Rain Rain ....

YAY! The rain is here!!!
* Bake together: you can buy the precut cookies which are totally kid friendly even when they cook together and make huge cookie lump it still tastes yummy. Add sprinkles for an added mess and kid fun :)

* Go to the library: Sometimes my kids only last for 30 minutes and other times an hour. Either way you can get out of the house and the idea of bringing a book home is cool. I also make a HUGE deal out of the Used Book Store in the library. They bring their own quarters and get to pick 1 to buy of their own. Kenzie likes to walk around with her purse and kienan feels cool with a wallet in his pocket :)

* Paint in the bathtub: Yep.. naked painting! Just squirt some WASHABLE TEMPERA paint in there with a few sponges or paint brushes and let them paint the tub, themselves, each other or even tape a few pieces of paper on the sides. When your done turn on the shower for a "Rainy Day" and wash away the absolute mess :)

* Freeze Dance: Get crazy with yourselves! Turn up the music and let that energy ooze all over the living room!!!! My kids have been known to even dance naked. Add a game and have them freeze when you stop the music. Sometimes giving permission to be loud and crazy is easier than battling it all day locked inside the house.

* Chalk in the Rain: Either draw on the sidewalk or on a piece of construction paper and leave it in the rain. The colors will run to make a beautiful picture. (Display later in your "Art Gallery").

* Set up an air mattress or tent in the house: Let them bounce and hide. You can even have a picnic in the tent (cave, castle, etc...) Another alternative are the couch cushions laid out on the floor. Building forts and tunnels with blankets is always a hit!

* Puddle Jumping!: Puddle jumping makes spending $14.99 on rain boots for the season so worth it. Bundle them up and let them run and jump and splash and get muddy. It's their nature :) Add some tunes and you'll be singing in the rain! You can sit on the porch with some hot cocoa and marshmallows and listen and watch the rain. A warm bath after will calm them down.

* Hide-n-go-seek in the house: All time favorite for my kids. If they could pick the game EVERY time, this would be the one. Other games work too: Go Fish, Candy Land, or let them invent their own game. File folders are great game boards and buttons can be the game pieces.

* Beans n Rice on the kitchen floor: A couple of alternatives: Plastic swimming pool, blanket or a shallow empty tub. Choose 1 to fill with beans and rice and pasta. Add cups, measuring spoons, bowls, etc... and let them explore!

i have more ideas, but my munchkins are calling! Will post a Part II!