy (healthy) recipes to make with your homegrown herbs!

-Jennifer Nash
Public Relations and Development Intern, Children's Museum in Easton.

Still too young for school?

Several parents during our Museum summer camp drop off this year agreed: With the big kids heading to school it leaves some of us wondering what we are going to do with the younger sibling all day. They'll be lost without their big brother or big sister! However as parents, this is our prime opportunity to spend some quality time with our youngest before they too head off to full-day school in a few short years. Here is little one's chance to shine!

My youngest child's favorite activity is painting. I remember back when my first child was 3. I was very nervous around painting projects, but now that my third child is 3, I have become much more relaxed and have found that there's nothing a little soap and water (and occasionally a whole bath) will get off. I have also found that an old adult-sized T-shirt makes a great cover-up to protect clothes. Painting outside in the lovely fall weather can be relaxing and fun.

Try making apple prints with apples cut in half. If you cut the apple along the equator you can make a print of the star! You can tape leaves to a piece of paper, paint over them, and then remove the leaves to reveal their outline. For some sensory as well as visual projects, squirt some washable tempora paint on a clean Styrofoam meat tray, and have your child squish her feet in the paint and then step on a big piece of paper, walk in a circle, or print some dance moves. Develop vocabulary and imagination by talking about how the paint feels and what the prints look like. Or, with a shiny paper plate resembling an artist's palette and a squirt of each primary color, your child can use his fingers to discover what happens when you blend colors. (Have a bucket of soapy water ready outside to wash up.)

For more colorful art projects from an elementary school art from a teacher who is now a stay at home mom, check out the Pink and Green Mama's Website

No matter how many great projects I come up with at home, sometimes my youngest insists, "But mom, I just want to play with other kids." On one of those days I often check out what my local MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) Club is doing. Almost every town has one that you can join. They offer playgroups, outings/trips for the kids, and special interest groups for moms as well. It is an excellent resource for meeting new friends and finding inexpensive activities you and your child can enjoy.

Your local library has a lot quality free programs to offer as well. In addition to library sponsored story times and crafts, many libraries host outreach programs for babies through preschoolers such as playgroups and "Play N Learns" by Community Partnerships for Children, and Music and Movement classes through the NRC Family Network, both funded by the MA Dept. of Early Education and Care. Both are fun, valuable experiences for children and their caregivers. Each program encourages caregiver-child interaction and gives you ideas to continue at home. Check the library's bulletin board for dates and times. Remember, you are not limited to your own local library. Check out libraries in surrounding towns for a wider variety of opportunities to meet your child's and your schedule's needs.

My youngest especially loves to visit the Children's Museum in Easton. In addition to the fun, developmentally appropriate exhibits, the Museum also offers a wide variety of classes. Pee Wee Singers and Music Makers, Pre-Ballet, and Friday Frolics are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. Click here for a complete fall schedule. The Museum is also a great place to meet other kids and their caregivers...while big sister or big brother is off meeting new friends at school.