Rainy weather doesn’t mean the end of outside activities. Physical activity is important for everyone but it is even more important for kids. Getting time in the outdoors is vital to everyone’s health. Heading outside helps keep up Vitamin D levels which are important for growing bones and brain development. Just 20 minutes outside gives everyone their essential dose of Vitamin D.
Put on some warm gear, pull on the rain boots and get ready to get outside, rain- or shine. Here is a list of fun activities to do as a family, in any kind of weather.
- Head out for a rain walk. Make sure to splash in as many puddles as possible.
- Make a rain painting by putting powdered tempera paint on a paper plate and holding it outside in the rain for a minute.
- Practice opening and closing an umbrella.
- Make a rain gauge. Set out a container to collect rainwater. Measure how much you collect after 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes and an hour.
- Use all 5 senses to explore the weather – How does the rain/sun/wind feel on your skin? How does the rain/sun/wind smell? What kind of sounds does the weather make? Does the weather have a taste?
- Take a hike!
- Go for a bike ride.
- Take a nature walk and collect leaves. Take them home and do rubbings of the leaves with crayons.
- Paint the sidewalk with chalk. It’s even more fun when it gets wet.
- Go on a walk and collect sticks. Come home and make a maze in your yard, using the collected sticks.
- Make mud angels. Not for the faint of heart but kids will love getting really, really dirty!
- Make newspaper boats and take them for a float down a rainy gutter or stream.
- Do a Rain Dance.
- Roll down hills – they are even more fun if they are soggy and wet.
- Make music by placing some pots and pans outside and letting the rain make natural sound.
- Plant some seeds! The perfect time to plant seeds is when it is raining. You won’t need to water them.
- Watch the birds. Count how many birds you can spot and talk about what makes each one different.
- Go on a color hunt! Take a stroll and try to spot different colors, i.e. spot all the things that are yellow.
- Build a fairy house with found objects.
By Rebecca Mongrain