Thursday, June 18, 2009

Its Raining, Its Pouring...

We have rain on the forecast for the next 10 days... We're not going to let it "rain on our parade" though! The kids and I are planning out some great activities that we can do as a family. Here are some of them:

1. Build a Fort: We've turned our living room into a fort using bedsheets and attaching them to all the furniture! The kids play, have snacks and read books. It takes up a great amount of time and energy! We also pull all the cushions and pillows off the furniture to set up walls and barriers! Its so much fun!

2. Kids in the Kitchen: My kids LOVE to cook and they love to EAT even more! I've got some awesome, kid friendly cookbooks (Snack Attack and Kid Favorites Made Healthy from Better Homes and Gardens and Disney's the Magic Kitchen Cookbook to name a few) This is a wonderful way to get kids involved in meal planning, excited about eating healthy and it also provides some great math and science lessons!

3. Making Movies: Marissa is quite the drama queen and Christian is a pretty good supporting actor. We have lots of fun making home videos. They will act out a story, perform songs and dance for the camera. Then we make popcorn, set up on the couch and enjoy the shows on the big screen! They laugh until they drop! Its a silly and creative way to teach children about self-expression!

4. Dancing in the Rain: If its warm enough, we put on our swimsuits and play in the rain! Who says you can't play outside when its raining? Its like having sprinklers on all around you! They don't even need toys, they just love to run around and play in the puddles. Throw some towels in the dryer so that they are nice and toasty when you come inside! The kids will have expended a ton of energy and they'll probably want a nap afterwards!

5. Playing Hide and Seek: Both my kids love to play Hide and Seek. I usually do the "seeking" and I make it really silly by pretending to be tickle crazy! This game can go for a good hour or more, and I usually have to be the one to stop it.

6. Books: For some quiet time, we snuggle down with a big blanket and a stack of books. Thankfully, both my kids could listen and read books for hours. Make sure you have a bottle of water, reading a lot can make your voice tired. Sometimes, I use puppets or flannel boards!

7. Arts and Crafts: We love to create gifts for grandparents and friends. Get out the crayons, paint, glue and scissors and spend some time being creative. These projects don't last very long so be sure and have PLENTY of supplies! This week, we'll be making tote bags and decorating them with fabric paint. Then the kids will also make cards decorated with various sparkles, stickers and colors!

8. Bubble Baths: Kids love to play in the bathtub! Bubbles, body paint, toys and fun towels can make this activity so much fun! I also get a bubble maker and have it on in the bathroom so that they can float all around the room. It really creates a "bubbly" atmosphere filled with giggles!

9. Make Musical Instruments: Kids love to make music. So we take "junk" from around the house, empty paper towel tubes, rice, strings, tape, rubber bands, etc and we make instruments. Then we put on some fun kid music and pretent to be the band! This takes up a lot of time and give the kids a fun way to be creative and move!

10. Exercise: There are some awesome kid exercise videos. We love Kid Yoga too! The kids get on their "exercise gear" and we exercise together. We talk about our muscles and being healthy! Be sure adn exercise with them so that they build confidence in their own physical abilities!

Enjoy! "Rain, Rain, its ok, You can't spoil our fun today!"

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