10 free ways to amuse the kids when it's raining

Today we are having some much longed for rain. It's the good, soaking type too. Not the erratic heavy showers that disappear almost as soon as they begin that we've had for the last - well it seems like a year or more. It's lovely to hear it on the roof and watch the grey clouds keep rolling in. Rain, however, poses some challenges in keeping the kids amused. Here are some of the things we do when the weather turns. In keeping with our simple living aspirations, all of them are free and most of them are green. Of course, when it's raining is a great time to talk with the kids about how precious our water is.

1. Rug up in some waterproof gear and take a walk. The familiar world looks a little different in the rain. The kids will LOVE jumping in puddles and sloshing through mud. If you're like me, you may need to let go a little bit and allow them to do this (no “look how dirty you are” or “you'll get wet”). And to make it even more exciting, get in there yourself and have a splash around. The kids will think its hilarious.
   
   
2. Go for a snail hunt in the garden. My kids love snails. Give them a bucket each and see who can collect the most snails. You can then dispose of them before they dispose of your garden (the snails not the kids).
   
   
3. If you have nasturtiums in your garden, show the kids how the rain “turns to mercury” on their leaves. You could compare this with other plants.
   
   
4. Have leaf boat races down the little rivulets that have formed (kerbs are great for this if it's safe).
   
   
5. If it's just too awful to go outside set up a house, island, cubby or whatever else takes your fancy inside with chairs and blankets. Then give the kids a bit of a lead and watch as their imaginations take them on a wonderful adventure.
   
   
6. Look through some photos with the kids. Our kids love to look at old photos of us and our family, and have us tell them about when they were taken.
   
   
7. Do some baking. Often I have a batch of cookie dough in the freezer. Let the kids go to town making cookies in all shapes and sizes. Then you can help them eat them when their done.
   
   
8. Make some play dough (click here for a recipe and heaps of other ideas - gotta love Playschool) and give the kids some utensils, cookie cutters and a rolling pin. Endless enjoyment.
   
   
9. There are tons of downloadable colouring pages on the net. Here's one site to start you off.
   
   
10. Make a visit to your local library.

On reading back through my list, I noticed that most of the activities are things to do with your child/ren. Maybe these activities shouldn't be kept just for rainy days.

What do you and your kids do when the weather sets in?