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ADVICE RATING |
 4.77 (Highly recommend) from 15 votes (606 Visits) |
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Rainy Day Magic |
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by jenlemen  (February 2007) (rank 10th) |
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For those days when you just can't bear to brave the weather, here's a list of things to try:
- Make a bird's nest. My little children loved to pretend they were little birdies when I would make a circle of blankets around them on the couch. They would read books, eat snacks, watch a movie--all in relative voluntary confinement. I guess there was something about the bird's nest that make them feel cozy and loved.
- Build a fort under the dining room table. Drape a large sheet over any available table and you're good to go. Don't forget pillows and blankets underneath for lounging, storytelling and sharing secrets. Go ahead mom, you can fit under there, I promise! Add flashlights and your kids will be in heaven.
- Jump on the bed. Oh, I know we're not supposed to, but that's what makes it so fun. Just five minutes will get your kids energy out and you, the parent, will be revived by the adrenaline rush! It's so much better when the big person joins in the fun.
- Make a mattress slide. Okay, I have to confess that I HATE this game, but nothing makes my children happier. We have whole stretches of time where every morning I needed to remind someone, "Keep the mattresses ON the bed!" But seriously, if you restrict this game to rainy days only, everything will be just fine. Basically, my kids take off the top mattress (the firmer the better) and put it at an angle with the floor and the boxspring. Just enough so you can slide down without doing serious damage to yourself, this game will keep your school aged kids entertained for hours, I promise.
- Bake a cake. Just a box cake--let's not go crazy here! But that's all it takes to occupy busy hands for a nice thirty minutes or so. Your kids will be happier still if you buy a box of sprinkles so they can ice and decorate your cake or cupcakes before sampling the treats. I keep box cakes on hand just for this occasion.
- Spa day. This is a Madeleine favorite! She never tires of bubble baths, light massages and lotion by candlelight. What makes her even happier is when mom breaks down (so rare, I'm sorry to say!) and will endure some kind of hair or face makeover. Not my favorite kid activity, but nothing makes my eight year old happier.
- Movie marathon. Go ahead and find all the Scooby Doo DVDs that have been lurking in every corner of the house, pop a bag of popcorn and let your kids veg. Your kids might have another video favorite, but mine never tire of dear ole Scooby Doo. And Shaggy, of course.
- On your mark, get set, go! Get a watch with a second hand and ask your kids to guess how many times they can jump up and down in a minute--then time them! Jumping, crawling from here to the living room, doing forward rolls--there's no end to the things you can time once someone says Go! Set up your familiy's own world record book and make sure to come up with things that can get baby and the couch potato parent into the act.
- Stair surfing. This last suggestion is not for the faint of heart, and I cannot endorse this as a truly safe activity--but the fun factor is through the roof. (My husband cringed the day he found out this was standard fare in our house when he was gone.) My kids LOVE, love, LOVE to find some kind of slippery something--a satin-y blanket or a sleeping bag--and slide down our carpeted stairs face first. Make sure their shirts are well tucked into their jeans to avoid rug burns--footie pajamas are really best for this game--and put a time limit on it, so the creativity around who/what to slide down the stairs doesn't spin out of control. We also have a couple of big square pillows that help break the fall. I've allowed my kids to play this game, every so often, for awhile now and so far, the only casualty has been belly aches from laughing so much. Only for your active, unbreakable five year old whose been eyeing the stairs now for some time anyway.
What kinds of things keep your kids entertained on a rainy day? Comments are open below. |
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| ADVICE RATING |
4.77 (Highly recommend) from 15 votes |
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 Related keywords: activities, adventure, blankets, children, day, entertainment, forts, fun, games, happy, ideas, kids, laughter, mattresses, parents, rainy, suggestions, timer, wholesome
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Lexi xxx
